I’m brain dead on this one.
I want to light the interior of my Scarlett Slipper saloon so you can see all the happy people inside. I want to hang the grain of rice from the center of the ceiling, but don’t want a bare bulb.
I need a simple design to make the light look like it is part of a 1905 saloon. I have paint, clear plastic, white styrene, wood and normal household items to work with.
What have you guys done? Post pics if you got them.
…a most excellent question from the Spacemouse…
Wouldn’t a turn of the past century saloon have some sort of chandelier?
Maybe a hollowed out clear bead, with some clear styrene bits cemented all around and sticking out?
I don’t know if real saloons had those ‘wagon-wheel’ style chandeliers with small gas-lights (or electric lights eventually) around the perimeter - those would be tough to model.
Gas lights along the wall, with glass chimneys, mounted on brass brackets - time for fiber optics and some gold paint!
I quit putting lights in structures years ago, but there used to be 12 volt bulbs that were a white globe, about 12" diameter in HO. On reduced voltage, they would look very good for your application. Another option would be plastic beads like those used for costume jewellery - pick the colour and translucency desired, then drill to accept the bulb. You could also dip the bulb in tinted clear epoxy, although it could take several applications to get the bulk desired. You could also put a grain of wheat bulb in some brass tubing, then use fibre optics to create a chandelier. Form a bulb at the end of each strand by holding it near a heat source, such as a soldering iron, then paint the rest to look like metal.
Wayne
I suggest shrouding most of the bulb in a short brass tube, so that just the round end is exposed. Do a few of these, so the light isn’t coming from just one source. Single source lights make radial shadows and that’s just not that realistic.
I also recommend wiring the bulbs in parallel (so that if one dies the others live on) and use resistors to adjust the brightness to a “dimly lit bar” level.
Chip,
Click on my web site link below and take a look at my exterior light poles. While you don’t need the light pole, the lamp portion should do the trick.
The HO-scale shades come from Miniatronics. (Campbell makes them, as well.) I lit the interior of the NYC freight house (the kit you sent me) using those shades. The shades help focus the light downward.
You can also paint or not paint the underside of the shades. White will give a brighter look to your interiors; unpainted shades will give you a yellowish or more “dingy” interior.
Lastly, I have my lights connected to the DC terminals of a MRC power pack. That way I can dial down the intensity of the lights. I usually operate them at ~55-60% power. Makes the bulbs last longer, too.
Hope that helps…
Tom
And once you’ve figured out the lights, it might be an idea to invest in a smoke generator and an under-layout recording of some honky-tonk piano, just to add to the atmosphere. Of course, if Rule G is enforced on your railroad, there might be no further need for track cleaning, as no trains would be moving. [swg][(-D]
Wayne
Tom,
I actually made a few like those for an engine house. Basically I traced a quarter, cut a wedge from side to the center of the circle, and glued the edges to form a cone. I painted the cone metallic silver. I don’t have any pictures as it was at my old club.
Another thought would be a Miniatonics interior lighting set. They are yelloglo surface mount LEDs mounted on PC board. I just finished using them on a roundhouse, but do not have photos right now. The board is made to be broken into sections and wired together so it can be used to light various rooms/floors of a building or more than one building. You could model the lighting fixtures as dummys.
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/475-100IBL01
Miniatronics also sells small 1.5V bulbs that could be used in a fixture like the lampshade mentioned earlier
http://www.walthers.com/exec/search?category=&scale=&manu=miniatronics&item=&keywords=1.5V&words=restrict&instock=Q&split=30&Submit=Search
These are the lamps with shade mentioned elsewhere. Note that one si 12V and the other 1.5V
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/475-7210505
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/475-7200105
Somethng like this? Scroll down to part number HQ625 - Saloon or HQ640 - Honkey Tonk Bar
http://ittproducts.com/hqpage_2008.htm
http://ittproducts.com/audio/hq625.wav
http://ittproducts.com/audio/hq640.wav
The audio clips need Quicktime to play -
maybe they could be too annoying for constant play [banghead]
Turns out this was an exercise in fertility. The grain of rice bulb is dang near 3 scale feet. I’m going to just hang a couple in the corners.
And I had a great chandelier worked out. I just hung half-way to the floor from the ceiling and was 8 scale feet across.
