Tools, tips and tricks

cv_acr's picture

Styrene Sorting and Storage Rack

I got a little tired of digging around in my box of packages of styrene strip to try and find the specific size I need for whatever project I'm working on, so I broke out the foam core board and whipped up a little something.

Ron Pare's picture

Benchtime Podcast #39

I am an avid listener of this podcast and was happy to participate.

The banchtime podcast is an audio-only program that focuses on building models. I liken it to the original Scotty Mason show. Anyways I am pretty happy how it turned out so check it out, please.

Warflight's picture

Silver Streak Bobber (was: Removing letters from wood)

So I have this "Silver Streak" wood bobber caboose, in the "Ma & Pa" scheme... I want to keep the colours of the wooden sides, I just want to remove the "Maryland and Pennsylvania" lettering, while preserving the red paint (I don't want to have to try to match the paint)

Any tips on removing lettering from a wood side kit?

This is the kit:

New iPhone adjustable depth of focus feature AFTER picture taken

I was watching the Apple Special Event today and the announcement of the camera features of the iPhone 10s. You can now take a picture and, even if the background is blurry, you can adjust the f-stop on the photo you have taken and the pictures software will let you adjust the depth of field. You do not have to take multiple pictures and knit them together in Helicon focus or similar software. One picture will do, and the adjustment is done in the super fast processing in Apple's new A-12 64 bit processor.

geoffb's picture

SMA29 JMRI Turnout Channels – Direct JMRI to Arduino Communications - Simple Support for Lots of Data Out From JMRI

The Java Model Railroad Interface (JMRI) is an elegant but sometimes complex application growing in popularity beyond its fantastic facility to ease DCC decoder setup. It is free, widely used, and readily available. It has capabilities to monitor trains and track to enable control and signal systems for virtually any model railroad layout. Among its basic control elements are turnouts, usually referring to a track switch or set of “points” but in its most elemental form, really refers to a binary switch.

BoulderCreek's picture

3D printing - Dinghy

3D printing has been around for a while now but there are still drastic improvements being made in the 3D printing world on a weekly basis!

I’ve been using the Anycubic Photon since the start of the year and I’m always amazed when it finishes printing.

Lately I’ve been working on printing a dinghy for an upcoming video and since 3D printing has been talked about quite a lot in the model railroad community I wanted to share some of the results for anyone who is on the fence about getting into resin 3D printing.

geoffb's picture

SMA28 JMRI Sensor Channels – Direct Arduino to JMRI Communications - Simple Support for Lots of Detectors

There are many applications in animation and model railroading where sensing a position of a loco or car is convenient and essential for operation.  Signaling, actuation, etc. require not only the use of an appropriate sensor but also sensor coordination and communication with some form of model, animation, or layout control.  The Java Model Railroad Interface (JMRI) is one such control that I started using early in my animation work, and is free, widely used, and readily available.
Chuck P's picture

Simulating spray polyurethane

I'm in the planning stages of modeling a small building that was covered in spray polyurethane, used as insulation. It adds thickness to everything and things like windows and doors are "sunk-in". It has some texture but not as much as stucco. Being somewhat smooth in texture but somewhat bumpy overall. Think of a frosted cake; you might have smoothed it but the frosting could be thicker in one part and thinner in another.


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