I’m scratch building an HO passenger station that has a cone-shaped turret. I bought sheets of realistic paper shingling made by Northeastern Scale Lumber. Is there some secret to shingling the turret without having to cut the sheets into individual shingles? Shingling prototype turrets involves trimming individual shingles more and more the higher you go on the turret.
Please tell me there is an easier way.
Jerry
Jim Thorpe, PA (The Switzerland of America)
Jerry,
I would like to find out also,if there was a easier way,I’ve done a few,real building,over years and models,never did a cone shape,It don’t sound easy to me…Good Luck!! in finding a solution…
I’m going listen in on this one,for sure…
Cheers,
Frank
I did it once, in N-Scale. The substructre of the turret was a golf tee!
Anyway, the product I used was the strip shingle material that used to be available from Campbells back in the day. You don’t apply one shingle at a time but you do apply one course of shingles at a time. That is the only way I can conceive of accomplishing what you are setting out to do.
Frank,
I checked with NESL and they tried experimenting with different techniques to shingle a cone but no luck.
Prototype turret roofers use a shingle cutter to cut every shingle with increasing angles until they get to the top where the shingles are very narrow. Roofers can now have shingles cut by computer too.
I finally soaked the full shingle sheets in a water/isopropyl solution to loosen the adhesive and separate the sheets into rows or courses. I cut the rows into three-shingle pieces and I am now gluing those pieces to the turret. It’s working but it’s slow going. The turret’s base is 3" in diameter.
Soaking the shingles ruined most of the built-in weathering.
Jerry
Jim Thorpe, PA (The Switzerland of America)
Have done quite a few “specialty” jobs (1:1 scale) in red cedar and asphalt for turrets for renovation. The only experience in scale work was on doll houses and specialty “bird Houses” HO would be a much smaller scale and far more tedious. The scale shingle stock can be applied in short section, coarses and you will need to cut an arc. As you lay each coarse sniping an occasional “v” notch may be needed to adjust to keep butt of shingles on the “circular” coarse line. Beats placing individual pieces.
Jerry,
Thanks for the info and reply,I was thinking,the absolute first,main course,is a key somehow,of keeping,the rest of them lined up to the top,but the higher you go,the more difficult that become’s…
Good Luck,on your endeavor!!
Cheers,
Frank
As described by StebbyCentral, I have done this with Campbell profile shingles, which come in a roll and have glue to be moistened (like on the flap of an envelope) on the inner surface. That was for an old Dyna Model Products station. One course at a time, and the Campbell shingles that came from close to the roll (made in a tighter diameter than the beginning of the roll) actually seemed to curve around the roof reasonably well. I had to trim the ends of each course.
As to insuring things stay “level”, do as the real roofers by marking some parallel horizontal guide lines on the roof at several points to help keep things square.
Bill
A template (cone) of "stiff"paper sized to fit the turret will help in aiding you with the coarses. Lines drawn on the template for each coarse, snip off and set on turret to make light pencil marks while continuing to check the distance from the bottom to not run out/ off. Tedious work and , yes, the smaller coarses will become increasingly more difficult. You may need to start to apply those small trapazoid shingles separatly nearing the top.
Bill,
I’ll have to agree,with most of what has been said,But I’ve seen some so called,professional roofers and without a doubt,I know without being a professional myself,I could have done a better job…At 70 though,I don’t believe,I will be getting on any roofs soon…I would have the patience,to do a turret,but not the want…LOL…
Cheers,
Frank
Ah the turret roof!?!
I sold roofing for a long time and all I can tell you about quoting on those beasts is that the customer paid through the nose! Most modern turret roofs are actually ‘nickel’ roofs, referring to the old Canadian five cent piece with multiple sides. Those are easy compared to a truly round turret roof.
If you are looking for a simple solution, there isn’t one! Tedious, time consuming, etc. etc. and that leaves out the swear words!
The prevalence of turret roofs on older buildings gives you an indication of how cheap labour was in those days, and how hard the workers had to work to make a less than decent living.
All I can suggest is that if you are modelling one then take your time, and do a lot of bragging about your accomplishment when you have visitors!, or not!
Dave
Thanks for the help and encouragement, gentlemen. I’m about three quarters of the way up (I ran out of curse words yesterday) and I’m using two-shingle pieces now. So far, It’s taken 12 hours.
This is my first scratch build and I should have tackled something simpler. I learned a lot by the middle of the turret and my shingling got better. Then I was going to start over again but luckily the prototype turret was in disrepair during the period I’m modeling (1968). The Jim Thorpe, PA CNJ station was built in 1887.
The key is in the trimming of each piece, even on the first course. Drawing lines around the cone help place the courses. Your advice was spot on.
I still have to figure out what to use for the small cone-shaped cap on top and the tiny ball finial. But should be the easy part!
Jerry
Jim Thorpe, PA (The Switzerland of America)
Thanks for the help and encouragement, gentlemen. I’m about three quarters of the way up (I ran out of curse words yesterday) and I’m using two-shingle pieces now. So far, It’s taken 12 hours.
This is my first scratch build and I should have tackled something simpler. I learned a lot by the middle of the turret and my shingling got better. Then I was going to start over again but luckily the prototype turret was in disrepair during the period I’m modeling (1968). The Jim Thorpe, PA CNJ station was built in 1887.
The key is in the trimming of each piece, even on the first course. Drawing lines around the cone help place the courses. Your advice was spot on.
I still have to figure out what to use for the small cone-shaped cap on top and the tiny ball finial. But that should be the easy part!
Jerry
Jim Thorpe, PA (The Switzerland of America)
Jerry:
Sounds like you have mastered the process!
As for the cone at the top, you might try aluminum foil, or if that proves to be too delicate then try .005" brass or copper sheet. Copper would be easier to form, and if steeped in a little vinegar for a while could be aged to make it look old and green. There are also commercial oxidizing solutions available.
To mold the metal to the right shape you might consider making a form from a small dowel or even a pencil. Chuck the wood in a drill and use a file or sandpaper to shape the end as the drill rotates. If you have a hole in the top of the turret which the form can fit through then you will be better able to gauge the pitch (slope) of the form so it matches the slope of the turret. Gluing the form into the top of the turret to make a stable mount for the cone would be a good idea.
For the finial you might find one of these offerings from Walthers to be suitable:
Unfortunately, Walthers does not list the actual size of the finials.
Please show us your finished project!
Dave