How things change!

 How things change!

Early 1950s....

And now....

When the Massey Ferguson TE tractor was first built it amazed farmers and reduced the physical part of farming directly. This more than compensated for the very basic nature of the machine. Move forward 70 years and the tractor above probably has more gizmos and comfort than even the most luxurious of cars and is a capable of doing the work of 20 little Fergies. However I don't think this monster will still be about in 70 years with probably a whole host of electrical issues making it uneconomic and maybe even incapable of being repaired. Meanwhile, the simplicity of the Fergie means just about anyone with a small tool kit can repair the simple mechanicals and the most complex electrical matter is probably a starter motor if fitted! 

And now for something very different!

Mrs Woody has wanted to visit the gardens at Doddington Hall near Lincoln for sometime so finding ourselves both with a day free we headed off there. Now I was expecting to see cultivated boarders and lawns but not this and please note this is not Mrs. Woody's new look for the summer! 

or this....

or even this....

and in closer detail...

There is a display of sculptures going on and much of it is for sale which is great if you have a big wallet. The cheapest item is £500 and the most expensive £42,500! However I did really enjoy looking at what the sculptures were made of as well as what they finally turn out like and I guess in some respects it is just another branch of model making!

Here are a few more but if you want to find out more have a look at the Doddington Hall website available here. 

Tuesday's YouTube recmmendation!

As the WMD film crew have been out again, I can highly recommend (as I would having made it!) this classic YouTube video describing the 3D printed engine shed in a bit more detail. Sometimes film can explain things better than words!

Finished!

Something you don't often find me saying - finished! However, in the case of the 3D printed engine shed that is exactly what has happened and as you can see in the pictures below it fits into Chalkdon, my 009 layout, quite well. As you can also see the doors now have hinges that fit onto the L brackets that I fitted a few days ago so can be opened and closed.

It also has a hidden surprise as lifting the roof of reveals all of the interior detail that I fitted. Workbenches, pillar drill and step ladder are 3D prints, the oil drum and crate come from a kit of such things and are probably from the old Knightwing range. The tool box is a piece of balsa with a bent piece of bras wire for a handle, the tins on the workbench are off cuts of plastic tube painted and there is a stray piece of balsa wood in the corner which might come in handy one day for levering something! All of this was given a coat of my dilute black wash and some rust weathering powder to make it looked worked in. Again I think it looks good but I would!

 

All in all I'm really pleased with this project and that I have something finished! Just don't tell Mrs. Woody or she will want some of her jobs for me finished too!

Hinge bracket!

The interior of the 3D printed engine shed has now been glued in and weathered with the dilute black wash that I have used extensively on this model. It still needs a little bit more but it looks good to me!

The last part of this build is getting the doors fitted. I could just glue them in an open position - or indeed closed - but that would be too easy! So I am making working hinges. Four L hinge brackets have been fitted to the door aperture and then corresponding loops will be fitted to the doors to fit over the brackets. In this case it is much easier to say than do so especially with such small sized components, so wish me luck!

RIP Peggy Sue cat!

Peggy Sue was with us for just over 20 years. She hardly ever went to the vet and was just a healthy, loving cat. She had a sister, Meg, who after a year with us just disappeared one day. Never knew what happened to her but Peggy stayed with us.

Mrs Woody and me knew she was coming to the end of her time with us on Thursday. No illness, just that it was her time and 20 cat years is a long time, in fact in human terms 96. This morning Peggy Sue got up, wandered around for a minute or two and then lay down before leaving us with Mrs. W and me by her side. It was peaceful and now Peggy it is time to find Meg and be in peace. We miss you little girl!

An inside job!

My version of an inside job is that I am going to put some detail inside the shed which is one reason the roof is removable. The other is if the track needs maintenance it can be got at with the roof removed. 

Part of the interior will be a concrete apron either side of the track. Measuring the length and required widths to allow locos to get in without fouling the apron the relevant parts were cut from some plastic card and then painted with a concrete colour.

There are some 3D printed items such as workbenches, a pillar drill and step ladders that I will include in the scene. Having undercoated these I have just had a test fit and it is looking good.

I do like that image through the front - once everything is painted I think it should match in well.

Blood Moon - A time to let go and heal!

 Getting up during the other night I peered out of the window and saw a Blood Moon. My photos are not that great but it is only a camera phone so that is my excuse. The sight of the moon in a reddish glow compared to its normal whiteish colour is quite spectacular and from what I know technically is due to the moon being in a total lunar eclipse. Of course hundreds if not thousands of years ago there was no technical knowledge as to the cause of change of colour but from what I have looked up, a blood moon symbolizes it is time to let go and heal.  

Maybe that means getting this 3D printed engine shed finished? Well I better press on then!

I have done exactly that and the window frames have now been glazed using Deluxe materials Glue n Glaze. I am slowly getting the hang of using this without mass spillages of glue. As they say - practice makes perfect!

First frame done!

All four none and you can see how the product turns from a white liquid to a solid clear surface as it dries.

I did have to redo four panes but other than that it all went smoothly - amazingly!

With the product dry and two frames temporarily in place you can see it looks realistic. I really need to weather that roof and the barge boards!

Woody hounded!

 This is the third time in a week that I have, on my bike ride, come across the local hounds being exercised so am I being hounded? It is quite a sight to see but dogs do seem to have an interest in cyclists, especially cyclists legs, so best to keep your distance! 

Meanwhile back in the hound free Man Cave it was back to the 3D printed engine shed and the rusted roof got a light coating of grey pain which looks like the galvanised finish these panels of corrugated iron have when new to stop the rust - which never works!

It is beginning to come together so unless I get hounded by Mrs. Woody to get on with even more tasks on her job list for me, it should not be too long before this project gets finished or in my usual way, nearly finished!

Aging and weathering and that's not me!

As shown in the YouTube video that I posted about yesterday, the engine shed has received some aging and weathering - just like me as Mrs Woody likes to point out! A dilute black wash has certainly taken that 'new build' look away from the stone work and it does look as though the building is old - just like me as Mrs. Woody would again point out!

The doors and window frames have also been treated to the wash.

The roof has now been airbrushed in a rust paint from Vallejo and once that was dry it got some rust weathering powder applied and then matt varnished. Next it will be receiving a light coat of grey which will allow some of that rust to show through.