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Alan's O'Neill's Build
OK everyone here goes! I had a few reservations about starting my own thread, but momentum seems to be pretty good, and I figured documenting my own build might give me further motivation to keep things moving. Since everyone gets around the forum, I won't rehash all the circumstances. The short version is I had to put O'Neill's away because of a job change. It's now three years and change later, and I really wanted to build this kit. It also didn't hurt that when I asked for the Brass & Iron Foundry for Christmas last year I took a certain amount of good natured ribbing from my wife: "Another kit? You haven't built any of the last (insert your own number here) that you've bought. How many do you need?" She understands this isn't about need! (And I got the Brass & Iron Foundry - she's a keeper!)
I had gotten the main building walls done, and was starting on the doors & windows when I had to stop. I use one of those plastic desk drawer organizers to keep projects in, and that saved most of my bacon. The walls and the manual went back in the box. Everything else stayed in the tray and went on a shelf. Other things I wish I'd done:
1: Marked the paragraph in the manual where I stopped.
2: Bagged up parts for sub assemblies I was working on and labeled the bags.
3: Made a list of notes on where I was and what I had done, as well as the next step I was planning and put it in the manual.
You'd be surprised what you'll forget in three years! Or maybe you won't.
I pulled out the kit and the tray. First thing was a re-read of the manual. Next was taking inventory. It was all still there with one exception: Three of the headers that go over the doors had wandered off to that place where stray coupler springs or important brass locomotive screws escape to. Brett is pretty generous with the wood supply, so I grabbed another piece and made replacements. One other pothole: the window material had been sprayed with Dullcote, and had curled just enough to make it interesting to position window panes when assembling the doors and windows. Note to self: Next time try an acrylic flat coat. Or don't stop for three years. I'll post progress pics tomorrow afternoon, when the work PC gets shut down and the personal PC gets fired up for the weekend. That's where all the resized pics are. Things are going smoothly enough, and with Ken Karn's Forum Build and the tutorial Phil is doing to refer to, there is plenty of support, which is what I like about this forum. If I hit something those two can't answer, I'll just call the boss!
I had gotten the main building walls done, and was starting on the doors & windows when I had to stop. I use one of those plastic desk drawer organizers to keep projects in, and that saved most of my bacon. The walls and the manual went back in the box. Everything else stayed in the tray and went on a shelf. Other things I wish I'd done:
1: Marked the paragraph in the manual where I stopped.
2: Bagged up parts for sub assemblies I was working on and labeled the bags.
3: Made a list of notes on where I was and what I had done, as well as the next step I was planning and put it in the manual.
You'd be surprised what you'll forget in three years! Or maybe you won't.
I pulled out the kit and the tray. First thing was a re-read of the manual. Next was taking inventory. It was all still there with one exception: Three of the headers that go over the doors had wandered off to that place where stray coupler springs or important brass locomotive screws escape to. Brett is pretty generous with the wood supply, so I grabbed another piece and made replacements. One other pothole: the window material had been sprayed with Dullcote, and had curled just enough to make it interesting to position window panes when assembling the doors and windows. Note to self: Next time try an acrylic flat coat. Or don't stop for three years. I'll post progress pics tomorrow afternoon, when the work PC gets shut down and the personal PC gets fired up for the weekend. That's where all the resized pics are. Things are going smoothly enough, and with Ken Karn's Forum Build and the tutorial Phil is doing to refer to, there is plenty of support, which is what I like about this forum. If I hit something those two can't answer, I'll just call the boss!
Comments
Constructive criticism and advice are very welcome. This is my first SWSM build, though not my first craftsman kit. I have three more of these to build and I want each one to be better than the last. As a former product reviewer for one of the hobby magazines, I always followed the manufacturer's instructions to the letter. This both kept me out of trouble, and let me point out any errors, or places I had trouble understanding what to do in the finished review. I have built kits with clinkers in the instructions! I'm doing that here as well, but for different reasons. Since this is a first build, I have elected to keep additional detailing to a minimum. Kind of a walk before running thing. I've also noticed both in the model building world and the professional world, the guys who get into trouble with a project or a process are almost always the ones who think they are smarter than the guy who wrote the manual! This may change as I progress through the build, but it is what I did during the earliest work three years ago. Onward!
Unboxing is also one of my favorite parts of the process. I'd seen it done by Brett, but it's different when its yours. The smell of those resin castings... Intoxicating!
Next up is the first try at damp brushing. Yuck!
A little supplemental wire brushing then a second try that worked much better:
The Video Brett put up will help those who haven't done this. My first try was before he did it, but I figured it out.
Next we have the door and window frames. Note the little paint holder in the upper right corner. A friend who works at the Children's Hospital here gave me a bag of those. I remember wondering what on earth I'd do with them at the time, but it turns out they are great at holding small batches of custom mixed paint. Even three years later that green hadn't dried out, though i mixed a fresh batch anyway. Mixed paint can do weird things over time!
https://www.amazon.com/General-Tools-1433-Fraction-Fractional/dp/B002RHP7SE/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=general+american+1433+caliper&qid=1604150650&sr=8-3
It has been a great help to me, as I have proven not the best at sorting scale lumber sizes by eye! It's easier than you think to grab the wrong piece of wood! Guess how I know?
Before I knew it the rest of the walls were done. I did my best to use the wood glue sparingly, but I still ended up with some warping on the walls, so I elected to add some .125" bracing to keep thing straight. If you do this, you'll want to look ahead at where the corner braces will go, and leave clearance for them. I had had a very bad experience with wall warpage on a previous kit I had assembled and I was a bit gun shy, so I went belt and suspenders here. Brett and Ken Karns have both said that the corner braces will pull everything square, and I have no doubt they will. I just wasn't in the mood to take chances! That "once burned" thing!
Next it was time to do the doors and windows. I really like the way they are done and the fine appearance they give when finished. I've also found that the resin impregnated paperboard is actually reasonably forgiving unless you're totally ham handed with it. The "man" door and window for the left wall went great. Then I started on the cargo doors and things got interesting. I was test fitting after priming and kept getting this no matter what I did:
I played "Rubik's Cube" with these things for a while, and finally gave up and called the boss. I told Brett that "Either I'm a complete idiot, or there's a problem here. I'll accept the label of Idiot if you'll tell me what I'm doing wrong." He laughed and told me that I was fine, but some of the early kits had doors made wrong due to a CAD error. Within a few days I had new doors. The usual excellent customer service! It was at this point my professional life got interesting and the hiatus began.
I finished the rest of the doors and windows and installed them. Next up was the addition. This was my first experience with the board by board over siding technique, and I like the look.
I assembled the addition and had an issue. The sides had warped very slightly. Just enough to keep the upper cardboard brace from fitting perfectly. This isn't visible from the outside, and I was a bit surprised since these walls are just 7/8" square. Hindsight says I should have left them under the weights longer. Say until the next morning. Note to self: Even though it may not feel like you're going too fast, you may be. Be more patient going forward. Maybe heavier weights too.
That aside I'm happy with the addition. Here's where your camera rats you out! I didn't get as close as I should have when removing parts and left pieces of tab. A little filing took care of this. I'd recommend always dressing these with a file, as just the hobby knife may not give a smooth enough edge. I read ahead in the Brass & Iron Foundry manual and bought that little set of files by Dick that Brett recommends. They are awesome. I also lost the topmost piece of clapboard when trimming the excess. The rafters may have covered this but it was too easy to replace. Going back and forth to Ken's pictures on the Forum build was a big help here. These little defects are easily missed by the naked eye. I didn't notice them until I looked at the photos.
Next I built the floor frame. That went well, except I would recommending looking down from above at the template now & then to make sure you hit the lines exactly. I cut the pieces a little long and shaved them with the chopper until they fit properly. The True Sander would also work well here.
I then mounted the addition on the wall.
Now I have to build the overhangs and mount the hose and the loading dock bumper. The main building walls will soon be going together. That's going to be exciting!
To keep things neat and where I can find them I've put together what I call my Structure box. Tools suited to Craftsman kits that I seldom use elsewhere. I've tried to use a modular approach with it which keeps me from emptying it looking for something. Here's thinks work:
The basic work area before starting today's work session:
Note the desktop organizer for components I'm working with. The blue Gatorade lid (Great idea Phil!) The small chalk box. I have two larger ones, but this one is dedicated to staining lumber with a compartment for what I call "Brett's Box" where a mixed group of chalks is kept for random use. The small cardboard box was fitted with dividers made out of shirt cardboard and I use it to segregate scale lumber being used at any current step, right now he contents of Bag 2 are in there.
The tools are organized as simply as I could come up with. The box top has three removable boxes, two with clamps of various sizes and types, and one chalk box.
The top tray has frequently used items as well as a few recent acquisitions I haven't figured out where I'll keep permanently. flues, large clamps, that little caliper, a shot glass (inverted they are great for a small puddle of ACC. If you have a bad session they can be turned right side up and filled with your spirit of preference) larger wire brushes, steel wool and other items.
Lift out the tray and there are sanding tools, more clamps, and the large chalk box.
Below that is my stash of Reaper and some of the Vallejo paints accumulated before Brett issued his set, tooth picks, popsicle sticks and other things on Brett's list of things you'll need, along with watercolor pencils. On it's side is a small Art Bin I'll show next. There is also a selection of quality oil paints I use on other projects.
Art bins are a little pricey bit very useful. This one has the necessary paint brushes out of the manual, spare hobby blades, tooth picks, tweezers, a scribe for knotholes and a few other odds & ends.
This allows me to grab a selection of items I need for various steps and not have tools spread out everywhere. it also allows for a rapid cleanup and storage before dinner.
This morning I did the leading dock bumper and the tire stack. Now I have to run to the hobby shop or home depot and grab some five minute epoxy, as it seems mine has gone over the hill! The focus isn't great , but it's for color anyway!
I sliced through the glue joint and removed one board, but it's still too long. I can eyeball a fix, but I'd like to know what happened.
Also, don't cheap out on the double sided tape. In addition to holding things where they belong, it keeps the finished work from sticking to the template itself when you glue the boards together. I managed a hair thin bead on the board edges, and there was still enough oozing to cause me some heartburn!
By the way, I bought that little scratchy brush off of Amazon, the pencil type from Eurotool. Love it. It helped get some stray paper off the wood that refused to let go when I lifted the overhang off the template. If you don't have one of these, get one! I have the fiberglass one but it doesn't doo much on wood and sheds little pieces of fiberglass bristle all over the place. OK for cleaning before soldering and some other applications, but not for wood. Whoever recommended that thing, Thank You!
I also ordered one of those euro tools. Haven’t used it yet but it seems like it’s going to another great option.
Thanks so much to both Alan and Phil for doing these in-depth threads.
So helpful!