1/35 Paper Structure Vignette

[marc_reusser]

I want to say right from the beginning, that I am not as "nutters" as Nick O., or as exacting as Frithjof.  

This project is all about experimenting/playing around with paper. I don't know how much of the project I will or should show, as I want to use it for Russ' upcoming mag build....if he wants more here I will post, otherwise I will save them for later.

On my way out of town last week I dropped a file off a local graphics shop (PenPoint Graphics) that does laser cutting. I had never used them, and I figured from the start that they weren't going to be a "Vectorcut"......but I wanted to see if I could use them for small, quick, stuff, thus giving me another resource in my toolbox.

I picked up the sheet on Saturday, on my way back into town, and here is the result:



Unfortunately there was some sort of misunderstanding or something between the cutter and myself, regarding the width of the cut/burnout line, and tolerances needed in the CAD file.....so the individual bricks came out about .015" (.381 mm) too large in each dimension. I know this doesn't sound like much, but when doing bricks...despite there being various sizes of bricks manufactured....it is visually noticeable....and feels "off".

But, still hoping to salvage the sheet of cut parts, I went ahead and gave it a try anyhow. This photo shows the individual cut bricks pieces applied to the substructure (grout spacing is +/- .010 ; .254mm). All the corners were made from special/longer pieces (can be seen at right in above image), which were back-cut/back-mitred and folded, to form the corner brick. I used an Xacto to nick and damage some of the brick edges and corners.



The LP's thought a mix of Tamiya acrylics (Brown, XF-10 and Yellow, XF-3) for a base coat might help me feel better about the wrong sized bricks.... not likely.




.....so now it looks like it's back to the CAD file and then back to the laser cutter, for another try.



Marc

[Mr Potato Head]

What kind of paper is this? Or how thick is it? Why didn’t the bricks fall out after being cut? Is there a sticky backing, like some of the P.E.  Parts out there? How thick can a laser cutter cut on average?
I like the idea! And the corners are cool, how did you do that
Thanks
MPH

[PuckHog]

  Looks very promising,  great idea on the folded outside corner bricks. 

   Randy

[marc_reusser]

Thanks Randy. Figured it was the only way to go if I wanted proper looking corners.

Gil:...questions, questions, questtions....

1.) The paper is 3/32 (.055+) "Chip-Board"....the same stuff the back of writing pads are made of.

2.) They dont fall out, because they are connected by small tabs, where there is only a score and not a through-cut,
     that need to be cut to remove/seperate them.

3.) No, there is no sticky backing (not something offered by the cutting shop...or at least I havent asked)...they are
     glued in place using Elmers yellow carpenters glue.

4.) 1/8" is the thickest paper that this printer/shop will/prefers to cut.

5.) Here is how the corners were done. The "wedge" is removed/cut from the side with the scribe mark. (the scribe
     mark serves as an "eye-balling guide" when making the cuts.




Marc

[W.P. Rayner]

Interesting experiment Marc... it shows some promise once you sort out the size issue.

Paul

[finescalerr]

I think the finished wall (with the proper bricks) will be all but indistinguishable from actual miniature bricks. It seems pretty exacting and tedious to notch the back of every corner piece. Does that go more quickly than it would seem? -- Russ

[marc_reusser]

HA!...none of this goes quickly, or isn't tedious....but if it did/weren't where would the fun be!?  Out of the twelve corner pieces made so far I only cut through one during the backcut...and had to do a new one...not bad odds, (But if someone knows a better way, I would be glad to hear it)...we'll see how I feel about it once I have done the 100 or so corner pieces I will likely need....especially snce the new ones will be smaller!

A few of the things I hope to be tackling with paper in this project are:

Clay "Barrel" roof tiles
Metal Gutters & Downspouts
Old Concrete Slabs
Sheet Metal Flashing
Steel Posts
Wood Doors
Hinges and other misc hardware
Asphaly Roofing
Dirt
Vegetation (including some grass/weeds)
...and whatever else pops up.

Heck, I have till August!  

[artizen]

Marc, have you tried this method - http://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?topic=1424.0

The walls slot together at the corners but done with a CNC machine instead of laser though.

[fspg2]

Marc, I am excited about your experiment!
Time is relative, if our hobby is fun!
A clear advantage of your method is that you can produce even very "dancing" wall series. The walls I´ve milled looks very straight. To get an irregularity, it requires more rework with a file.
Did I understand correctly, that the laser cutted stones are connected to each other by small bridges (half height)?

Do you want to grout the tiles later on?

For this I sprinkled some edges that were the "rain" exposed to a mixture of greenish vegetation remnants powder. Then a gray tile mortar from the hardware store came to use. For one, he fills the gaps better than the color pigments, on the other hand it is dusty and beautiful covers the stones with a milky - grayish layer.


Alter_Lagerschuppen_198 (fspg2)



Alter_Lagerschuppen_199 (fspg2)


As the stone surface is not abrasive at the moment, the appearance can be easily variieret by using kitchen paper or fingers (use rubber gloves).
Finally, I sprayed everything with a varnish that does not darken the original color after drying.

If I don´t like it, a new layer comes...

@Ian
Here's an example in scale 1:45. The corners are lasered, like I did with my milling machine:

http://www.ndetail.de/spur-0/modell/eisenbahner-wohnhaus-5-650.jpg

http://www.ndetail.de/spur-0/modell/eisenbahner-wohnhaus-3-650.jpg

... only is faster than laser milling:  http://vimeo.com/3092137

Frithjof

[artizen]

Hi Frithjof. Are the examples of the building being constructed in 1:45 scale?

Does the powder work better than mixing the mortar with water first and pressing it into the gaps with your fingers (my method). I think I will try a dry application followed by water on the next building to see if that creates a better finish. I'm too embarrassed by all this fine scale wonder on this forum to post my attempts!

Sorry for the (slight) hijack Marc!!!

[mad gerald]

... great idea, Marc ...  

I like this kind of chip board (in German: Graupappe) and do often use it for my mock up buildings ...

So I came recently across the idea, if it would be possible to use "the scrap"/the punched out rectangular things from these machines used for plastic spiral binding for brick imitation ... in case of using chip board with a thickness 1,5mm, which seems to be similar to yours with .055 ...

Not quite sure, if there are different sizes, but the punched out things I've seen seem to fit 1/35 scale, but would be too tiny to match 1/22,5 ...

Kind regards

[fspg2]

Hi Ian,
for myself I build in scale 1:22.5. The links are 1:45.

The best experience I have done with dry dusting. Finally, I give a mixture of "landscape construction adhesive"  vanish with a small flower-vaporizer. A mix in 1:12 - to 1:15 with water is sufficient.
 




This glue is here available. It has the advantage that it doesn´t becomes darker after drying (in opposite with mix of wood glue + water + dish soap) . Moreover, it can still subsequently be treated with stains, because it does not seal the surfaces.

@ Gerald
For 1:22,5 I've cut  stripes from 3mm thick MDF in 9,48 mm thickness. Out of it  4.74 mm stones. If you want, I can cut a few stones.

... and now I am quiet -  awaiting further reports from you, Marc!

Frithjof

[jacq01]

   This is interesting....just in time for my 1:35 project.

    Jacq

[davej]

Anyone recommend UK suppliers?

[Chuck Doan]

Yes, interesting. I was planning to print some brick piers and maybe a chimney with gaps for mortar. This looks promising too.