Some of you who have been around for a while may recall the station I built back in 2004
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It was made of Jigstones with a copper roof and the construction log is in the archives.
After about 4 years most of which was outside winter and summer, it was time to do some maintenance. I want to share some of my experience with you.
First off the building has withstood the onslaught of winter snows and summer rains fairly well but ...
Jigstones made from anchor cement will absorb water and will in time disintegrate if they are not kept sealed. Anchor cement is easier on the molds than the harsher but more permanent concrete - Richard Weatherby has indicated he casts Jigstones from a non gypsum based material that does not destroy the molds. If Richard sees this, perhaps he will post his experiences here as well.
The station is composed of about 1700 Jigstone pieces. The bottom course was initially bedded in silicone and the stones are given a coat of silicone masonry sealant each year. The vast majority of the stones continue to be just as hard as placed originally showing the viability of that construction and maintenance regime. However, the lower course along the front right corner of the station had softened and two stones high on one wall also showed signs of deterioration. Both areas are due to water absorption - the wall problem caused by a drip from the roof during hard rains and the base course softnening due to damage this past winter (more on that in a moment). I repaired both areas by trowelling on patching cement which when cured stands up to water.
The plywood base of the station, painted to simulate concrete for the platforms, has survived remarkably well. There is no sign of any structural damage - I do give it a light sanding and fresh coat of paint each summer.
The windows have stood up perfectly as have the clocks. I have had to re silicone the flashing where the main roof meets the clock tower but otherwise this part of the structure has worked well.
The copper roof has been a moderate success ... it was originally constructed of plywood over rafters, sheathed with styrene and sealed with auto body filler, then sheathed again with copper foil, the joints covered with copper strakes. It has done the job of keeping out rain, bugs and squirrels/mice from the inside.
Last winter, in our record snowfall, a privacy screen inadvertently acted as a snowfence building a drift about 8 feet high on the benchwork just to the right of the station. That benchwork eventually collapsed under the weight of the ice and snow causing the station to fall back against the wall of the shed storing the tractors. This movement shook a few of the copper roof strakes loose but caused no further damage. One of the strakes that loosened was on the clock tower roof and its movement allowed water to enter a seam in the copper foil leading to a delamination of the copper foil in a small area. No water seems to have entered through the styrene sealed with auto body filler. I reglued the delaminated foil with construction adhesive and used the same on the loosened copper strakes - I have no idea if it will hold.
The same winter snows that collapsed the benchwork also left pools of water trapped in ice on the station platform. I am certain that this standing water caused the detorioration to the base course of Jigstones requiring the repairs I made today.
In summary. buildings for outside will need to be well made to age gracefully without a lot of maintenance. Roofs need a wide overhang and must be waterproof ... it helps to keep building off the ground to avoid the constant spattering of dirt from rain. Jigstones should be either cast from a non gypsum material or, if anchor cement is used, then care must be taken to keep the lower course out of standing water, keep drips from the roof off the walls and apply annual coatings of masonry sealant.
Regards ... Doug
It was made of Jigstones with a copper roof and the construction log is in the archives.
After about 4 years most of which was outside winter and summer, it was time to do some maintenance. I want to share some of my experience with you.
First off the building has withstood the onslaught of winter snows and summer rains fairly well but ...
Jigstones made from anchor cement will absorb water and will in time disintegrate if they are not kept sealed. Anchor cement is easier on the molds than the harsher but more permanent concrete - Richard Weatherby has indicated he casts Jigstones from a non gypsum based material that does not destroy the molds. If Richard sees this, perhaps he will post his experiences here as well.
The station is composed of about 1700 Jigstone pieces. The bottom course was initially bedded in silicone and the stones are given a coat of silicone masonry sealant each year. The vast majority of the stones continue to be just as hard as placed originally showing the viability of that construction and maintenance regime. However, the lower course along the front right corner of the station had softened and two stones high on one wall also showed signs of deterioration. Both areas are due to water absorption - the wall problem caused by a drip from the roof during hard rains and the base course softnening due to damage this past winter (more on that in a moment). I repaired both areas by trowelling on patching cement which when cured stands up to water.
The plywood base of the station, painted to simulate concrete for the platforms, has survived remarkably well. There is no sign of any structural damage - I do give it a light sanding and fresh coat of paint each summer.
The windows have stood up perfectly as have the clocks. I have had to re silicone the flashing where the main roof meets the clock tower but otherwise this part of the structure has worked well.
The copper roof has been a moderate success ... it was originally constructed of plywood over rafters, sheathed with styrene and sealed with auto body filler, then sheathed again with copper foil, the joints covered with copper strakes. It has done the job of keeping out rain, bugs and squirrels/mice from the inside.
Last winter, in our record snowfall, a privacy screen inadvertently acted as a snowfence building a drift about 8 feet high on the benchwork just to the right of the station. That benchwork eventually collapsed under the weight of the ice and snow causing the station to fall back against the wall of the shed storing the tractors. This movement shook a few of the copper roof strakes loose but caused no further damage. One of the strakes that loosened was on the clock tower roof and its movement allowed water to enter a seam in the copper foil leading to a delamination of the copper foil in a small area. No water seems to have entered through the styrene sealed with auto body filler. I reglued the delaminated foil with construction adhesive and used the same on the loosened copper strakes - I have no idea if it will hold.
The same winter snows that collapsed the benchwork also left pools of water trapped in ice on the station platform. I am certain that this standing water caused the detorioration to the base course of Jigstones requiring the repairs I made today.
In summary. buildings for outside will need to be well made to age gracefully without a lot of maintenance. Roofs need a wide overhang and must be waterproof ... it helps to keep building off the ground to avoid the constant spattering of dirt from rain. Jigstones should be either cast from a non gypsum material or, if anchor cement is used, then care must be taken to keep the lower course out of standing water, keep drips from the roof off the walls and apply annual coatings of masonry sealant.
Regards ... Doug
