8. Quarantined progress

I was finally able to place the order for the basement windows. They should be done about the 10th of May and hopefully I'll get the installer to expedite the installation. I was told back in February they were 4 months behind for installation. In the meantime and after several rain storms, I was able to find the source of the water infiltrating the basement wall (a crack) and sealed it by spreading a coat of construction adhesive over the crack on the outside and after several more rain storms, wa-la! No more leaks. Thank God that was an easy and cheap fix!

Now as to the progress on the roundhouse, I am constructing the two roof support assemblies out of 1/4" basswood. My friend and fellow modeler (HOn3) John Scherr, did the drawings of all the walls and floor with his Cad program so the dimensional accuracy is no longer an issue. I was having great difficulty getting dimensions to come out correctly because, I think, of the inaccuracy of a small plastic protractor. Now I have perfect drawings to work from.

I first started construction by making the roof support assemblies. I distressed the basswood with a fine saw before coloring it with some black and burnt umber acrylic paint diluted with about 4 parts water. I then wiped off the paint to give it a lighter appearance. I placed a piece of wax paper over the drawing template so that any excess glue would not stick to the drawing.  Before installing them on the floor of the roundhouse, I will probably dry brush them with some gray paint to give them a more aged look. Both assemblies turned out identical in size thanks to the excellent drawings I had to work with.






After completing the roof support assemblies, I then tackled the 2 side walls. Again, using John's drawings, I laid out the template on a 12 x 24 inch sheet of .080 styrene. After transferring the outline for both sides to the styrene, I began the process of cutting them out. The windows were a killer to say the least. After drilling out the center portions, I cut away most of the remaining material with an exacto knife. I then fine tuned the edges with a nibbler. First time using it and it's a great tool. I then did a little filing to make a perfect fit for the windows. Next time, I will not drill out the centers, but instead drill 4 small holes near the inside corners of the window openings and then use a dremel and cut-off disc to remove the center mass. Then I will use the nibbler. Live and learn.

The final step was to install some .080 x 5/16" strip styrene around the edges. I'm not sure, but I think the 4 vertical pieces will represent concrete columns as opposed to brick. The majority of the structure will be brick but I am as yet undecided as to how it will be represented. My options include homemade decals using photos I took of a brick wall on a building at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, photo paper with printed brick, or embossed paper bumpy textured stone brick wall (at least that's what I ordered). Obviously there will be more to come on this topic.

                                 
Next up will be the construction of the front and rear walls, so stay tuned.