Natural light on the layout

[Trainman203]

We don't have basements on the Gulf Coast so we have to build our layouts in regular rooms with windows.  The benefit is natural light.

I've always liked natural light on my layout. You can really see the details and the shadows are razor sharp when direct sun is on the railroad.  Here's a couple of views in Midland around 11AM.

[electrical whiz kid]

Nice...Very nice!

RIch C.

[Jhanecker2]

Natural Light is recommended for many endeavors :  woodworking , painting , photography and a number of others. John2.

[electrical whiz kid]

I once had a manual from Floquil Paints and in it they discussed using something called "pure north light". I have an idea to which they referred, and it is a good base for a reference as it is a natural constant, when you need, for example, a common point when mixing a particular shade, and you can take a photo of it.

Rich C.

[Len]

"Pure north light" is another way of saying indirect natural sunlight.

Think of it as having a house in North America with a ridge line that runs East/West, that has a skylight in the North facing roof. It will allow natural light into the room it's over, but never from the sun shining directly into it. This is a setup prefered by many artists.

Len

[electrical whiz kid]

Len;
The "North" facing roof?

Rich C.

[Len]

Yeah. If the ridge line runs East/West one face of the roof will be on the North side of the house, the other will be on the South side. The skylight goes on the North side, like this:

North
+---------------------------+
|                                   |
|             SL                  | SL=Skylight
+---------------------------+Ridge line
|                                   |
|                                   |
+---------------------------+
South

Len

[Jhanecker2]

The color temperature of the light is more consistent  through out the day . The light color from the east or the west would vary a great deal throughout the day. Some photographers utilize the varying colors like early morning  and late afternoon  to enhance  their photographs  adding reddish  and or golden tones . John2.

[rogertra]

Yeah. If the ridge line runs East/West one face of the roof will be on the North side of the house, the other will be on the South side. The skylight goes on the North side, like this:

North
+---------------------------+
|                                   |
|             SL                  | SL=Skylight
+---------------------------+Ridge line
|                                   |
|                                   |
+---------------------------+
South

Len

Where they do this in factories, they are called "North Lights", at least in the UK where "light" is also another name for "window", depending on the application.  For example, the window in the door of a railway passenger car that could be lowered was called a "Drop light".


Cheers

Roger T.

[jbrock27]

For example, the window in the door of a railway passenger car that could be lowered was called a "Drop light".

Interesting.  I use a Drop Light when I am changing the oil in my truck...

[electrical whiz kid]

Hi, Roger;
Yep; here as well.  More specifically, I have seen it used in reference to the number of glass "panels" in a window or door assembly.  As an example, in my house, I have a door that has two "lights" on either side of the French door assembly.

Back to the subject:  I have used that little booklet extensively in preparing my spray-booth, the rotating mixer I built, etc.  Yeah-I had built this mixer, using a motor/gear reduction I got from Grainger, and a piece of 1/2-inch steel rod.  the paint holder is an assemblage of 12-inch plywood discs, with holes drilled into it to accommodate the little jars of paint, in which inserted a 1/4-20 nut, as an agitator.  The thing runs constantly, keeping everything all happily mixed up!

RIch C.