Grain Elevator Build

I have been working on a B.T.S. grain elevator kit and thought I would share a few shots of the build. The model has been a joy to work on, relatively easy to put together and all parts thus far seem to work perfectly out of the box. 

I am a novice modeler and have approached this build a bit differently than the two others I have built (i.e., another grain elevator from Altoona model works and a B.T.S. freight station). This round, I have pre-painted the kit pieces prior to building. I first "sealed" the wood with a coat of Minwax pre-stain conditioner followed by a coat of Minwax cherry stain, which in my opinion added a pleasant light red tone to the wood that can be revealed below a painted surface. A brief read of various blogs on weathering provided great insight into the importance of "layering." I do not own an airbrush. For the interior of the building, the Minwax stains provide the ideal finish, where bare and/or stained wood wood be visible in a real grain elevator.  

Following staining, I coated the wood with a water-glue mixture, and while wet added the enamel-based color, allowing it to flow to and from the aqueous solution. Thereafter, I textured the painted wood with steel wool, metal files, and sandpaper. In the pictures, the finish is still quite rough and I plan to continue the "finishing" until the raised blemishes are cleared up.  

My vision is of an elevator that is in period but requires a bit of paint work. My best guess is that a new coat of paint would be required every decade. 

The kit came with paper roofing/shingles; however, I was pleasantly surprised to find real cedar O-scale shingles for the build (Rusty Stump Models), which have added an additional layer of realism. 

I am also experimenting with gutters (copper wire). 

The kit has three additional buildings included. which I have yet to build. I've attached a few pictures of the sides (reddish color) comprising the auxiliary building.   

EBN:

Beautiful job
Joe

Very nice work.

Looks..........................Awesome!

Regards,

Frank

Really well done and the hints are helpful too

Thanks everyone for the nice comments. I've made bit of progress on the Elevator, including more shingles and a light weathering of the dump shed "tracks."  Also moved a bit on the auxiliary house ("feed shed"). I approached the aging process of the wood siding in a similar fashion to the elevator. A white wash with white ink, which I've etched with steel wool hoping to integrate it into the red enamel as if it was appearing primer. Continuing to experiment and fine tune.   

You may consider yourself a " novice modeler ", but I think you demonstrate a terrific talent! Beautiful job!