Rusted 55 gal drums?

There was an article in the British scale mag Model Railway Journal a few years back about exactly this. IIRC the material used was the foil used for food containers by Chinese takeaways and the like. The results obtained were excellent.

Awfulstuffium? ROFL!

John

article on

While I can't offer any practical suggestions on how to do it, have you tried using metal duct tape? It's a lot thicker than kitchen foil, and seems to be much more rigid. You'd probably have to double it up - sticky side to sticky side, because the sticky side is extraordinarily sticky.

It's not usually found at Home Depot, Loew's, or Rona, but any supplier or wholesaler to the heating and air-conditioning trades should have it.

Just a thought. Good luck.

Garth Ottawa, ON

Article in RMC several years ago describing exactly what you want to do and in O scale to boot. Sorry, can't recall which issue though.

Cheers Roger T.

Home of the Great Eastern Railway

have to double it up - sticky side to sticky side, because the sticky side is extraordinarily sticky.< MEK will take that glue right off!

A craft store should have aluminum foil in different thicknesses. It is used for embossing.

dlm

Thanks to you and Roger T. for the responses. I tried the

Kitchen Al foil is about .0005" thick. Heavy duty foil is about .002". TV dinner pans are about .005". Maybe one of the thicker foils would work.

Why not just turn them from steel rod and throw them in water for a few days? Get that lathe from your neighbor.

The aluminium used in disposable pie plates etc (here in NZ at least) is much thicker than foil. It should be about right for your purposes.

Regards, Greg.P.

Search Model Railroader's periodical index. There was an article some years back on how to do exactly what you intend and in O-scale too! If I recall correctly, the article was authored by Mike Tylick. Copies of the article or backissues of the magazine would be available from Kalmbach if you don't already have a copy of the issue.

CNJ999

I Like this question. After reading some of the replies, here is an additional idea for all scales. You can buy heavy weight aluminum foil for say HO and larger scales. Form this around a drum in your scale, trim off excess and then remove the foil. If some of the bottom doesn't meet, let it represent a rusted out bottom.

Awfulstuffium

Grantline has the drums in both 55 gallon and something smaller, maybe HO 55 gallong drums. I've gotten several back years ago and they are very nice looking and have removable tops. If you want rusty ones, use some aluminum foil to wrap around the plastic ones and then remove the plastic carefully and you'll have a nice metal one.

-- Why isn't there an Ozone Hole at the NORTH Pole?

Drums leaking whatever..... Somewhere in the background a small glow-in-the-dark "Toxic Avenger" figure??

Ed

Ed wrote: Drums leaking whatever..... =A0 Somewhere in the background a small glow-in-the-dark "Toxic Avenger" figure??

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Great idea, Ed! I like it. One cound even use glow in the dark paint for the leaking liquid. I made a radioactive box car with a flickering light inside to denote radioactivity. I like things like that --not in the real world, though.

Bill Bill's Railroad Empire N Scale Model Railroad:

I recall reading/hearing somewhere along the several years ago about wrapping HD alumin(i)um foil around the metal eraser holder on a pencil. This was for HO scale, but I'm ASSuming you might be able to do the same thing for O-scale using one of those fatter pencils I've seen.

Hope this helps . . .

Paul - "The CB&Q Guy" (Modeling 1969 In HO.)

Some of the coffee cans in the States now come with a heavy foil inner seal. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks like it might do for tin roofs, 55 gallon drums, or what have you. It's between heavy duty kitchen foil and aluminum pie pan in thickness.

David

I did something similar for a tin shed. What I did was to scrunch the foil (I used pie dish foil) then spread it flat and sand it. The sanding cut through the raised creases and left real cool looking rust holes. I then formed it to the shape I wanted. HTH

Actually the home-improvement stores SHOULD have it. I know I bought a roll at Menard's when I insulated my ducts. I found it with the insulation, it's recommended for the "foil back" batting.

Don

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