Category Archives: Techniques

Resin Kit Build Primer

We want you to move your kits from a bunch of parts to a completed freight car.

A goal of the Resin Car Works blog is to inspire and encourage modelers to build those kits that have accumulated among our hubby supplies. We know many of those are resin freight car kits. We have also heard many people ask questions on how to get started building those kits.

Bill Welch has crafted a step-by-step resin freight car to help modelers assemble parts a basic flat kit into a box. Bill guides the preparation of the sides, ends, underframe, and roof for a resin box car kit. We hope Bill’s work encourages more people to build those accumulated resin freight car kits.

Here’s the direct link to the downloadable PDF file. It’s just over one MB in size.

A resin freight car kit primer

The document can be also accessed via the Resin Car Works blog Helpful Links page. It’s easy to download the file by hovering over the link with the cursor, click the right mouse button, then choose Save Link As from the menu to download.

Please share the link with friends so they can build their kits. Share the link with your club members and your NMRA division. Post the link in newsletters, and/or add it to your blog. Share the knowledge so people can enjoy building these kits and adding a neat freight car to the fleet.

Bill will add another chapter to the primer in the upcoming months. This first part only focuses on building the box. Tips and techniques on adding details will publish soon.


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Boxcar model holder

Schuyler Larrabee recently shared interesting photos of a tool he built to help him with model building. We asked Schuyler to share more details and he sent the following notes.

I did a lot of complicated and fairly delicate work on the underframe and brake gear on this model. It is the 2018 Shake’n’Take project; an ERIE double-door, 40-foot boxcar. Based on prior experience, I was concerned that I’d damage the installed details while I worked on detailing the upper parts of the car. I wanted a way to be able to put the model down on the bench other than installing trucks, temporary or otherwise.

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LED Light for your Optivisor

 

George Toman sent along a new idea to improve an Optivisor for use at the workbench. Here’s George with his tips.

I find as I age I need more light for fine detail work and want that light where I am working. I have looked at investing in an LED or other light made for the Optivisor and ran across this little LED Worklight made by Blackfire at Home Depot for $6.95. Model # BBM890XG Mini Clamp Light. It is also available on Amazon.

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Weathering tips

Craig Zeni displayed several fine models at the recent RPM-East event. Here’s how the models looked on March 25. Craig shared updated images of these cars recently in a weathered state so we thought you might enjoy his techniques. Here’s Craig with more details.

I had a really good time at the recent RPM-East prototype modeler meet in Greensburg, PA. After arriving back home, I was inspired to move a couple of the display models through the weathering steps.

Continue reading Weathering tips