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Restoring an industrial diorama

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  • Member since
    February 2007
Posted by mitsdude on Saturday, January 19, 2013 12:22 PM

So its basicly a scrathbuild! Nice

What about the larger diameter pipes and the large tanks? Are those Platistruct too? I could see today using PVC piping but not in the 60's.

  • Member since
    November 2009
Posted by artworks2 on Friday, January 18, 2013 3:46 PM

Wow you don't see that style of plastruct much anymore. Always intresting to see proof of concept and site mockups.Bet your having alittle fun...

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Friday, January 18, 2013 8:47 AM

Wow, even if not that detailed just the size and complexity make this one heck of a project!

Seems to me it would be hard to even find references since I'm assuming the plant would have been classified material.

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: Ontario's West Coast
Posted by dpty_dawg_ca on Thursday, January 17, 2013 8:33 PM

Sorry I missed that detail.

The original is made mostly of Plastruct  architectual plastic. The small pipes are plastic covered metal rods. the larger ones are hollow plastic. all the elbows and valves and tees are plug ins. Other than the complexity of the plumbing the model itself is not that detailed. The builders were more concerned about geographic/ spacial accuracy than visual accuracy.

Thanks

Carl

  • Member since
    January 2006
  • From: California
Posted by SprueOne on Thursday, January 17, 2013 7:54 PM

Wow this is really neat and a big restoration project. Cool

You've mentioned the base material but what are most of the original component materials used? Brass? plastic? wood?

Anyone with a good car don't need to be justified - Hazel Motes

 

Iron Rails 2015 by Wayne Cassell Weekend Madness sprueone

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: Ontario's West Coast
Posted by dpty_dawg_ca on Thursday, January 17, 2013 4:12 PM

for some reason photobucket doesn't want to show the pics. I used the same format as the first post. Go figure?

Carl

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: Ontario's West Coast
Posted by dpty_dawg_ca on Thursday, January 17, 2013 4:02 PM

I now have about 30 hours of actual hands on work in this restoration, plus a bunch of extra time in research and planning. From talking to other old timers who worked at the plant I have discovered that this is a model of the steam re-boiler system. High pressure steam from Douglas Point Nuke station was used to generate medium pressure steam that was used in the heavy water extraction process. The entire plant consists of heat exchangers (HX’s) drains tanks and condensate return pumps. There are also pressure and level control devises and instrumentation and control piping. The whole thing is like building a partial done jigsaw puzzle without the picture or all the pieces. It is both interesting and enjoyable.

Here is the current batch of pictures|:

img.photobucket.com/.../DSCN0510_zps3371cc0c.jpg

After a lot of scrubbing, things are starting to improve. I used Nk’s advice about paint brushes and I also made an extension handle for a foam brush. It works well for scrubbing flat surfaces.

With the help of a woodworking buddy, we removed the Plexiglas from the particle board base, lost the stained paper and installed a couple ash stiffeners. The particle board had started to bow after all these years. The base was given a coat of gray paint, then a sheet of  frosted Mylar was placed on the board and the plexi screwed back down. To help with orientation of both the viewers and the restorer I made a compass rose to indicate construction north for the model.

img.photobucket.com/.../DSCN0508_zps9f6e2cbf.jpg

This is a shot of the restored Lummus name plate

img.photobucket.com/.../DSCN0512_zpsa3935c1a.jpg

img.photobucket.com/.../DSCN0513_zps8e5930a6.jpg

The Pete is a 1/32nd scale New Ray model the operator is also 1/32nd scale. This should give a bit of a sizing reference of the model.

img.photobucket.com/.../DSCN0520_zpsfb4d0f66.jpg

This is a shot of some of the instrument lines coming off the headers

img.photobucket.com/.../DSCN0507_zps3faf83d6.jpg

The West pumphouse waiting for me to make up some new pump and motor sets.

img.photobucket.com/.../DSCN0503_zps970d2a9f.jpg

The upper level is almost finished. There is one RV stack still to go one once a new elbow is created . At some time in the past a large object was dropped on the top of the model and forced a lot of pieces downward. Some broke, some bent, and some disappeared.

Thanks for looking

Carl

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: Ontario's West Coast
Restoring an industrial diorama
Posted by dpty_dawg_ca on Thursday, January 17, 2013 4:01 PM

I volunteered for this winter works project. It is definitely a change of pace.

When the Bruce Heavy Water Plant closed down a few years back, they donated some of their construction piping models to a local museum. The plant was built pre 3D CAD systems. So scale models were used to determine piping clearances and layouts. Over the years this model has been badly abused and neglected. Pieces are missing or broken. The protective case wasn't anymore. It was stored in a shed that it shared with lots of wildlife. The museum gave me the task  to clean it up, reglue and replace broken and missing parts and generally make it fit to go on public display. The model is built in 1:32 scale and is about 6'x2'x2'. The following pic are the way it looked on arrival sitting in my garage. It is way too big to get into my model room so it’s out to the garage to work on it.

 

It was probably built in the late 1960's by the Lummis company who buiilt the original plant.

 

 

 

After I have spent a bit of time on this project, I managed to find a few more broken bits of structural beams that I reglued into place.  This is a pic of the framework over the right side pump alley before I started restoration.

 

 

 

 Here it is with most of the I-beams in place. I haven't tackled the pipe work yet.

 

And from another angle

 

The base is 1/4"plexi mounted on 1"particle board. Between the two is a sheet of white paper. It is this paper that has the staining. I am thinking that after I get the cleanup done, I'll unscrew the plexi and slide a sheet of white plastic table cloth in place of the stained paper.

I did discover that in my stash of goodies there is a 1/32nd scale New-Ray diecast truck. In the next round of photos I take I’ll be able to add a sizing reference point.

 

Thanks for the interest

Carl

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