Guilty as charged

I'm building a model of a hotel/general store that stood in Bushnell, NC back in the 1930s-40s. When they built Fontana Dam Bushnell was covered by a couple of hundred feet of water. The hotel is long gone. I've seen one picture of the hotel. I liked it. My model railroad was designed just so I could consider building a model of this structure.

I'm a bit daft. Guilty as charged.

In the past few weeks I finally decided to tackle the structure.

First, pause was when I realized that in N scale there are no windows of the same size as some in this structure. So I decided to cast my own using a mold I'd have to build and then using epoxy.

A bit daft? Guilty as charged.

I then decided I'd have to make tools to make the mold. I'd "engrave" an image in a hard material to cast the resin in. I needed to learn how to make engraving tools.

A bit daft? Guilty as charged.

With my bench grinder, an assortment of files and broken drill bits I started crafting my own engraving tools.

A bit daft? Guilty as charged.

Once I had the mold I cast windows. Time consuming? You bet.

Once I had the windows I needed to make complete drawings of the hotel structure. I set about that using a CAD program. I was guess-timating measurements but finally arrived at a good "image" of the hotel.

A bit daft? Guilty as charged.

Next I needed to use the program to determine measurements. Every measurement needed to be converted to decimal inches. After all, N scale is 1 foot equal 160 real feet.

A bit daft? Guilt as charged.

Then I started placing windows. I "learned" I needed to make other tools to get the window molding set in the clapboard siding.

Need I say it?

Yesterday I'd gotten to a point where a close examination of the photo showed a lattice work between SIX of the support posts on one of the porches. I knew I was a bit daft.

I started carefully building a lattice on my workbench. I reasoned it would be easier to build something on the workbench and then add the posts rather that trying to add TINY pieces to the posts at the proper 45 degree angle with the crossover pieces. I'm not completely crazy.

A few minutes ago I layed down my first posts on the lattice and fastened the two assemblies together. I then cut the posts clear.

Damn it worked. I actually have the lattice work (pieces of .010*.020 (inches) styrene plastic layed in the lattice pattern at the correct 45 degree angle attached to .03*.03 (inches) posts. I lifted the post to the light and can actually see through it.

I know I'm daft. I don't give a damn. It looks just like the posts on the old hotel!