Windows for the feed warehouse

Today I measured and cut out the wood siding for Warehouse #2 - the Feed Warehouse.  The siding of the warehouse was board and baton according to the plans and photos I have.  Fortunately the good folks at Mt. Albert (in Canada) make sheets of scale siding - even in S scale.  As well as scale lumber for trim. Excellent wood to work with and dead on dimensionally.  The real task here is to measure and draw where the windows will go.  Then I usually use a new Exacto knife blade to cut a hole in the middle of the opening. I then use "the nibbler" - that black tool in the blip.  It very easily nips out very small bites and I just work it around the hole until I get right up to the pencil lines.  A little sanding and the window fits. The tricky part is to not break the siding while cutting, and to the make the hole exactly just big enough for the window.  The frame will cover up the cut.

The large square piece is the front of the warehouse and has a recessed door.  A new wrinkle for me to build tomorrow.

Next step is to mark out the window and door openings on the black foam core.  Then cut out the openings - hopefully eventually lining up with the wood siding holes.  I will then glue the siding onto the black foam core, without the window castings. I plan to spray the exterior with a gray primer (solvent based) as the building was gray.  At that time I will separately prime the window and door frames with white.  When everything is dry I can glue the m into the building, after affixing thin clear plastic to the back for "glass".  And add weathering and dirt - this warehouse was fairly ratty in the day.

The foam core roof panels can then be put on and the corrugated roofing applied.  I usually cut the roof material to scale lengths, and spray them with a metal color paint. Then randomly overspray with rust and some color like dark gray.  This lets me put the pieces right on the model and the randomness of the paint makes it look more like it did - ratty. 

I haven't decided as yet, but since this building is right at the front of the layout, one of the dock doors could be partly open. I could build a small shadow  box inside.  Add some crates and barrels and maybe a figure and it will give the appearance that the building has an interior - which it won't. 

Sounds all very fussy but it is fun and did not take that long.  What else will I be doing?