1940 Auto Repair Shop Interior by FriedClams - Finished - Diorama in 1:87

[Roger Pellett]

Gary,

 

These tiny LED lights open all sorts of new modeling possibilities.  Having been disappointed by all of the Out Of Order signs on mechanized exhibits in museums, however, I am concerned about longevity.  I would assume that these are battery operated, and I know that LEDs are very efficient.

 

What kind of batteries are you using and what do you expect their lifetime to be?

 

Roger

[FriedClams]

Thank you Craig and Ken for the comments.  I do appreciate it.  And thanks to all for the likes.

 

On 11/13/2021 at 5:06 PM, Keith Black said:

 Gary, I almost reacted with a 'sad' emoji because with the lights going in, it means this is just about the last chapter of this build. Each completed project is absolutely amazing but the journey with you creating a build is so very rewarding. 

 

 This one isn't even finished and I'm already on the edge of my seat in anticipation of your next project. Any hints? 

 

Hello Keith

 

Thanks for following my projects and for your helpful and supportive comments - it's always great to have your views, insights and encouragement.  

 

This diorama is indeed getting close to being finished. There are several things yet to do; the ceiling, “outside” lighting, an overhead hoist and a few other minor details, maybe a couple of weeks worth – maybe more.  It's been a fun and relaxing build.  Looking ahead will be another New England fishing vessel, this time an Eastern-rigged boat. I have purchased copies of the original drawings from which three individual vessels were built in the 1940s and 50s.  It is larger than the Stonington boat I finished last year, almost twice the length and more detailed, so at my slow modeling pace it will be a multi year project.  But I might build another short term model first, not sure. I've had this itch to scratch a Holmes 750 wrecker and plop it on a military truck that's living a second life in civilian use, or a farm tractor or a Whitehall pulling boat, or . . .

 

Thanks again.

 

Gary

 

[FriedClams]

On 11/13/2021 at 7:33 PM, Roger Pellett said:

These tiny LED lights open all sorts of new modeling possibilities.  Having been disappointed by all of the Out Of Order signs on mechanized exhibits in museums, however, I am concerned about longevity.  I would assume that these are battery operated, and I know that LEDs are very efficient.

 

What kind of batteries are you using and what do you expect their lifetime to be?

 

 

Hello Roger and thanks for the comment.

 

LED life span depends on a number of factors and unlike most semiconductors they degrade slightly over time.  So when considering life span, two benchmarks are often quoted - L70 meaning that the device is still emitting 70 percent of its original light output and L50 for 50 percent.  If you average manufacturers claims, the typical life span of an LED at or above L70 is maybe 50,000 hours.  Running them 8 hours a day they should last for 17 plus years or 5.7 years continuously.  I'm not convinced, but that's what they say . And this of course assumes proper circuitry and keeping the device from environmental heat and so on.

 

I use one of these battery holders below.

 

 

The coin battery and the AA holder both output at 3 volts while the other is 9 volt. What I use in any particular instance depends on the wiring configuration and what and how many LEDs are being used and how they will be used.

 

In the photo below is my farm front mini diorama which simply has two 0603 SMD LEDs each drawing about 10ma each. It is powered by a cr2032 coin battery which has a 225mah (milliamp hour) capacity. The battery should last for 11.25 hours if my calculation is correct.  If it were powered by the two AA batteries it could last for 280 hours. I made that dio 5 years ago and I bet the lights don't have more than 4 hours total time on them. I rarely turn the LEDs on and when I do it's typically by request (people do indeed seem to respond favorably to the lighting.)  I would never run a cord to these little shadowbox dioramas, but if I had a display that I wanted to have on most of the time, I would use a power supply that plugs into a wall outlet, set it up with a on/off remote w/dimming and ditch the batteries altogether.

 

 

I hope that answers your question.

 

Thanks again

 

Gary

Edited February 23, 2023 by FriedClams

[mtaylor]

On 11/13/2021 at 4:33 PM, Roger Pellett said:

Gary,

 

These tiny LED lights open all sorts of new modeling possibilities.  Having been disappointed by all of the Out Of Order signs on mechanized exhibits in museums, however, I am concerned about longevity.  I would assume that these are battery operated, and I know that LEDs are very efficient.

 

What kind of batteries are you using and what do you expect their lifetime to be?

 

Roger

I suspect those may not be LED's but some of the old super mini bulbs or even some of the early LED fixtures.  I had some in a display case for light and after about 8 years, they were dead.

[FriedClams]

Thanks to all for stopping by and for the "Likes".

 

 

Here's a short update on some odds and ends.

 

From the last post, the bench lamp has now been placed.  Unfortunately, it shines on and highlights one of the worst looking hand tools on the bench.  I may have to scrape that wrench off.

 

 

 

The pit needs a safety railing next to the stairs,  It is made from .022” phosphor/bronze soldered together.  I decided not to place a railing along the front, up close to the glass because it would only be a visual distraction.

 

 

 

To help locate the railing drill holes on the diorama, I push the uprights through a piece of paper and use it as a template.

 

 

 

After the railing was placed, the lubester (from page 3 post 72) was glued down along with other stuff. 

 

 

 

There is an empty space in front of the main work bench, so I decided to place a pallet there with a greasy engine sitting on it.  Not wanting to spend hours scratching an engine in 1:87, I looked around and found a 3D printed one on Shapeways that looked quite good.  Although this engine was not labeled or otherwise identified, it looks to me like a straight-6 Chevy.  It was one in a set of five different engines.

 

 

 

Wikipedia tells me the straight-6 was Chevrolet's only engine from 1929 to 1954 replacing an inline 4 cylinder. It went through different generations and was available in several displacements.  It was no longer offered in North America after 1990.  On my diorama, I'm calling the engine a second generation 216 which began production in 1937, so it fits my stated time period.  Chevy auto forums say these engines were painted a baby blue/gray (not to be confused with the Corvette “Blue Flame”) so that is what I did.  Even ordering the printings in their smoothest material, you can still see the print lines quite clearly which only became more obvious after painting.

 

 

 

A pallet is made from basswood.

 

 

 

After cleaning some of the worst print lines, I grubbed it up with oil paints and powders.  I scratched a brass fan blade replacement because the printed one was grossly thick and out of scale.  The hold-down strap is paper which measures less than 1/32” wide.

 

 

 

 

The pallet is not glued down yet. There will be a chain fall hoist hanging from overhead so I'll wait until that is in before I finalize the engine position.  Also, there will be a little dude wrenching on it.

 

 

Be safe and stay well.

 

Gary

 

 

[Keith Black]

 Gary, beautiful stuff. Leave the wrench but cover it with the racing form or newspaper?

[popeye the sailor]

very nice work........well done!  

[wefalck]

Lovely and very evocative of the time before fluorescent tube took over !

 

Talking about timing: did you guys already have pallets at that time ? 

[Egilman]

53 minutes ago, FriedClams said:

I'm calling the engine a second generation 216 which began production in 1937, so it fits my stated time period. 

A 216 is perfect for the period, but it would probably be bolted to a warner 3 speed top loader, the tranny on it looks more powerglide to me.... and tie down straps are '90's they would have used light chain fore and aft off the heads lifting lugs.... the pallet is good as it's first rest point after being pulled and before mounting to an engine stand, but I would put blocks, (simple 4x4's) under the engine mounts on each side to allow it to sit upright, (it wouldn't sit upright without them) your dude manipulating the chain hoist would be perfect situational image...

 

You still amaze me with your vision and execution my friend... this should go in the gallery, it's not a ship true, but a masterwork on what's possible.....

 

What everyone has said is valid and well earned brother...

PS: yeah the wrench is a tad out of scale, I would go along with Keith's suggestion to leave it, but disguise it a bit... Newspaper or a Chilton's manual, the old blue book type, laid on top of it would be perfect....

Edited November 18, 2021 by Egilman

[Old Collingwood]

Amazing work  -  superbly done.

 

OC.

[thibaultron]

Shipping Pallet patent November 1939, so it would be correct for 1940.

[FriedClams]

Thank you Gentlemen for the great comments and “likes” and to all for stopping by for a look.

 

On 11/18/2021 at 3:15 PM, Keith Black said:

Leave the wrench but cover it with the racing form or newspaper?

 

Thanks Keith.  That's a good suggestion which I attempted with mixed results.  See below.

 

On 11/18/2021 at 3:21 PM, popeye the sailor said:

very nice work........well done!

 

Thank you Denis.

 

On 11/18/2021 at 3:27 PM, wefalck said:

Lovely and very evocative of the time before fluorescent tube took over !

 

Talking about timing: did you guys already have pallets at that time ? 

 

Thanks Wefalck and I agree the warm color temperature of the light does add an almost nostalgic character.  Pallets and skids in non-standardized form existed as far back as 1915 to accommodate the lo-lifting platform trucks that were coming onto the scene and later in the 1920s for the hi-lifting fork trucks.  Admittedly, the one I made represents a more modern version.  Ron has stated that the shipping pallet has a patent date of 1939 and I suspect that is when pallets became standardized.  Here is an interesting statistic: 450 million new pallets are produced each year in North America alone and there are 1.9 billion in use at any one time. That's a lot of pallets. 

 

On 11/18/2021 at 3:51 PM, Egilman said:

A 216 is perfect for the period, but it would probably be bolted to a warner 3 speed top loader, the tranny on it looks more powerglide to me.... and tie down straps are '90's they would have used light chain fore and aft off the heads lifting lugs.... the pallet is good as it's first rest point after being pulled and before mounting to an engine stand, but I would put blocks, (simple 4x4's) under the engine mounts on each side to allow it to sit upright, (it wouldn't sit upright without them) your dude manipulating the chain hoist would be perfect situational image...

Thank you Egilman for the kind words and high appraisal of my work.  What I like about building a model like this is the freedom to do whatever comes to mind as long as it doesn't stray too far from reality.  It's the kind of model where you spend more time researching and thinking about it than actual building it.

 

I agree the tranny is probably a Powerglide or maybe a TH350 - an automatic for sure and not what the time period calls for.  But I'm leaving it as I don't have the skill to modify it in a way that would improve the piece.  It's discouraging to spend a lot of time making a thing worse.  I like your suggestions about the chain and the blocks under the motor mounts, so please read on.

 

On 11/18/2021 at 6:25 PM, Old Collingwood said:

Amazing work  -  superbly done.

 

Thanks so much OC.

 

On 11/18/2021 at 9:20 PM, thibaultron said:

Shipping Pallet patent November 1939, so it would be correct for 1940.

 

Thanks for taking the time to look that up Ron – I really appreciate it.

 

 

More Odds and Ends.

 

First a couple of updates on the last post. The newly installed bench lamp highlights an open end wrench which is 2” thick and about 4” across the crowfoot.  Besides being totally out of scale, its proportions are also wrong and it needs covered or removed.  I like Keith's newspaper idea and I think it would have worked out great, but I just wasn't able to create a believable miniature of one.  So I tried a magazine/book made from tissue which is much easier to do.

 

I don't know what these guys have been reading, but it isn't Field & Stream.  More like little women and not Alcott's Little Women either.

 

 

 

 

But here is the problem, the bench lamp makes you look at whatever is under it, good or bad.  It draws your attention away from stronger elements and has you focus on a weak one.  The opposite of what I want.  The big fat wrench and the little women don't cut it, so I decided to put a figure there working on a nondescript something.  I cut the poor fellow's arms off and repositioned them to look as those he is grasping the object.

 

 

 

I positioned the figure to block direct light from shining toward the center of the viewing window.  This casts his shadow across the open floor, creates contrast and adds depth to the diorama.

 

 

 

Next is the inline six.  Egilman made some heads-up observations on the engine - one being that the engine should be braced or blocked to keep it from falling over.  Also, it would more likely be chained down instead of strapped.  Signode made steel strapping systems way back in the 1910s and 20s but it was mostly used by manufacturers for baling product for shipping and it is unlikely that it was used by small shops, so I removed it.  I glued some angle bits of styrene to the engine to represent motor mounts and then added basswood blocking and chain.  I also added plug wires and ran a fuel line up to the carburetor. 

 

The plug wires are #39 wire, the same wire I used for the LEDs.  Holes were drilled into the head for the wires and then they were ran to the distributor – actually to the vicinity of the distributor, because you can't drill 6 holes into a bit of plastic that is only .045” in diameter, or at least I can't.  But I don't like the way it turned out and will position it on the dio facing to the rear so it won't be seen.  

 

 

 

This will be the side facing front. 

 

 

 

I'm glad someone computer modeled this engine for 3D printing because it would have been very time consuming to scratch something so small, to say nothing of the research time gathering all the dimensions.

 

 

 

It's time for a ceiling, so a template is drawn for the planks and joists.  The hoist trolley beam is also positioned and I'll talk more about that in a moment.

 

 

The ceiling is 8” wide boards glued down to the diorama top plate.  The two drill holes on the right end are for the space heater piping to fit into.

 

 

 

The wood is colored with art chalk which is scraped off the side of the sticks directly onto the piece.  I brush straight isopropyl on to liquefy and spread it around.  Water works just as well, but the alcohol dries much faster and lessens the chance of wood warpage. 

 

 

 

Brown often tends to lean strongly to the red side, so I added some raw umber to gray it down and give it a bit of green. 

 

 

 

Joists scale to 6”x12”.

 

 

 

 

The trolley beam has a 2-way glide switch that allows the trolleys to travel onto a branch beam.  The branch beam points directly at the front glass and is included only to suggest that the diorama shows only a portion of a larger shop.  The “I” beam is 1/8” tall styrene from Evergreen. 

 

 

 

Glide switches work by manually pulling ropes which shuttles the beam segments and redirects the trolley.  I found this drawing of one on line.

 

The photos below show the top view of the switch under construction.

 

 

 

 

The switch is flipped over and this is the downward facing side. 

 

 

 

Trolley stops at the beam ends are added followed by paint.

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping.  Be safe and stay well.

 

Gary

 

[Egilman]

Oh!! the glide switch is a stroke of brilliance!!!

 

I totally forgot about those....

 

I like the engine setup, you can have a mechanic or helper putting chains on the other corners.. (they were usually chained four corners) and I really doubt they were reading the magazine.... Excellent choice... you should keep it somewhere in the scene. the mechanic working at the bench eases the sharpness of the light as well the shadows are a bonus...

 

This just keeps getting better and better....

[Old Collingwood]

Absolutley Amazing work  - thank you so much for choosing us to  show us  your skills  and imagination.

 

OC.

[lmagna]

The girly magazine laying around may not be too probable, but possibly these on the walls? Well possibly not the second one. 

 

[Keith Black]

 "Train Your Wife, FREE booklet shows you how" ....... a bit of fanciful science fiction reading is a good way to pass idle time between honey do's. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 26, 2021 by Keith Black

[mtaylor]

Looking great, Gary.  The mech at the bench is definitely a plus.    As for the engine... a bit late but you could cut off the "tail" of the transmission.  Given the angle it was originally sitting at, it would look more like a manual trans and the ignition cables would be visible..   See attached photo on what I'm talking about.

 

As an aside.. the "train your wife" photo wouldn't fly and depending on who sees the shop, you might get some backlash.  LOL

 

[Keith Black]

41 minutes ago, mtaylor said:

you might get some backlash

 

 Really, you might get some backlash? I think that pretty much goes without saying, LOL. 

 

 Gary, regarding the 'shop'. the guy at the bench really adds to the overall 'feel'. It reminds me a lot of the boat repair shop. It's getting to look more like a photograph with each update. 

 

 And I agree with Mark, removing the tail of the transmission is going to make it look more like a standard. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 26, 2021 by Keith Black

[Roger Pellett]

In my day, the girly calendars in demand were given out to customers by Rigid Tools.  Probably not found in a mechanic’s garage, as In those days Rigid’s principal products were tools for the pipefitting trades.

[Egilman]

4 hours ago, Keith Black said:

 

 ..... It's getting to look more like a photograph with each update. 

 

 And I agree with Mark, removing the tail of the transmission is going to make it look more like a standard. 

 

Absolutely agree with the photo statement... and a suggestion for the tranny, take the tail shaft housing you cut off mount it to the tranny body vertically, then mount an "S" shaped wire as the shift level and put a knob on the end... On the left side of the bell housing mount a short tapered square rod for the clutch lever.... Voila instant 3-speed top loader!!! PERFECT!!!

Edited November 27, 2021 by Egilman

[FriedClams]

On 11/26/2021 at 3:08 PM, Egilman said:

I totally forgot about those....

 

I worked in manufacturing most of my life and the millwright/welding shop at one location had a rather extensive trolley system that could deliver large sheets of stainless and other heavy stock to any of the fabrication benches.  This system used several glide switches and I'm sure it prevented unnecessary worker injury by reducing manual handling of the stock.  Thanks Egilman for the nice words.

 

On 11/26/2021 at 3:36 PM, Old Collingwood said:

Absolutley Amazing work  - thank you so much for choosing us to  show us  your skills  and imagination.

  

No, it is I who thank you and all the members for receiving this build with interest and such kindness.  I've learned so much from the members here at MSW, the insights, expertise and suggestions, that I'm happy to be able to offer something (as humble as it is) in return for all that I have gained.  I lurk around at other modeling forums from time to time but have never posted because frankly, it is just too time consuming and I can't keep up with all the great builds going on here, never mind other forums.  Thanks for following and your nice comments OC.

 

On 11/26/2021 at 3:50 PM, lmagna said:

The girly magazine laying around may not be too probable, but possibly these on the walls? Well possibly not the second one.

 

That “Train your wife” poster was written by a man who has never been married, doesn't know anyone who has ever been married and probably has never even had a girlfriend.  But it did make me chuckle and no I won't be including it.  Thanks Lou.

 

On 11/26/2021 at 4:37 PM, Keith Black said:

"Train Your Wife, FREE booklet shows you how" ....... a bit of fanciful science fiction reading is a good way to pass idle time between honey do's.

 

Ha!   Perfectly stated Keith.

 

On 11/26/2021 at 9:17 PM, Roger Pellett said:

n my day, the girly calendars in demand were given out to customers by Rigid Tools.  Probably not found in a mechanic’s garage, as In those days Rigid’s principal products were tools for the pipefitting trades.

 

Yes Roger, I remember the coveted Rigid calendars “back in the day”.  Rigid owned the pipe threading market and in the electrical trades Greenlee ruled in mechanical and hydraulic benders.  Every year our shop received a new calendar from our suppliers and for several weeks guys would filter in off the production floor just to check it out.  Beautiful young women in bathing suits.

 

On 11/26/2021 at 4:47 PM, mtaylor said:

As for the engine... a bit late but you could cut off the "tail" of the transmission.  Given the angle it was originally sitting at, it would look more like a manual trans and the ignition cables would be visible..   See attached photo on what I'm talking about.

 

On 11/26/2021 at 5:26 PM, Keith Black said:

And I agree with Mark, removing the tail of the transmission is going to make it look more like a standard. 

 

On 11/26/2021 at 10:02 PM, Egilman said:

a suggestion for the tranny, take the tail shaft housing you cut off mount it to the tranny body vertically, then mount an "S" shaped wire as the shift level and put a knob on the end... On the left side of the bell housing mount a short tapered square rod for the clutch lever.... Voila instant 3-speed top loader!!! PERFECT!!!

 
   
Thank you Mark, Keith and Egilman for your fine comments and suggestions.  In the back of my head, the tranny did bother me and your collective recommendations gave me the push I needed – so thanks!

 

I found this image on-line of a 42 Chevy pick-up which had a 216 inline and original transmission.  I needed to see what the shift lever looked like.  So I sanded a flat on the top of the tranny, added some styrene bits and the shifter which is made from .010” phosphor/bronze.  I also added a clutch throwout lever sticking from the bell housing, but with all that darn grease and oil sleaze it is barely visible in these photos.  I'm happy with the way it turned out.  Thanks again.

 

 

 

 

 

And thanks to all for the likes and for looking in.

 

Gary

[wefalck]

Overhead trolleys were used extensively also on board of ships to move around ash-buckets, coal-buckets, and amunition.

 

I liked your work on these overhead trolley-ways !

[Danstream]

You should indicate which pictures are of the model and which are of the real things because in many cases this is not evident to me 🤔

Dan

[Keith Black]

Gary, spot on with the transmission. Now, someone may say, you can't pull the engine with the shift lever still attached and they'd be correct in saying so.  But once the top plate and the forks and lever are removed and the engine pulled, and engine palletized, all would be reassembled onto the transmission for the obvious reasons. 

[mtaylor]

Love the engine.  Keith is right but many times, everything was left on the motor when they pulled it.  And put stuff back on if it needed to go somewhere for more "advanced" work than the shop could do.

[FriedClams]

 

Gentleman, thank you one and all.

 

A short update.  The last item to make for the diorama is the chain hoist.  The process starts with gathering up the materials.  The small chain is 40 links per inch and the larger is 27 lpi.

 

 

 

Slices of styrene tube are slid over 1/16” aluminum.  The load chain (27 lpi) is draped over the tubing and glued so it doesn't slip off.  The wire will be used as a hook to hold the end of the slack load chain.

 

 

 

The hand chain is a continuous loop.

 

 

 

It is draped over the tube.

 

 

 

The excess tubing is trimmed from both ends, a hook is secured to the tubing and paper is then draped over the top to represent a cover.  The lifting hook will be added later once the chain length is determined.

 

 

 

The trolley is made entirely of styrene and extras are made to replace the ones that will jump from my tweezers and never be seen again. 

 

 

 

Enamel paint and pigments.

 

 

 

The trolley sides are glued to the beam. The connecting shaft that the hoist hangs off is inserted between the two sides and the hoist is hung.  The pendant lights that were made previously are located and pushed up through drilled holes in the ceiling.

 

 

 

 

 

The holes drilled into the ceiling for the pendant lights are snug, but not tight.  Additional wood plates placed on top of the ceiling were used to set the plumb of the fixtures by adjusting the shear between the ceiling and plate.  Once plumb was established, the plates were glued to the ceiling and thin CA was applied around the pendant tubes.

 

 

 

The glide switch has two rods with eyes attached to a rocker that changes the switch direction instead of the ropes as shown in a previous post.  It's a seesaw sort of mechanism that is operated by pulling down on the upper eye with a hooked rod.  This is often preferable to the dangling ropes which can become entangled with passing trolleys.  Also visible (barely) in this photo is an improved mezzanine railing that now has brass rails instead of styrene.  I broke (totally destroyed) the original one while fitting the ceiling.

 

 

 

The engine is glued down and the mechanic is already wrenching on it.  The three figures used on this diorama are from Preiser - set #1010249. 

 

 

 

That's it for the interior unless I forgot something.  The exterior lighting is next.

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

Gary

[Keith Black]

 Gary, each update is a grand experience, almost time to let this little bird fly.

[Old Collingwood]

Amazing work  - breathtaking  detail.

 

OC.

[lmagna]

Nothing short of FANTASTIC. Every entry has been a glimpse into another little corner of this piece of a world long gone, but now remembered. Like a  good book I almost hate seeing it come to an end.   

[Egilman]

Each part has a story...

 

A masterwork... I wish it could be in the gallery... it needs to be displayed somewhere....

 

Too good not to...

 

I think this is the nicest scratch model built on this site in the last year...