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Comments
I completed the overhang. Following Phil's advice I pulled the iPhone out and zoomed in when I cropped and resized the photo. You'll note all of the tiny imperfections such as board length variations when hand cutting from the template and a place or two where I got a little sloppy with the glue, caused by moving a rafter because it wasn't right on the line. Now there are a couple of ways to look at these kinds of things:
1: Much angst and beating up of yourself, and keep fiddling with it until it's perfect. This way lies frustration and if it gets out of control, eventual abandonment of the project, or another long hiatus.
2: As being portrayed, these structures are old, and have had many "DIY" style modifications done over the years. A little irregularity gives character.
3: You won't see it on the finished model. The slight irregularities are going to be under the tar paper. The very tiny glue smears are on the underside of the overhang. You can hide this kind of problem with a little chalk dusting.
I'm holding off on the tar paper until I have the corrugated metal prepared. I pulled that out and placed it on the template with double sided tape per the instructions. I didn't have one of those little L shaped rulers when I did my overhang. I managed with a metal ruler and triangle taped down, but I wanted one. Can't have too many tools, right? Amazon Prime to the rescue! I had it the next day. I find it handy for cutting the corrugated metal. It helps keep your cut straight. You may want to shift very slightly away from the cut line to keep your blade in one corrugation. An additional sign of blade wear will be the tendency for the blade to slip out of your selected corrugation. As you did with with the addition floor frame, roll the template out from under the cut pieces to keep them flat.
I think they are incredible.
Post Post script: A question. I have some Higgins India Ink here but it's the waterproof variety. Wanting to be a good student I ordered some of the non waterproof from Blick's along with some chalk sticks. Got the chalk, but the ink is on backorder. What's the difference here, anyone?
Later, dave S. Tucson, AZ
I did get a few things done though. I got the overhang done. The tar paper was easy enough, though I departed from the manual a little. I ran a 400 grit sanding stick from top to bottom which gate a different kind of streak, plus I hit it with the gray chalk. That plus a little bit of tan showing through looks interesting I think:
Mounting the thing was easy enough, though I found in addition to the bead of glue along the header, a thin film of glue on tarpaper held it in place even better and made it easier to fit the three braces, while allowing a modest amount of movement for adjustment. I sighted down the edge to make sure the three braces were aligned with each other.
With the corrugated metal, I again departed from the manual. The results I was getting just didn't look right to me. Too much gray. I decided to hit the pieces with a little rust from the SWSM/Reaper Miniatures paint set. I used the damp brushing technique on the pieces, let the paint begin to set up, then hit them with the suggested chalks. I like this result better:
I just went random on where to put metal and wood, and didn't think too hard about it. I then did the signs and assembled the four walls of the main building. This to me is the first real milestone on the build, and I was excited about it, but I also remembered to take my time. One of the walls had some warpage in it, and I had to cut one of the braces I had added back. In the end, I got it done.
I noticed a little gap here & there, even though the corner braces fit properly and the L shaped ruler said I had everything square. I believe a small amount of warpage occurred over the years the kit sat in the box, just like the window material curled. I pulled out some brass clamps I had and used them to pull the walls up tight. I'll stop here for a breather, and a read on the tower construction, and leave these clamps tight until tomorrow morning!
i gotta get some of those clamps.
Main building looks good Alan.
Note that when you start adding boards, the wall will curl as shown:
Sorry for the less than perfect focus, but it's the principal I'm wanting to show here. As Phil and I discussed, get a wall done then get it under weight as soon as possible. Leave it there for 12-18 hours. These walls do flex, even before you start adding siding. It's in their nature, and the water in the glue amplifies the tendency. They will also flex somewhat after dry as shown here after 18 hours under weight. The corner braces will take care of it. It's not excessive. Bottom line: don't panic.