As Featured in Sn3 Modeler Fall/Winter 2015
Log Research underway at Coastmans
I like our 13's for making trees...but they're not gonna cut it for F scale logs.
Part One: Rhododendron. |
Now we're talkin' turkey!
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Received an order for 13" trunks a while back, and when I was told it was for F scale log loads, I knew I had to hit the airbrakes. No way was a Coastmans 13" Cedar Trunk going to work out in F scale as "old growth". That would have worked out to what...a 10 foot old growth tree? So, with permission from the customer, I dove headlong into "log research". Internet results show logs crafted from dowels, plastic-molded logs, and from natural materials such as Rhododendron. We have boatloads of rhododendron where I live, so I hit the local state forestry agency for a bow permit. That set me up to cut up to ONE TON of rhodies. No way would I need that much, but I was able to get started with determining which type of material would pan out best.
Our Silverado loaded with a run of Rhododendron.
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Keeping it legal. All harvesting of Rhododendron was completed with an ecological approach in mind.
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Initially I was totally sold on the Rhodies. I was able to quickly process and make end-cuts to the material that I thought were acceptable as realistic "falling cuts". My F scale client sent me images and measurements of the skeleton log car he was using, so I was able to craft a log-load held between the forks of the bolsters (what are those called? Prongs? Obviously I don't know enough about skeleton log cars!) One of the downsides of working with rhododendron in F scale was trying to find plants that offered a relatively straight section for about 18 inches. That turned out to be hard to find, so I bounced back & forth on this idea for a while.
log "load" in makeshift "skeleton car".
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First attempt. There's a couple 1" cedar dowels worked in here too.
Load #2 with 12" rule.
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Rhodo processed for logs.
End detail load #1
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Rhodies were working our great for smaller scales, perhaps HO through O. Then, one stormy night, far away, in the headlights, about 30 feet out the front door actually, I discovered in my own yard, Escallonia.
Part Two: Escallonia.
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Native to South America, Escallonia has been cultivated on the west coast of the US as shrubbery for residences in coastal climates (and other regions). So, considering the thicker bark, darker color, texture...I felt this natural material was superior to the rhodies. I further investigated this plant...but alas, it too offered limited supply and the straight lengths required to meed the size of historical old growth in F.
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Escallonia. The best model materials are in your front (or back) yard.
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Now, I'm not sure which way to go, so it's back to the internet for more learning. Here I find the Pacific Coast Air Line Railway and their associate Mike Higgins who made logs using dowels using their Grout & Paint Log Method. Therein, dowels are used. Building things up for F scale, I followed the basic formula they discuss using sanded grout and latex paint.
Part Three: Paint & Grout.
Here's how it worked out: In my vision of F scale logs, log-end detail is as important as bark detail, so I needed something for "growth rings", as well as 18" sections of straight material. A woodcutting permit allows one to clear material from the sides of roads. The storms along the coast where I live ensure that each year there is a certain amount of windfall that can be harvested. I found a small group of trees just laying dead at the side of one of our country roads within the harvest zone. These small trees had the straight sections, but the natural bark was not prototypical. Using a wire wheel in a high -speed drill, the outer bark was removed, leaving a reddish underlayment (xylem/phloem?) similar to what I've seen headed down the road on logging trucks.
Full-scale 1'=12" log stripped of outer bark.
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I then sourced brown latex paint and a similar colored sanded grout (grout with sand in it) at the local hardware. I mixed these together (no water added) making a relatively thick consistency. If you've ever scavenged at the bottom of the Adams peanut butter jar like I have, then you will understand what I am talking about here. I wanted the paint as saturated with grout as possible, so as to have a heavy texture for these large scale logs.
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The only problem with coating the log-to-be with "bark-goop" is that it's quite difficult to hang onto the thing and not come into contact with the finished work. After unsuccessful attempts at wrangling the vice on the bench to yield something useful, quite naturally my wife suggests I use the old lathe as the retainer device. Shouldn't I have already known this?
Lathe as holding jig. Quite lovely.
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Of course this turned out to be the lucky break. With the lathe, I can mount the material, position it where I want, and apply the bark-goop with a spoon. Now, I just need to corral this stuff into the right texture...
Something about tree bark on western evergreens (doug firs, cedar, hemlock & the like) has a vertical component to it. I used a discarded broken wire brush to impart this affect, using strokes parallel with and at 10-30 degree angles to the material (note: be forewarned, those angles are approximate; I didn't actually measure). Then, because this treatment creates these tiny little balls of material all over the surface, I beat everything back down using strokes from my somewhat disposable brush. Light strokes here...I want to retain the bark detail I created with the wire brush.
Log on a lathe...just to hold, no carving.
Wait for it to dry and voila! This baby is ready for additional coloring. What worked: 1) liberal application of (relatively) clear 91% alcohol with said brush to pre-wet the log. 2) Hit it with diluted India ink/alcohol solution. Nuke it with a heat gun to accelerate the drying process. 3) DON'T blow yourself up. Whatever goes into the intake of the heat gun determines whether or not you are intact after this procedure. (A heat gun is a useful modeling tool, but must be respected). 4) OK now comes the optionals, choose as many as you'd like. You are trying to incorporate fine particles here. Avoid any overlays such as latex.
Coloring agent A = Obtain ink jet printing inks. Mix all colors of printing inks together - this should produce a tea-brown pigment. Apply liberally & use the heat gun to accelerate drying as needed.
B = Dave Frary's Sweet-n-Sour Weathering Solution...a jar of white vinegar with a steel wool pad in it. Every family should have one! Allow to work for up to a week. This super-iron-saturated solution can be used to impart fine rust into the crevices of the bark...gaining those lighter rusty-brown highlights you see in real bark.
C = "Silver" dye particles...found it on the internet, used by cabinetmakers. Dissolve in alcohol. Apply at-will with a brush.
D = Min-Wax Walnut Stain...now this is petroleum based. Use sparingly to impart a darker, "wet" look to the bark, deep in valleys & crevices. You can somewhat work it in with alcohol a brush. Again, hit everything hard with the heat gun...just be careful.
Coloring agent A = Obtain ink jet printing inks. Mix all colors of printing inks together - this should produce a tea-brown pigment. Apply liberally & use the heat gun to accelerate drying as needed.
B = Dave Frary's Sweet-n-Sour Weathering Solution...a jar of white vinegar with a steel wool pad in it. Every family should have one! Allow to work for up to a week. This super-iron-saturated solution can be used to impart fine rust into the crevices of the bark...gaining those lighter rusty-brown highlights you see in real bark.
C = "Silver" dye particles...found it on the internet, used by cabinetmakers. Dissolve in alcohol. Apply at-will with a brush.
D = Min-Wax Walnut Stain...now this is petroleum based. Use sparingly to impart a darker, "wet" look to the bark, deep in valleys & crevices. You can somewhat work it in with alcohol a brush. Again, hit everything hard with the heat gun...just be careful.
Dave Frary's sweet-n-sour solution. I probably overloaded this one with steel wool. This has been open now for two days as well. Still works great.
What happens when you combine all these different overlays of fine particles + heat is that you get some differentiation amongst the materials, lending a 'natural' look to the bark texture. Follow up with LIGHT drybrushing of white. Easy to over-do it here, make sure the brush is REALLY DRY. Better to ease into a dry-brushing application than cringe from too much of it. RESULTS:
The advantage to using a natural material: growth rings. Note the faller's cut on the foreground log, where the material snaps before the saw makes it through.
Use a wire brush on the ends for realistic scuff marks.
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With 12" rule.
The foreground log was heavy on the rust solution & brown printing inks...perhaps too much?
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When all is dry, a wire-brush in a drill, in conjunction with COPIOUS protective gear (full face shield, earmuffs, dust respirator, heavy gloves), will allow you to create the scuffs-n-scruffs a real log takes on when being dragged through the forest by the spar pole & steam donkey.
What else is there? Add moss? Vertical (parallel) streaks of white glue followed with your favorite ground foam colors. I haven't tried it yet but seems critical at this point. Oh, yes, let's not forget the ENDS of the logs. I use a chopsaw, with extreme caution, with a finishing blade to make angled cuts to the ends. The grand finally...leave just a bit of the material uncut, so as to be broken with pliers and simulate the part of the tree that remains uncut when it falls (not every log has this, consider middle-region cuts made during the bucking process). Also, treat ends of logs with more wire-brushing...think beat-up logs in the mill..............................................................Rog
We are now offering custom-fabricated logs in the scale of your choice. If you are interested in purchasing logs, let's chat! Get in touch by sending an email here.