Another HO scale mock-neon sign.

Using the hollow handle from a 2 litre plastic milk bottle, made another sign for my Parisian night scene.

Inserted a flashing LED light inside the cut-off plastic tube.

And using a black permanent marker ie felt-tip pen, I outlined the word "CLUB".

Then, along with the hotel sign I made a few days ago, I placed it temporarily in position using blu tac.

And then turned out the room lights. They look better in the flesh than through the lens of my phone camera - honestly.

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Currently listening to:

BBC Radio 3 on playback with iPlayer.

The Leipzig Gewandhausorchester and pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard in Brahms' 1st Piano Concerto, conducted by Riccardo Chailly at the Barbican in London.

Pierre-Laurent Aimard

Riccardo Chailly

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Last night's dinner:

Bangers and mash at the Glasgow Ikea restaurant

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Currently reading:

Switching between:

Although wildly different in style and ambition, these books powerfully raise the issue of Jewish exclusiveness from the Jewish point of view. Fascinating.

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Miscellany:

Cycled to midday Mass at St Simon's, Partick.

The plaque outside.

HO scale pseudo- neon signs continued.

Rigged up yesterday's "Hotel" sign in situ - to get some idea of the final effect. Tried it out with a variety of ambient/background lighting conditions.

A reminder - this is a "flashing" light.

Obviously, the wires will have to be hidden.

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Currently listening to:

I'm not a massive fan of J S Bach but occasionally the mood will take me. But that sums up Bach for me - I'd never look forward to hearing his music but can find it pleasing when I accidentally come across it; as I did just now using the random/shuffle facility on my iTunes.

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Last night's dinner:

Had dinner at our Chinese friends last night - he's a professional cook - in their new apartment.

Shredded duck

The white shape to the left is a pancake.

When I asked our hosts what they called "pancakes", they said "pancakes".

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Currently reading:

A lunch of leftover mushrooms and olives in aubergine sauce plus 5 minute spaghetti and the memoirs of Rabbi Lionel Blue.

I find Blue's writing style a trifle flippant. But, every page contains at least one provocative observation on what it is to be human.

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Miscellany:

Yesterday my neighbour asked me what those fascinating sounds were coming from our house ie my bongo practise sessions. Was it me playing some sort of percussive instrument?

I said no, it wasn't. I told her that it was my wife who had recently taken up the bongos. She required some convincing but eventually said, "What a talented person she is."

Wearing her new sandals.

HO scale faux-neon signs - a success!

The current aim for the layout is to create in one of the streets a Parisian night-time scene.

eg

Instead of buying expensive acetate sheets from the internet in order to make these signs, it occurred to me that a free (as in gratis) supply of plastics - coloured/marled and goodness knows what else - could be obtained from recycled household packaging.

eg

So, specifically using the green plastic top of a milk carton:

I thought I'd have a bash at making this hotel sign.

And used an acrylic enamel red paint to pick out the word hotel on the green milk top.

And then back lit the plastic top with a selection of different coloured flashing LED lights, comme ca:

Here are the results:

Red flashing LED

Blue

Green

White

A second coat of red paint is required but the on-off effect is fantastic. Much better than these photos suggest.

In reality, the green flashing LED was the most effective, although in the above photos the white LED looks as good.

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Currently listening to:

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Last night's dinner:

Liver, mushrooms in aubergine sauce and boiled rice

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Currently reading:

Back to:

It's very slow because of the power with which it creates its atmosphere. But, I'm not going to give up on it.

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Miscellany:

Lost out on an eBay bidding auction by 0.50 euros.  I bid 25 euros; the winning bid was 25 .50 euros.

At least that was my first interpretation of events. But, I think what happened is this: my bid was the second highest but eBay don't make public the exact size of the winning bid. The winner then picks up the item for 0.50 euros more than the second highest bid.

The winner could have bid 40 euros for all I know, but he pays only 0.5 euros more than my bid ie 25.50 euros.

So, I'll have to wait a few months longer (probably) if I want to buy another of these BUDD carriages.

However, I did successfully buy one outright for 22.50 euros last week. That should be arriving from France next week.

Re-cycling HO scale continued

Some further household plastic items that could provide transparent plastic for windows, neon advertising signs etc.

See yesterday's blog for this to make sense.

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Currently listening to:

Andre Minvielle: and getting very homesick for France!

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Last night's dinner:

Pizza with added artichokes, olives and anchovies.

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Currently reading:

Well I won't be reading this book any time soon:

Every one of Glasgow City Council Library's 5 copies is "MISSING"!

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Miscellany:

Was given our Essay titles today for the Philosophy class - I didn't know there would be an essay! We've to choose one of the following:

(1) What is the difference between Cartesian Dualism and Brain State Materialism? Which view is more plausible, and why?
(2) What is the mind-body problem? How does Behaviourism try to solve the problem, and to what extent is it successful?

Re-cycling plastic for HO scale lights

Now that my flashing coloured LED lights have arrived, I've been thinking about how to manufacture HO scale neon street signs.

Basically, I was thinking about clear acetate rectangles on which would be drawn/written logos like "HARRY'S BAR" or "MARTINI ROSSO". These would be back lit by the LED lights.

However, after a few consecutive days of spending money on eBay and Amazon, I am hesitant about buying a lot of acetate - and of which thickness and colour? And then there are the special pens or paints for drawing the designs/logos on the acetate.

But, I had a brainwave. The modern house is full of clear plastic packaging from take-away food containers to cassette and CD boxes to well anything.

I could cut plastic shapes from these containers.

And place an LED light behind one of them.

 eg

At least the process of experimentation will cost nothing.

The next task will be to find suitable sign-writing media eg enamel paint for glass/special felt-tip pens. Not sure I have these items in the house!

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Currently listening to:

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Last night's dinner:

Partridge

With onion gravy, potatoes and cabbage

Two pellets of lead shot.

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Finished reading:

Brilliant.

I must try and see Arthur Smith at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2014.

Started reading:

A collection of articles by Lester Bangs

So far I'm disappointed with these articles - even more so since I purchased the book, from Amazon. I've been pretty good at sticking to the public library in recent months.

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Miscellany:

This thingy for ergonomically angling laptops has transformed my reading comfort at the table.