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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2012 19:02:06 GMT -5
I am making progress on all fronts.
1. The decal sheet is 85% done. Friday I designed the centennial logo. I am not going to be able to put the big painting sheet along the sides of the loco. No way to get those decals made. So I have come up with a new scheme. I think it will work well.
2. Trucks are 95% detailed and complete. I just need to add the sanding hoses. I am going to do what Bob Harpe suggested and use 0.022" solder. Sounds like a great idea because you can easily form the hose into position without any springback. I hope to get all that done this week and get them painted.
3. Cleaned and painted the gear towers.
4. Added top sheet and end sheets to fuel tank. I used 0.005" sheet. I am using the blue box model with the metal fuel tank. I cleaned off the fittings and then just kissed the ends with the mill to square them up.
BTW, I found aGREAT paint stripper for Athearn metal frames. It is a spray can Klean Strip. Works AWESOME. Paints comes right off beautifully.
Brian
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sgoti
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Post by sgoti on Aug 27, 2012 5:04:06 GMT -5
I am not going to be able to put the big painting sheet along the sides of the loco. No way to get those decals made. So I have come up with a new scheme. I think it will work well. Just curious, why do you say "no way to get those decals made"? There is a larger graphic of the paintings (sans lettering) here: www.az100years.org/online-store/commemorative-posters-3-2. Those could be resized and printed with a laser printer on clear decal stock, and applied over a white background. Following this thread with interest- AZ has always been one of my favorite areas!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2012 7:40:05 GMT -5
That is what was suggested by High Ball Graphics, but I did nto think it would work out that good. I guess I could give it a try. Yeah, I will. I just need to get some decal paper now. What I need is a super thin decal film. I guess Microscale would be best for that?
Brian
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sgoti
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Post by sgoti on Aug 27, 2012 13:04:35 GMT -5
I've never used anything other than Microscale, so I can't say how it stacks up against MicroMark, Tango Papa, Testors, etc.
I have also never used anything other than a laser printer. Laser toner by its nature is waterproof, so there's no need for all the pre- and post-printing clear coats that seem to be required when using an inkjet.
Having said that, it's been well over 15 years since I bought my first (and only) inkjet. I'm sure the inks and printers have changed and improved considerably since then. Others may chime in with their experiences (and I hope they do).
Avoid the temptation to use white decal film- The edges are a bear to hide, and it is noticeably thicker than the clear film. The clear film is very thin.
One trick I learned was to print the artwork as a mirror image, place the decal still on the backing paper exactly where I want it, and then soak the backing paper to release the decal. That way I wasn't fighting with a decal that always seemed to want to fold under itself, etc. This was especially true with thin, narrow decals, such as passenger car names. This had the added benefit of the clear film acting as a protective layer between the printing and the rest of the world.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2012 13:08:05 GMT -5
Glenn,
Thanks for the encouragement to keep with my original centennial scheme. I did some test on the lazer printer here at work and if it prints on the decalpaper as good as it does on regular paper, it is going to look great!.
I just need to use photoshop to lighten th eartwork a little so it shows up with good contrast. I will order some Microscale decal film tomorrow. I think it will be the best. If ayone knows of a better (thinner) film, please let me know. I want to make sure this decal snuggles down tight around all the doors and kbuckle busters.
So here is the scheme that I want to build. There are two billboard paintings. One side will have the desert scene and the other side will have the Grand Canyon scene. Over that I will have another decal that says "CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF STATEHOOD". This billboard will start at the first engine room door and go all the way to the end of the long hood. Cutout around the DB hatch and radiator grills. The centennial logo will go on the blower shute on the left side and the clean air room on the other side. The railroad name will be on the side of the cab with loco number on the battery boxes. Ends will still have chevrons. Two locomotives will be done this way. One being unit 1912 and the other being unit 2012. Billboards will be on opposite sides for the two locomotives so that when running back to back, you will so both paintings on one side.
Brian
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sgoti
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Post by sgoti on Aug 27, 2012 14:01:13 GMT -5
Thanks for the encouragement to keep with my original centennial scheme. I did some test on the lazer printer here at work and if it prints on the decalpaper as good as it does on regular paper, it is going to look great! The artwork will look slightly different when printed on decal paper, but I think you will still be happy with the results. You will need to play a little with the setting to get best results. I forget if it was the "heavy paper" or "cardstock" settings. What you are trying to do is make sure the fuser heats up enough to completely melt the toner to the decal paper. So here is the scheme that I want to build. There are two billboard paintings. One side will have the desert scene and the other side will have the Grand Canyon scene. Over that I will have another decal that says "CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF STATEHOOD". Why mess with two decals per side? If it were me, I would add the "CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF STATEHOOD" into the artwork when manipulating the colors and size. If the "CELEBRATING..." slogan is to be any other color than black, this would be mandatory. (For those that don't follow, the output from laser printers (except for black) is not opaque, it needs the white behind it to show colors correctly. See the example on the middle of this page: www.pulsarprofx.com/decalpro/Vertical/1_MENU/1c_How_It_Works/How_It_Works.htmlBrian, I hope you don't mind if I borrow your idea for the side artwork. I have been planning a centennial unit for my Arizona & Colorado railroad. Either that, or a "tagged" loco or piece of rolling stock. Ooohh.. I've got a candidate in mind already! ;D
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2012 16:21:31 GMT -5
Glenn, I do not mind at all. It is all for fun and enjoyment of the hobby. Here is an example of what I want to accomplish. These are just printed out on paper and you will have to use a little imagination to see the whole picture and the artwark as decals. I think I am going to change the CELEBRATING thing to one line and change the color on it. The area behind the decal will be painted white to better set off the colors. The base color of the locomotive is approximately the light blue you see around teh centennial logo. Brian
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Post by icghogger on Aug 27, 2012 17:21:37 GMT -5
Holy Crap, Brian, THAT is Beautiful!!
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Post by antlorch on Aug 27, 2012 18:12:53 GMT -5
Brian that is super cool. What a wonderful idea. Make that happen for sure.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2012 19:20:39 GMT -5
I reworked teh lettering to be one line. I wanted more of the painting to be seen rather than lettering over it all. I also made the lettering yellow. It shows up much better than white or black. I made two styles. I sort of like the top two because they are old west looking., but it may be to busy looking and unreadable. The bottom two are bold and very readable. By making the lettering anything other than white, I can print this all as one decal. Brian
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Post by antlorch on Aug 27, 2012 21:52:46 GMT -5
Brian I think the bottom two are the way to go. They are much easier to read. And yellow is a good choice.
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sgoti
Chairman
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Post by sgoti on Aug 28, 2012 5:08:07 GMT -5
Man, those look good! I like how the shading in the desert sky looks like a shadow from the dynamic brake blister. Excellent call, Brian! Another good call- Readability is important. If it weren't for the fact that the slogan is going over (some very) busy graphics, I would have suggested a script-type font. Two thoughts: 1) The font "Copperplate Gothic", especially the bold and heavy versions, would look good as well (this is the font used in the "ARIZONA" portion of the centennial logo). 2) You might also try a "small caps" version of your slogan lettering. (Small caps is where all the letters are uppercase, and the first letter of every word (usually) is a larger size.) 3) (I know I said "two", but who's counting?) A very thin black outline around the lettering would help it "pop" even more. 4) (Ok, I really can't count! ;D) Drop shadow lettering might look good too. Example here: www.flickr.com/photos/bill19541/3651111745/Um, you can still get white lettering. Your graphics are going over a white background, remember? White lettering (or any white areas, for that matter) would just be clear on the laser-printed decals. If you want, I can (try and) post examples of some of my above suggestions. Like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words...
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2012 7:42:40 GMT -5
Copperplate gothic is what I used for my railroad name. After creating the centennial logo I realized they were the same. It just fits. I originally used copperplate gothic for the lettering, but changed the style before changing the color. I'll check it out in yellow. It will probably look pretty good.
I did try a thin outline in black. It got to busy looking. The black sort of blended into some of the scenery. I am going to keep it in solid yellow. I am not going to use white lettering. For some reason, white gets lost in some parts of it and I have a hard time reading it all. I like the single line of text also and it covers two picture errors. These errors are in the originals. Maybe they are not errors, but I do not like them. There are two cactus that have their heads offset. The text in a single line covers this up.
Brian
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sgoti
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Post by sgoti on Aug 28, 2012 14:48:12 GMT -5
Ha! Never noticed that. I'd be willing to bet the "head shifts" are in the original, but I do agree they look weird.
Just curious, how big of a black outline did you try? What I was thinking of was along the lines of a hairline. Come to think of it, in HO scale it would probably have disappeared anyway...
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2012 20:38:11 GMT -5
I finished the fuel tank detail work. I am really happy with the results. Although I am thinking of adding the DW spare knuckle holder to the top of the fuel tank. Other than that, I am done with the fuel tank. Before starting on the fuel tanbk I stripped teh frame using Kleen Strip Stripper in a spray can. This stuff works GREAT!!!!! You can get it at Ace Hardware. After stripping the frame I put it in my mill and squared up the tank ends. First step was to add the top sheets. I made these from 0.005" sheet styrene. Then I added the end sheets. From there all the details were added.
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deez
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Midland Belt Railway
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Post by deez on Aug 29, 2012 1:35:08 GMT -5
Nice underframes Brian! Hey have you ever tried milling the newer Genesis SD45-2 underframe for the SD40-2 with correct bolster spacing? Pssst.... I have one you can try out
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Post by Deleted on Aug 29, 2012 6:48:35 GMT -5
Mark, The SD45-2 does nto have the correct bolster spacing either . It is closer than the SD40-2, but still not correct. Kato is the only one with the correct spacing. Brian
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deez
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Midland Belt Railway
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Post by deez on Aug 29, 2012 11:57:44 GMT -5
Well that sucks but I'm glad I like Kato SD38-2 triple clasp underframes for my -2 units. I've even got my Athearn SD45-2 shells on the triple clasp underframes. They look awesome. I'll throw the Athearn underframes on Ebay I guess
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Post by 1fatrussian on Aug 29, 2012 20:06:21 GMT -5
Brian,
Loving the look of that Centennial scheme, can't wait to see more.
Eric
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Post by Deleted on Aug 29, 2012 20:34:54 GMT -5
So tell me Eric, are you Russian?
Tonight I built two tools. One to hold the shell in my mill so I can cut off the fans abd one tto hold the DB hatch so Ican cut the fans and exhaust hatch off. SO as it stands tonight, the shell is sans fans and exhaust hatch. Tomorrow I will remove the nose and sub-base. I will not remove the long hood end until I get the Cannon part so I have it to test fit as I cut and trim.
Brian
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