SCTC on Facebook

The Southern California Traction Club is now on Facebook.

Find us here.

And to kick things off I posted another video of the SCTC layout in action. This time a cab ride!:

Enjoy the ride! Yes sir! Enjoy the ride!

Dandy

Easy Cast

Trying Out A Clear Casting Resin For The Boulevard Lamps

After installing the Boulevard Lamps onto the layout, I was struck by how stark white the globes are on the lamp I cast last time (above, far left). While the globes on the first lamp (above, near right) are just the right transparency. But those were carved from clear acrylic tubes and are quite labor intensive. Something I would like to avoid. So I thought I would try a clear resin for the next casting.

After some research on internet I've come to the conclusion that EasyCast might work for what I need to achieve.

EasyCast takes a lot longer to set than Smoothcast, 72 hours! So I cast it and set it aside for a better part of the week. I was toying with the idea of only casting the globes and use the Smoothcast for the rest of the lamp. But that presented some problems, such as mixing such a tiny amount, and attempting to prevent the two resins from mixing (they are almost as thin as water!). So I just cast the entire lamp with the EasyCast.

Success! I can see how the armature fits inside, pretty cool. And the translucency of the globes is perfect! But whats this!?:

The EasyCast resin captured the details perfectly. But bubbles are a problem! I noticed when I was pouring the resin that the bubbles are bigger and harder to pop with this clear resin. Despite my best effort, bubbles persisted. Fortunately, most won't be seen when the lamp is painted. But...

Bubbles in the lamp globes! Geez man. Those can be seen. But since they are so tiny, I might let it slide with this casting. After all, they are about the size of scale bullet holes ;-) So its plausible that the San Diego Police Dept had a shootout on the streets! Right? Yes sir! A shoot out in the streets! 

Dandy