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Way back in the day when this forum was moved from 1 location to here we had a long Thread about what we used to make scratchbuilt items from.
lately I've been getting a few emails on what I use to make items with.
I will start off this one w/a few items I use. It gives other modelers a lot of idea's for their projects. I use a lot of found objects. I'm always searching Walmarts large dumpsters when they remodel their stores or if I see a large sign behind their stores I get permission from the store mgr. & I take it home.
2 years ago our local WM had 6 roll-up dumpsters behind the store for almost 4 months. they emptied them almost everyday. I got about 150 brand new 1/16 thick plastic signs that are 3ft by 5ft. I also got 15pcs. of 4ft by 8ft of 1/4" waffle plastic boards. Also, got 40ea. 2ft & 4ft 2 bulb fluroscent lites w/bulbs. 15 pcs. of thin wall metal tubing by 20 ft. long. 25 pcs. of 3/4" PVC pipe sch. 40.
150 pcs. of used drop ceiling 2ft by 4ft. & tons of other things. All FREE.
When you look thru all of my photo's on PhotoBucket you will see items that you've never seen before or maybe have seen, but didn't think you could use it. WELL, think again.
Here's a list of places on my layout that uses found objects;
train station shed
Engine sheds(3)
vehicle bridge
railroad bridge
city buildings (5 diff. items)
mountains(both sides of center one)
Overpasses
automall
truck warehouses
junk yard
platforms(short mtn.) for small buildings against back wall
water towers(2 diff. kinds)
shelving for engines
car loads
large refinery tanks
I'll think of some more later.
Not free, but I've used foam core board for buildings with sandpaper roofs and I've used the plastic cylindrical containers from Crystal Light drink mix for vertical tanks.
TP tubes for oil tanks,
lots of brass and music wire for pipes, handrails and electrical conduit
a soda straw for a culvert
sandpaper for asphalt roadway and roofing (400-600g wet/dry)
nandina seed pod stems for trees (the trunk and limbs)
old style small matchbox top for a billboard
Built from artist illustration board, card stock from "recipe cards", reduced photographs (signs) and paper. The Coke sign was hand painted. Cast porch posts and a few basswood sticks are the only bought items.
I've made lots of buildings this way to keep costs down. The humidity is fairly stable here so warpage and the like isn't a factor. This one was made over 35 years ago after a train trip to Houston, TX where I got the signs and basic idea.
Metal paper clips for fences, trim off of a display out of WM electronics dept. for fences(that look like corragated steel). I'll post some photo's later to see how it's used.
Some people can't stand dumpster diving because they are afraid that their friends might see them. Well, I thought the same thing until I saw 1 of my good friends that owns a large construction company going thru a dumpster behind Tractor Supply 1 day. Someone had told him that they were throwing away large pcs. of 4" sch.40 PVC pipe.
Well, to my surprise he had already hauled off over 50 pcs. that were 6ft. or longer.
All large dept. stores & everyone that has no way of selling things or takes the time to do it throws away millions of dollars worth of items everyday. Anything that is laying on the ground or stacked on a pallet should check w/management before you take it. It costs these stores a lot of money to dump a large roll-up or stationary dumpster especially if it's full of heavy steel shelving, rocks, etc. When I worked at WM they paid $1500.00 per dumpster to get one picked up. They had 6 or more everyday to get picked up, so figure that out on paper.
I drive behind every shopping center, grocery store, WM, etc. at least once a month.
As a newcomer to the hobby, I am small fry when it comes to gathering 'stuff' and making a silk purse out of it like you fellas above. However, having assembled a Caboose Hobbies ground throw and rejecting it for being oversized, I tried to make a couple of mobile switch stands so that my photos would include them for some realism.
I used the bottom half of a lamp stand from a building kit, a ground throw rotating target, and the centering spring from a type of coupler for the handle, and then painted it all up.
It isn't the closest look, but you can see it here. It looks large and bulky (it is), but it is also a fair bit closer to the camera than is the engine or the human figure. Believe me, when you see it on the layout next to a locomotive, it is half the scale of a CH ground throw:
Wow... you guys are giving me all sorts of great ideas!
I'm just a total beginner, and the first find was a nice selection of tiny "lumber" at Lowe's... squares flats and rounds. This is the very first "scratch" in progress...
It's going to be a utility tool cart made from a Kadee log buggy.
Currently, working on the boiler in this C.P.R. Pumphouse found in a book published in 1918 and titled 'Railroad Structures and Estimates'.
Here are the original plans from the book -
Boiler body - I'm using this Vial from a Soil Test Kit. The chimney is a lollipop stick and the base of the assembly is a washer (No 6)
In this you can see on the left, the boiler as taken from the dimensions on the plan. On the right is the boiler 'as built' from 'found items' in the junk box.
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This may be of interest. To form the cone that connects the body of the boiler to the chimney can be difficult. It's made a lot easier via a little program on the web .. ConeCalc. You enter the dia of the top and bottom of the cone and it's height. It will then display the necessary dimensions to create that cone. (Note: It doesn't display the graphic in Chrome .. is written for Internet Explorer using VML markup)
One thing .. when entering the dimensions on the linked page and you are entering the dia for the top and bottom of the cone .. enter 0 for the angle.
This is what you end up with:
I simply went into Sketchup, drew up the flat cone using those dimensions and then printed to CutePDF Writer as 1:1 .. and it works.
I have been gathering new packages of chop sticks when im at a chinese resturaunt in the plans that they look like they might work good for tree making. Although I havent actually started the project yet.
I have been gathering new packages of chop sticks when im at a chinese resturaunt in the plans that they look like they might work good for tree making. Although I havent actually started the project yet.
About 5 years ago I went to a garage sale & bought 5000 chopsticks for 50 cents. Only thing I ever used them for was fence posts. I think I finally threw the other 4,900 in the trash.
I was looking at some Nibco PVC pipe fittings just this morning and saw all kinds of potential. You can get endcaps in everything from 1/2-in to 8-in sizes - they look a lot like oil storage tanks with rounded tops. If you wanted a flat top tank, there are things called repair sleeves or couplers that you could glue a sheet of styrene onto - no need to cut down a length of pipe.
I also saw some checkvalves and so on that could be funky looking chemical reactors or maybe part of a refinery.
Prices on all this range from 68 cents to 8 bucks.
I was looking at some Nibco PVC pipe fittings just this morning and saw all kinds of potential. You can get endcaps in everything from 1/2-in to 8-in sizes - they look a lot like oil storage tanks with rounded tops. If you wanted a flat top tank, there are things called repair sleeves or couplers that you could glue a sheet of styrene onto - no need to cut down a length of pipe.
I also saw some checkvalves and so on that could be funky looking chemical reactors or maybe part of a refinery.
Prices on all this range from 68 cents to 8 bucks.
Check other stores for plastic plumbing fittings. I get domed-top caps from Lowes and I get flat-top caps from Menards. I really haven't checked Home Depot or other stores because I found what I needed.
The gas station is made from styrene and the roof cardboard.
Coaling tower is made from basswood, sandpaper, cardboard, grandt line windows, brass wire, and kitbashed tichi parts.
Freight shed is made from cardboard and more cardboard with some left over basswood.
The four door storage shed is made from cardboard and some scale lumber.
I drove around behind my local WM today & found these 4 large Plexiglass bakery boxes sitting on a pallet all shrink wrapped & ready to be dumped into a rollup. I went in & asked the store mgr. if he wanted to get rid of them, he said sure. So, these things are clear w/a clear drawer on heavy drawer slides.
The outside is 5/16th thick & the drawers are 1/4" thick. There's some real nice hinges & some almost brand new wide drawer slides. These boxes are about 2ft. by 3ft. Got enough plexiglass for some real nice buildings, bridges or whatever else comes to mind. All for "FREE". I figure there's about $500.00 worth of plexi & another $100.00 worth of slides & about $50.00 worth of hinges. All hardware is stainless.
Heres a few photo's.
