# Building Materials



## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

Why you build building from scratch ......

What is your favorite Material?

What thinkness is the Material? 

Do you coat it with anything to protect it from the elememtns? If so What?

What do you do for Doors and Windows?

How close do you stay to the scale or your RR? ( 1:29 1:24 1:20.5 ect ect) 


JJ


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## cape cod Todd (Jan 3, 2008)

Hello John 
I recently completed 2 buildings a warehouse and a coal processing\loading building. 
1. I built both from scratch. The warehouse I started with a old plastic porch lantern top and built around it. The coal plant I kind of bashed up a bunch of photos and built a structure that would fit my needs and RR. I scratch build since most kits can be expensive plus it is always fun to do it yourself. 
2. Both builds I used exterior plywood for the base and glued/pinned cedar planks to it. I like using wood since it is relatively cheap and easy to work with plus it looks "real". I'm experimenting with a hardboard material for the roof. 
3. 1\2 inch ply and the cedar strips are ripped roughly to 1/8x 3/4 wide. I have also used mahogany strips. 
4. I coated the buildings with paint on one and poly on the other since I had a gallon of it on hand. The hardboard roofs were liberally coated and then spraypainted a darker brown. 
5. The doors and windows I used plexi glass with wood or plastic frames around them. 
6. My RR is not a particular scale but I simply run what I like. I gauge my buildings on a 3" tall person. 

They might not be the most detailed buildings out there and they certainly won't win any awards but if you stay back about 5 feet from them I think they look pretty good. 
It will be interesting to hear how other guys do it. 
Todd


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## Phippsburg Eric (Jan 10, 2008)

I love building structures from scratch! I want them to look like they belong. As I model Maine Two foot gauge, a building for Colorado will not do at all! New England buildings look different and are not available from the manufacturers. Plus I can build cheaper than I could buy. 

I work mostly in wood. Clapboard buildings I model by milling the clapboards into the surface of 1/2" plywood using a Dato cutter on my table saw set at a slight angle. My bridges use scale wood including 1/16" cedar for siding. I use cedar shingles cut on my bandsaw from a fallen tree on most of my structures. 

I do paint the buildings either with oil based paint (thinned with Linseed oil) or latex-acrylic waterbased exterior paints. thin cedar will stand up well unpainted if it can dry out properly in my wet coastal Maine climate. 

I make my own windows...too cheap to buy them, I like making them and accurate scale windows are not available. I make wooden ones wher the mullions slot together egg crate fashion or make molds for resin castings. Doors i usually just make from wood strips. 

My scale is 1:20.3 and my line is modeled for the year 1910 or so.


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

Posted By Phippsburg Eric on 21 Mar 2011 03:05 PM 
I love building structures from scratch! I want them to look like they belong. As I model Maine Two foot gauge, a building for Colorado will not do at all! New England buildings look different and are not available from the manufacturers. Plus I can build cheaper than I could buy. 

I work mostly in wood. Clapboard buildings I model by milling the clapboards into the surface of 1/2" plywood using a Dato cutter on my table saw set at a slight angle. My bridges use scale wood including 1/16" cedar for siding. I use cedar shingles cut on my bandsaw from a fallen tree on most of my structures. 

I do paint the buildings either with oil based paint (thinned with Linseed oil) or latex-acrylic waterbased exterior paints. thin cedar will stand up well unpainted if it can dry out properly in my wet coastal Maine climate. 

I make my own windows...too cheap to buy them, I like making them and accurate scale windows are not available. I make wooden ones wher the mullions slot together egg crate fashion or make molds for resin castings. Doors i usually just make from wood strips. 

My scale is 1:20.3 and my line is modeled for the year 1910 or so. 

Your window making sounds interesting 

Can you post some pictures of how you do it?

JJ


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