Garage Dio

[bryan_m]

it makes me really happy to see you fixin this dio Dan, its just too nice to not fix it! keep up the good work.

cheers

bryan

[dannyi]

B!...how the heck are ya?......where have you been?

[Madworks]

AWESOME!..

[vaughn]

Dannyi...that is looking so darn good ! Keep on.

[81zxing280]

Wow this is just awesome man great job... Your making me wanna try my hand at this...

[dannyi]

...thanks guys!

...Ricky, definitely go for it! ..you'll be amazed at how easy it becomes after you get a couple basic techniques down...

[dannyi]

....got all the ceiling joists in place again. The lights are back to their original possitions and still working...still can't believe that....

[crazyjim]

Will your diorama be used on it's own or as a photo background? It looks really excellent.

[GTMust]

Far be it for me to tell you what to do.......... but don't forget our previous discussion regarding laying the structural floorboards diagonally.... and the finished floor boards (if you add them), lengthways. But then again... it's up to you. LOL!

Tony

[Joker]

Shock and Awe...Shock and Awe...

Page 6 gave me the willies...

the following pages of reconstruction just gave me

more Shock and Awe..

Great patience and attention to detail.

Thanks for sharing your Dio.

[Chuck Doan]

Order is restored.

[Madrdnckbldr080]

I really like this Dio.. Can't wait to see it done... Red

[dannyi]

..thanks guys for the kind words!

....crazyjim, it originally started out as a photo backdrop with side walls and a half roof. Once I got the walls up and started the roof, it became a full on dio. Decided to go with an upper story and now possibly an elevator......maybe...

.....Tony, as for the flooring I'm going with the original one I made. I know that the most common method for this type of flooring is like you said, diagonal sub-floor and parallel finished floor. But I seen quite a few diagonal finished flooring at the old plant I worked and thought it looked pretty neat....

[jbwelda]

this is incredible! what are your plans for this if and when its "done"? are you going to take it out and show it or just use and enjoy it at home? it would certainly shock and awe an in-person audience, especially with some nice build ups inside it. it is plain spectacular!

[dannyi]

...thanks Bill, I do plan on taking it to a couple local shows and possibly NNL East next year. I'll also be using it to showcase some of the parts I make on a '41 Plymouth and a '50 Ford pickup. Got a feeling this will never really be done..lol, it will probably be getting constant additions......

....thanks Mike!....I called ya a few days ago, give me a shout when you get the chance....

[vaughn]

Just went back and viewed all 11 pages of this project and I have got to say you have come a long way and it just gets better. A few questions for you. The raise brick areas...did you make those from foam bd by gluing a front to two side pieces or were they already formed that way ? What kind of wood for the rafters and joists...balsa ? How thick is the FB and what is it attached to, to give the walls strength ? Sorry to ask so much but its this part of the construction end that I need some clarification on. Anyhow...Great work and great reconstruction since the disaster. Keep on keepin on Dannyi !!!

[dannyi]

...thanks Terry.....the brick columns are three separate pieces each of foam board. I made an extra panel just for those. The front and side pieces are cut on a 45 degree angles so the bricks on the corners look like full bricks. I made the front piece a full 3 bricks wide. The side pieces need to be cut so they match the full brick, half brick on the front panel. Then I used a tooth pick to add Elmers glue to the sharp edges. After the glue dried I lightly sanded the edge to round off the bricks. Making the columns was a bit time consuming but I really liked the effect once finished. The foam board is 3/16" thick and I got it at Hobby Lobby but most stroes that have graft/hobby section carry it.. The panel side use to scribe the brick on needs to have the paper backing removed. Some brands of foam board you can just peel it right off but other brands it needs to be dampened to loosen the glue on the paper. Once the paper backing is removed the panel becomes pretty flimsy. So I glued another section of foam board to the back of each panel for strength. The back and side walls are tied together with 3/8" pine trim boards. Once it's all screwed and glued together it's a pretty strong set up. Case in point was after it was dropped from nearly 6 ft., just the upper left corner split open. The rafter/joist are actually bass wood, 3/32" x 1/2". It's a bit stronger and has a cleaner finish the balsa wood.

[vaughn]

Thanks for the info Dannyi. Putting together a project bit by bit when time allows. thanks again

[dannyi]

[crazyjim]

This thing just keeps getting better and better, Dan.

[misternemo]

this is-bar none-the absolute best and most realistic dio i have ever seen!! thank you for posting it.

[dannyi]

..thank you Joe, Jim and Ryan...

..Joe, the only foam board I know of is the kind with the paper backing which has to be removed to scribe the foam. You could use rigid insulation foam board, the kind found at big box hardware stores but the thinnest I could find around here was 1 inch thick and only comes in 4x8 sheets. As for the hobby foam board, the paper backing has to be removed on the side that your going to scribe the brick on. Some brands the backing can be peeled right off with ease. But the brand I got (Elmers) has to be dampened with water to loosen the glue. First I cut the desired size I need then put it in a pan of water for about 15 minutes. The paper backing comes off with no problems. Let it dry thoroughly then scribe away....

[Tony T]

Danny...Glad to see this coming back together and moving forward...the service panel is awesome!

I gotta ask about the lights...I bought a pair of shades from you for my dio and would love to light them. Is the info on the functioning lights back in an earlier part of the thread? If so, I'll go looking. If not, do tell!!

I love the diorama. Like you, I don't really think mine will ever really be "done"!

[dannyi]

Thanks Tony! ...the bulbs I used are "grain of rice" from Model Power #252, the conduit is made from 1/16 aluminum tubing. I could of used larger diameter tubing to make wiring easier but the thinner tubing looked more to scale. First I drilled a hole in the top of the lamp shade to fit the tube. The problem with the 1/16 tubing was that both wires would not fit through it, so I removed the insulation from one of the wires(the one I was using for ground/common) and then wrapped it around the other wire in a loose spiral. Once thought the top of the tube I separated them and soldered them to their prospective "bus" wires running along the top edge on the back side of the ceiling joists. From the side of the dio they went to an HO train transformer.

[Tony T]

Thanks for the info Danny!