Our hobby has many standard techniques, materials, and tricks-of-the-trade. By "standard", I mean that they are well-known, frequently used, and often discussed on this list. Most of them became standard because once upon a time, they were written about in some influential book or article.
But, I was just thinking that there are many other great techniques that are NOT well-known. They are obscure and rarely employed. I though it would be fun to start a thread where folks can share some of their "secrets", i.e., useful techniques that are not so well-known.
I will get the ball rolling by describing two tricks that I used on a very modest building that I built awhile ago. It is a simple shed meant as a "trolly barn" for a Lionel postwar trolly. Here is the finished structure:
Trick #1 -- Old plank siding
This is a method that I learned from the great Troels Kirk, creator of the Coast Line RR. The vertical planks that make up the exterior walls of the shed were cut from a single piece of Bristol Board. Each plank is a separate piece, glued onto foam core. The trick is to paint the Bristol Board with a random pattern before cutting the planks:
You then just mix up the planks randomly before mounting, so the pattern is lost. The result is a very convincing simulation of old, highly-weathered wood.
Trick #2 -- Pink Foam blocks
The cut stone wall and foundation were made by cutting a strip of pink foam insulation into very thin rectangles, and glueing them to foam-core. If you cut the foam with a not-very-sharp instrument, it will crumble a bit, producing a rough texture that is easily painted to look like real stone:
These are great techniques that I have rarely seen mentioned on this list.
OK, your turn. Share a few secrets!
