We all do some good work. We may not be John Allen, the the younger ones may not even know who John Allen was, but we all do some good work. SOOO - What is your secret to what you do?
Secret? I don’t think there’s any ‘secret’ involved, but I try to
(1) learn from past mistakes,
(2) take my time to do something right [easier said than done I know![:D]], and
(3) ask questions whenever I am not sure about something.
In these days of online forums like this one, there is no excuse for me to not do #3!
For me, some of the things that have made a difference are:
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Taking my time, and not rushing things.
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The right tools for the job.
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Practice. You’ll rarely get what you want the first time. It takes alot of practice to get good, so allow yourself some practice, some learning time, and some failures. A good modeller is not someone who does everything perfect the first time, a good modeller is someone who can recover from and repair his/her mistakes.
—jps
- Be patient.
- Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. That’s how you learn. I know there is a certain amount learning from other’s mistakes that can help, but if you take that approach all the time, you don’t attempt unfamiliar projects. Take risks.
- Be confident in your abilities, and your ability to fix your mistakes.
- Learn from the examples of those that know. Don’t only listen to their words, study their work. Often there is something obvious to them that they fail to communicate.
I read on whatever subjects that I want to venture into. Then the first time, I do it by the book. After that, I decide if there’s a better way for ME to do it, and go from there.
My secretes:
1.Take your time and do things right the first time in order to avoid rework.
2.Plan as you go if your layout building experiences allows that.
3.Forget what the so called "experts"say.Do things you feel is right and will work for you…
4.Above all model for yourself according to your skills and givens and druthers.
5.Remember to have fun and enjoy your hobby.
All of the above and wait till the real works done before you crack the Brewskies and sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor. (if your 21)[8D]
All the above are really good recomendations and advice. My problem with this is that I have a hard time understanding what is ment by good work. Ok, I may be getting a bit technical here, but to me a person can do good work but ones artistic abilities will very from person to person. Example; a person may do a wonderful job of physically laying and ballasting track, but knowing where to lay that track may be a problem that causes the layout to be out of ballance for lack of better words. We tend to look at other’s layouts and compare them. One layout may consist of an oval of Lionel track on a painted 4x8 sheet of plywood while at the other end of the extreme a layout may be a work of art with every bell and whistle imaginable on it. Who did a better job here? All depends on who’s looking at it and the purpose of the layout to begin with. As far as my work is concerned, I have no secrets, only years or experience and when doing something new, just try my best to make it look or work the way I think it should, which ain’t always right either. Sorry, didn’t mean to ramble here, Ken
for me it’s the right tools,pin vises files, etc, that and practice. like learning an instrument or playing sports, practice. and remember when it’s not fun, stop for awhile, then go back when creativity takes back over…
Think your project out thouroughly before making that first cut…
Take your time, but still work at a pace that is comfortable to you…
Have all of the necessary tools on hand before you start…
Research or study whatever you can to aid you…
Ask as many questions as you can!
Always try to do the next one a little bit better.
Always have good lighting.
Quit when you’re tired.
Remember it’s a hobby - we’re supposed to be having fun. When it’s not fun go do something else.
Enjoy
Paul
Quality dividers, calipers and a quality tool grade scribe/puch set. I could replicate the Titanic with these three items! Remember measure trice, cut once… Happy modeling to all.
Dave
My secret???[2c] I call it the three P’s:
Patience
Practice
Persistance
[:D]
I know most of these have been entered, but this is my list.
- Research the subject of your work.
- Allow plenty of time.
- Plan your steps before start.
- If instructions are available, read carefully all the way through and understand each before start.
- Proper tools ready.
- All materials handy.
- Be in the right frame of mind.
- Say your prayers and go for it.
REX
From my past experience and from reading everyone else’s response, it looks like the #1 this is Patience!
Even an idiot can come up with something decent if he just takes his time. Now not saying that you have to take forever to complete what you’re doing, but just don’t rush it. Everything that’ve I’ve rushed, I’ve either redone, or I keep looking at it thinking “I could have done better than that.”
I also like Rex’s #7 - Be in the right frame of mind. That’s important too. If you don’t really feel like doing it, you’re not going to feel like doing it right.
- research- both prototype and modelling techniques
- plan ahead
- get the right tools, parts, materials
- concentrate- try to minimize interruptions
The last one is my biggest problem right now, between a four-year-old and being on-call 24x7. [:)]
Brian Pickering
- Patience
- Having the proper tools and materials on hand
- Knowing when its time to just step back and take a break
I keep telling myself that Babe Ruth still holds the records for most strike outs…
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and be willing to start over as often as needed.
Remember, you can always learn something new!
My only secret is to be willing to re-do it if it’s below par.
The first rules when approaching a railroad:
STOP!
LOOK!
LISTEN!
This has been my salvation, in real time, and in my hobby.
Others are due the credit because they have all said it in different ways above.