1/16th bricks

[lab-dad]

As noted elsewhere I ordered (July 29th) and received (Aug. 6th) the "German Standard size brick mold
from dioramadebris.
The mold is a light grey silicon mold with 36 cavities for bricks.



The mold is is approximately 4 1/2" by 2 5/8"
The bricks are;
.592" long ( 9.472 scale inches)
.289" wide ( 4.624 scale inches)
.169" tall   ( 2.704 scale inches)

I hope to obtain some concrete coloring stuff to do them the right color form the beginning
like NickO does.

After they dried I put them in a container with some screws to beat them up a bit.
Then they were "stained" with thined craft paint.
No spacer for the mortar just laid out.
I'm hoping there will be no bubbles when I spray the mold properly; my atomizer disappeared
The wall here is 1" tall and about 3 1/2" long



Here you can see the recess under each one (I'm assuming) like real bricks?
I dont know squat about bricks so I am hoping NickO will educate me.



Hope this is of use to others.
I'll post more when I can find some "colorant".
I will not be doing entire walls of individual bricks in 1/16 no matter what you guys call me!!!!!
 

-Marty

[Malachi Constant]

Chicken!  

Check to see if there's a pottery supply place in your area ... there's one here, conveniently located within walking distance that has a variety of "Coloring Oxides" and "Mason Stains" ... small assortment shown below.

These mix with water before adding the plaster ... they have a TON of colors.  The "Spanish" Iron Oxide is redder/brighter than the "regular" Iron Oxide.  There's also a Terra Cotta that's rather pale, etc, etc ...

If it helps, they do have web sales:
http://www.clayworkssupplies.com/loadCategory.cgi?c_id=1

Cheers,
Dallas

[marc_reusser]

Marty,

Those came out sweet. Look forward to seeing what you are planning on doing with them.

Is there a website/link to the mold vendor?

Thx.

Ps.  I second Dallas' "Chicken" 

[Malachi Constant]

Is there a website/link to the mold vendor?

Nick recommended the molds ... and they've got a bunch of them in 1/35 scale.  Here's the link for individual bricks in 1/35 and you can navigate from there:

http://www.dioramadebris.co.uk/135-scale-german-standard-size-bricks-mould-1350001-3-p.asp

Cheers,
Dallas

[mad gerald]

... darn ... this 1/16 stuff is highly contagious * ...   ... I found myself lurking around here and scanning the forum to find more building reports and contributions in that scale, even starting to build fruit crates in 1/16 scale ...  

* and helpful regarding aging eyes and hands ...  

After they dried I put them in a container with some screws to beat them up a bit.
Then they were "stained" with thined craft paint.
No spacer for the mortar just laid out.
I'm hoping there will be no bubbles when I spray the mold properly; my atomizer disappeared
The wall here is 1" tall and about 3 1/2" long

.. means, that you used common (white) plaster, being coloured afterwards? And has the mould to be sprayed (with water or some silicone fluid?) before casting?

I'd like to add these precast bricks, only to be mentioned for completeness ...

Check to see if there's a pottery supply place in your area ... there's one here, conveniently located within walking distance that has a variety of "Coloring Oxides" and "Mason Stains" ... small assortment shown below ...
If it helps, they do have web sales:
http://www.clayworkssupplies.com/loadCategory.cgi?c_id=1

... I wonder if these (or something similar) are available over here ...  

Chers

[shropshire lad]

Marty ,

   The recesses in the bricks are called " frogs" (don't ask me why , 'cos I don't know) .

    Don't try and knock the edges off to many bricks as it doesn't look right .

    Just so that I've made myself quite clear , anyone who builds a wall out of individual bricks and lays them in stretcher bond will be put on " moderated" status , and if they persist will be banned .

   I will post some photos of brickwork that have " pleasing to the eye" bonds .

  Marc ,

   You obviously haven't been paying attention in class as I have made reference to this company on two previous occasions .

    I am in conversation with them about producing new moulds and have been trialling their latest one for Spanish barrel tiles . I have been having fun trying to get the castings to come out of the mould cleanly without a great deal of success but it transpires that I'm not using hard enough plaster so when I get some harder plaster I shall have another go . I am hoping that they will produce moulds to make pantiles and double Roman tiles as that is what I really want .

   I have been intending making a more formal reference to this company but have held off until I can make the tile mould work for me properly .

   Even if you never buy anything from them there is some very useful information on the website about casting with plaster  and colouring of the plaster . There really is no reason why one should ever need to cast anything in white plaster ever again , unless you actually want a white casting at the end !

  Nick

[mad gerald]

  You obviously haven't been paying attention in class as I have made reference to this company on two previous occasions .

... thanks for pointing that out (again) ...   .. is their Powder Pigments comparable/an equivalent to the items Dallas mentioned above?

Even if you never buy anything from them there is some very useful information on the website about casting with plaster  and colouring of the plaster . There really is no reason why one should ever need to cast anything in white plaster ever again , unless you actually want a white casting at the end!

... just checked - indeed very interesting and helpful ...!

[Malachi Constant]

Don't forget to have Dave laser cut some tiny little letters to go in each of the frogs!    -- Anonymous

[lab-dad]

I swung by the local home center.
Picked up a one pound bag of red Sakrete cement color.
Here are the results mixed at a 1:16, 1:32 & 1:64 ratios
Concrete color to plaster by volume



And a Flemish bond (I hope)



Marty

[Mr Potato Head]

I like the colors now, a little grey and black and you’ll be close, these experiment colors are terracotta like?
What’s with the ratios? Is HO next 
MPH

[5thwheel]

Marty ,

  
  Marc ,

  

    I am in conversation with them about producing new moulds and have been trialling their latest one for Spanish barrel tiles . I have been having fun trying to get the castings to come out of the mould cleanly without a great deal of success but it transpires that I'm not using hard enough plaster so when I get some harder plaster I shall have another go . I am hoping that they will produce moulds to make pantiles and double Roman tiles as that is what I really want .

  
  Nick

Nick,

Have you tried Durham rock putty? It has a light tint to it but very hard and durable when dried.  Mixes just like plaster.  Find it in a hardware store. Comes in a cardboard tube with metal lids the last time I bought some. I carve it to make great rocks. 

[shropshire lad]

Marty ,

  
  Marc ,

  

    I am in conversation with them about producing new moulds and have been trialling their latest one for Spanish barrel tiles . I have been having fun trying to get the castings to come out of the mould cleanly without a great deal of success but it transpires that I'm not using hard enough plaster so when I get some harder plaster I shall have another go . I am hoping that they will produce moulds to make pantiles and double Roman tiles as that is what I really want .

  
  Nick

Nick,

Have you tried Durham rock putty? It has a light tint to it but very hard and durable when dried.  Mixes just like plaster.  Find it in a hardware store. Comes in a cardboard tube with metal lids the last time I bought some. I carve it to make great rocks. 

  No , Bill , I haven't . Because they don't sell it in Great Britain . As far as I know . I am actually sorted for plaster as I had a delivery yesterday of three different plasters all of which are pretty hard . The results I got last night are pretty good .

  Thanks for the suggestion ,

   Nick

[5thwheel]

Nick,

Maybe it is available through an orthodontist or someone who makes false teeth.  That is what I started with (quite spendy if you buy it but I was given a nice bag of it for free.)  I had a can of the Durham which i used to patch a know hole in my house trim.  For some reason I compared the two and fund absolutely no difference.  My guess is that the dental has to be more sanitary.  I wasn't going to eat it so that was no problem   .

[Wesleybeks]

Hi guys

I came across these bricks after reading this thread and would like to know if anyone has used them?

Or would you recommend something else in 1/48 scale?

http://www.secretweaponminiatures.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=13&products_id=435

[lab-dad]

I dont think I would want to build a brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick by brick wall in 1:48

But those bricks look nice!

For 1:48 i would look at New England Brownstone's walls.
He can also do "other" sizes if.........

-Marty