What techniques do contributors use for making chimney pots?
I've used the rolled card with glue method. How do you get a tapered effect or a fancy top to the chimney pot? What do you use to represent the cement that chimney pots sit in?
Hi all,
What do you use to make platform canopy valencies? (00 scale) 'Sawtooth' style valencies is what's needed.
I need around 4 mtrs worth! (1 mtr per canopy side times 2 canopies)
Don't fancy cutting all those individual pieces though! Any suggestions to make the process easier?
Cheers
Brian, if you want to be rough and ready, fine pinking shears from a dress shop or art suppliers will give yo a v notch effect, though probably over scale. Bear in mind that scale 4.5-5"" approx points come up at less than a millimetre wide, can you see that well? I'd go for printing a line of exclamation marks on thin card in a font size that approximated to half the pitch of the available shears and cutting a strip off. I have bought some plastic valence mail order, but I am disapointed with the fineness. Guess the next step is to examine the etched brass scene, Mainly Trains, I think are most likely.
Hope it gives some ideas.
Here's an "off the wall" idea. Make a V shaped cutting edge. Mount it in the needle holder of a sewing machine. Feed paper card through the machine on a small stitch size and the V shape edge cuts little Vs along the card.
This might be impractical but maybe it will give someone a better idea.
Since I once tried to use SWMBO's Singer to try and mend my fishing haversack and broke it, I, and I suspect thousands of other men like me are permenantly excluded from ever touching the things again........
>Since I once tried to use SWMBO's Singer to try and mend my fishing haversack and broke it,
I tried that with the iron - she bought a new one and insisted I persisted.
Well it's been a fair time since I reported on happenings at Barchester as most of my time has been taken up with web pages and refining operations on the layout but now I have a little time to spare. To fill this gap I have just started a much needed set of mechanical horses. They have been in the pipeline for ages but at last I have been able to make a start. As usual they will be of all card construction and at the lowest possible cost, in this case nothing, as they will be small enough to enable me to use old offcuts of card. It's been many years since I attempted anything this small, over 50 in fact, so bare with me as I get my aged fingers and eyes into gear.
I have accurate dimensions of the prototype and have scaled them down for 4mm to get a general feel of the thing. Also as usual I make no claim that the finished models will bare any resemblance to their prototype as they are being made as a unique contribution to Barchester, like everything else on the layout that has gone before in this thread.
Anyway I started off this morning using 1mm card for a rough representation of the chassis I am going to use, as shown in this picture.
Hi there David. Just in case there is anyone out there who is not familiar with the mechanical horse here is a link that will show what I am about. The Barchester versions will follow the first picture for prime mover and the trailers the second, except that my trailers will have 2 planks sides with a drop down rear end, hopefully. Please remember I am not modelling those prototypes but following the type.
Fortunately I have been able to aquire good diagrams of the mechanical horse from another kind modeller so I have the general dimensions to work from. I have now started on the modelling and straight away have realised that it has been a long time since I attempted anything this small and that with my aged hands and eyes things are not going to be so easy. Anyway, enough of the excuses.
I have converted the main measurements for 4mm and will keep things as simple as possible using scrap pieces of card and any other bits I could find. I am going to make all five models at once and don't intend buying anything so this will be another real cheapo.
Had a spare hour this morning so made a start on the chassis of the prime movers using 1mm card. You can see the very simple component pieces and then four of the chassis glued together. My favourite white PVA is the adhesive used throughout..
Here's the next stage in the construction. The chassis now has it's front card support for cab and wheel while the cab parts are laid out after being cut from a thinner card than the chassis. We don't need such heavy material anymore. The chassis sides are now running parallel to each other.
I think I will have demonstrated most subjects that card is suitable for in this thread, from lineside models, a jetty, cranes, girders, fuel tanks, fencing, platforms, just about everything. There is very little in the modelling line that it can't be adapted to. Oh, and I have also done trucks, carriages and locomotives.
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