HO Engine House

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Kusojiji said:
Thanks guys! Being in Japan, cold blue only comes up with a boy band and a movie. :eek: 😄

Looking up lanolin, it looks to be a greasy substance. I'm trying to stay away from that as much as I can since I work on my trains and then use my computer. My trackball is taking a beating.

Appreciate the info!
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See if you can find Dykem, it is used to mark metal for scribing visible lines. It's not as good as cold blue, but better than nothing.
 
Bad thing about this is that I have two more sets of blocks coming. I really should learn to read... haha
 


Kusojiji said:
Thanks guys! Being in Japan, cold blue only comes up with a boy band and a movie. :eek: 😄

Looking up lanolin, it looks to be a greasy substance. I'm trying to stay away from that as much as I can since I work on my trains and then use my computer. My trackball is taking a beating.

Appreciate the info!
Click to expand...
Yes, lanolin is greasy - it's actually a type of animal wax. Sheep excrete it to make their wool waterproof. That said, it's also used in cosmetics and lotions. (Funny story, nipple cream for breastfeeding is frequently made of lanolin. As I said, I use it everywhere at the railroad museum, so they guys got a good laugh when I told them where I'm using it now.....)

And, yeah, being in Japan may make things more difficult. You could also use something like Cerakote, if you can find that. It'll be more durable than paint and is relatively thin. You'll have to bake it on, if memory serves. I'm just trying to think of the thinnest coatings I can that would seal the surface.
 
J_Mangle said:
Yes, lanolin is greasy - it's actually a type of animal wax. Sheep excrete it to make their wool waterproof. That said, it's also used in cosmetics and lotions. (Funny story, nipple cream for breastfeeding is frequently made of lanolin. As I said, I use it everywhere at the railroad museum, so they guys got a good laugh when I told them where I'm using it now.....)

And, yeah, being in Japan may make things more difficult. You could also use something like Cerakote, if you can find that. It'll be more durable than paint and is relatively thin. You'll have to bake it on, if memory serves. I'm just trying to think of the thinnest coatings I can that would seal the surface.
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Thanks!! Will take a look for cerakote.

If all fails, these blocks will be used to ward off the feral animals that like to come into my yard...
 
I vaguely remember them having some type of substance on them which I had to remove. I have had them for a long time.
 
Redid the cement coloring on the foundations and rail crossing

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RE#1 said:
Redid the cement coloring on the foundations and rail crossing

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Something to consider - they make an elastomeric mortar for masonry repairs. I see it a lot at the top cap of chimneys because it doesn't crack and remains watertight. They also use it for crack repairs in places where foundations move (look up expansive soil if you want to learn about that nightmare.)

The reason to look into that is that it ends up looking just like regular mortar, but it will flex, it won't crack, and I'd wager that if you put it on with a puddy knife and smooth it out just right, it'll have the same look as a concrete slab that someone ran a float over. If the grain size of the mortar is too large (you know what I mean - in the engineering world we call it the "characteristic length" - it's how you know the difference between a real large fire in an old movie vs a small fire scaled up), you can probably just run something like steel wool over the top or put some more finely grained material on top while it's setting.

If you'd like, I can mess around with it and post a photo.
 


Thanks for the info but I’m not striving for a smooth or freshly poured appearance. The crackling you see is intentional. I use an artist medium crackling paste to achieve this. I want the cement/concrete to appear old, worn, abused and neglected.
 
RE#1 said:
Thanks for the info but I’m not striving for a smooth or freshly poured appearance. The crackling you see is intentional. I use an artist medium crackling paste to achieve this. I want the cement/concrete to appear old, worn, abused and neglected.
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I had a feeling that was the case.
Especially with the crossing - you nailed the "alligator" look of mud that was drying out.
 
Don’t care too much for the bin conveyor belt system. I am going to try with something different. Might try a ground version or leave it as is utilizing a sand bin and front loader.
 


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