A long time ago, when the world was young, in a land of rocky cliffs & wild seas, there lived a boy with his parents & sisters in a what had been originally a gentleman industrialist's town house. By then the place was a little run down, and the parents were struggling to modernise the house, for eg. installing an inside bathroom, father acheiving this with the aid of the newly published Practical Engineer, & Practical Householder magazines.
As the gents place of work? / oversight was a couple of miles away, when the house was built, before the days of the motor car, they had a simple stable block for housing his groom/ stable boy with a loft/ living space over in the grounds of the house. by this time though, it was unused. Built to a standard for servant use only, it did not even have ceilings just open rafters. While there were odds & ends of tools & junk on the ground floor, upstairs was just about empty. Great fun was had by the 6 - 12 year olds,
Beacause access to upstairs was by outside stone steps open to a lane, that door was always kept locked, the only other access was by a trap door from the hay loft area to the tack room, with a rickety vertical ladder, which could just about cope with the weight of children, but would have been problematic for adults. Parents were rarely seen in this hideway.
But time dims the memory & details & dimensions are over 60 years ago . . . ....
OK...I'll bite...... :)
By the time they lived there, horses had long gone & the stable doors had been altered to take a motor car. There had been a people door leading to a passage way through the side of the stable but still under the loft. Because of the ground layout when the stable door was widened access being on the slant there was still not enough room for a car to drive through, so . . . ...
if I can do it perhaps a 'Sketch' will help
Original layout
with stable door & person doors separate
Alteration to accomodate car
Will this be 1:12?
So Sleuthing.
I remembered what furniture was in which rooms, especially the orientation of beds, wardrobes, dressing tables & as the house is the same width as the stable block, that gave me some idea of that dimension => 18 ft
Father had grandiose ideas as to cars, he had previosly been driving Humber Super Snipes, for a living ( limosines of their day ) & he bought an old Armstrong Siddley which just fitted inside the stable. Not that it was ever seen going, as it needed a lot of work on it & his boss's work vehicle an old Ford E83 was left outside in the lane overnight
So that gave me an approximate length for the stable itself => 18 ft
So with the tack room beyond the stable box that gives us
Quote from: artizen on March 14, 2012, 05:06:24 AM
Will this be 1:12?
Oh, yes this is 1/12th
it may be used in conjunction with the packing shed
maybe?
ideas?
The roof was giving problems,
as this building is at a distance from any road that Google street view used
Just a few tantsalising glimpses were gained
Old Maps were very few & indistinct
& even Sattelite pics did not give a very good idea
BUT
I think I now have a good idea of what it used to look like as the property has undergone a lot of changes since back then
So using Sketch up this is what is the foundation of the new project
A long time ago, when the world was young - My Dad had a BSA motor bike and side car and we lived in a Prefab on the Southend on Sea road !
I love a bit of atmosphere to create inspiration for our models -Your Cornish Stable sounds like its got all of it.
Barney
Quote from: Barney on March 14, 2012, 05:55:16 AM
A long time ago, when the world was young - My Dad had a BSA motor bike and side car and we lived in a Prefab on the Southend on Sea road !
That helps explain a lot
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi232.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fee275%2Fgfadvance%2Fwallace-08.jpg&hash=c177a1256aa6046f8498cce9a5cb95a8a7046ba3)
Sorry about that Don, look forward to seeing how your idea develops
Barney, back in those days my Uncle from Lancashire visited us, he had a Big bike & side car. I remember the look on the PC on point duty when we drove by, in Penzance
Uncle, Aunty & cousin on the bike, with 4 children & mother in the sidecar, on way home went up a 1in 4 no trouble at all, cant remember what the bike was though
Gordon I got a similar one to that in 1/12 sent by our grandchidren ( because it was 1/12th not because it was wallace! )
This is what the roof looks like
front view,
but in this view I got the chimney wrong as I was looking at the wrong roof in google street view
This is the rear view with chimney, which is in the right area, but I am not sure if the chimney base should be inside the outer wall instead of outside it, doesnt quite look right
So, first step, print out for reference
Step 2
draw up individual walls with measurements
give each an an identity 'a' 'b' etc.
Very neat.
The front vaguely reminds me of some guys place in Shropshire. He too has been working on his for what must be decades. ;D
M
draw each piece to scale on card & cut out to see if they look right
( brown bits are remains of parcel tape used for holding together for mock up, but did not have camera to hand )
This also allowed me to layout parts either way up to get best use of thin ply that was to hand
[ due to being in the " straights of the times" ie. feeling the pinch, it is planned that NOTHING will be bought in for this project, if I can help it, a work round attitude will be employed ]
The ply used came from a piece of furniture no longer in gainful employment!
A base was formed out of polystyrene sheet laminated with cereal cardboard ( see details in The Packing Shed )
http://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?topic=1191.90
reply No. 96
then the plan was drawn on
with the walls being given their identity
So I dont get TOO confused
Cut out parts
And find somewhere to photograph them
big models in small rooms some times proves a challenge
The intention with this building is to give the impression of scale thickness walls ( with in reason)without weight
The packing shed was made out of 3/4 chipboard & is quite heavy, so I plan this one to be a lot lighter, so the walls are planned to be hollow, with the outer skin of ply for structural strength, & with card inner walls, with zigzag card inserts like some cheap interior doors were( are? ) made
My motto is "belts AND braces" so all essential joints are to be reinforced with corners ( hidden within the wall structure), If the weather had been kinder I might have gone outside & ripped this corner down in half ( too much this size & I wont save much weight)
As I had a broken dolls house window it the roundtwit box, I cut it down to the size I required & rebuilt it ( recycling, Yeah )
Now the prtoblem with dolls house windows is that they are designed to sit on TOP of the outside wall, which in Cornwall is not realistic ( although I notice a lot of american houses built out of siding DO have that style
Demonstrated here with some spare door trims
So the window front was sanded a bit to produce a flat surface rather than the architrave shape, and it was glued to the INSIDE of the opening
When set the wall was turned over & the return was filled in with some strip wood, still needs gaps around filling in but I will leave that till I get to the wall surface which requires a whitewashed rough stone finish
View through the trees courtesy of str**t view
Notice the chimney, without knowing I made one just like it last week!!
the houses behind go up the hill
Now the eagle eyed among you may have noticed an anomaly in the size of the base
it was originaly going to be 18" wide by 26" long, but due to the fact that the piece of polystyrene that was laminated to form the base was only 18" by 24" the building has been resized down to suit
Before I get too far along in assembling the walls, I need to settle some facts about the original interior of a 19th century stable/ loose box.
While the servants part of the building would be very basic, the rich tended to lavish resources on their horses
So questions for any Equestrians amongst us
The outside of the cottage ( which is what we as kids called it) was rough stone whitewashed over
But would the interior of the loose box be smoother, so less ledges for dust debris & bugs to lodge? ( and easier to whitewash)
Now I have seen many hay feeders/ racks on stable walls, and while a rickety woodworm eaten one might be appropriate for a rustic farm stable, I feel an industrialist in the mining industry might have either got his blacksmith to knock one up, or bought a metal one instead. Whatever, I favour the semi quarter round type that will go in a corner, as with the design of the doors & windows in the box, it would seem the most practical solution
Thought? ideas? anyone?
Although the building will be put to a 21st Cent use, its origins & fingerprint will be 3rd quarter 19th Cent
A problem with remembering details of the stable interior is that back then ( when the world was young) there was no electric in there, and there was only one very small window facing east, the main door was not opened unless Dad was working in there. So it was dark without details being obvious.
One would imagine that before the barn type door was fitted for car access, the original stable type split door would have afforded light & ventilation
Two of stable walls joined, right hand still just ply,
left hand one skinned with cereal card, & sealed with white pva, & acrylic paint mix
another coat of acrylic/pva mix
{ colours, when out shopping I look out for acrylic paint that has been drastically reduced in price, whatever the colour, as then its almost given away, so I use them as an under coat}
Right wall spacing strips are ripped out of old furniture shelf wood, so that depth is uniform
On the opposite wall (not yet fixed ) area above where work bench will be, is framed & card strips zigzaged & glued in place. Card front sealed & drying before being applied, card is not being used on area below, using hard board to give strength to structure of bench
As the ply will be hidden I use it as a mixing pallette!! ;D
Card front fixed, does it look wonky? Yes it is as I found out this morning. Must have been tired last night
Hardboard with bench back support in place
When cutting wood on saw bench, if any odd sraps are to hand, I often rip them down to whatever might be a handy stock size, so this was at hand so cut down for support legs
two fixed walls given a coat of pink plaster colour just to see what it looks like, wont end up this colour though
floor beams floating randomly in space
partially built bench
& chimney pot that will end up on roof
Quote from: granitechops on March 16, 2012, 02:55:00 AM
Card front fixed, does it look wonky? Yes it is as I found out this morning. Must have been tired last night
So when cutting some wood on the saw table yesterday, ended up by chance with this wedge shaped strip, which came in handy to correct the error in measurement
Rapid jig for cutting boards for bench top
Elements loosely in place to show angle of access
View into stable from tack room
View down thro the floor joists
for reference these joists are 6mm slices, cut from shelf of a bookshelf that was 22mm thick. Possibly manufactured about 1930s, so well dry.
Dont know what sort of wood it is, very soft to saw, but not weak in structure, fine grained, but with some very small reddish flecks in, similar to those in beech
This is very much a work in progress, I am having a bad day this morning, from the Chronic Fatigue thing,
so just playing with camera to keep the intrest going seeing some photo shot angles that are possible. Several things need changing, a lot only has first base colour, walls need application of whitewashed stone texturing ( can you get an app for that "text turing" :D )
Not happy with the laminated base, the first one I did for the leanto outside the Packing shed was 2 layers of polystyrene sheet with 3 layers of card encapsulating it.
ended up dead square & flat. this is only one layer of polystyrene & has a definate curve in it, also if the stable is to be used with the packing shed it would also need to be another 10 mm thicker to match
Decided the stable would still have its hay rack in the back corner
First cut 2 circles to form top rim & sides using compass cutter
used 60 thou black plasticard
Marked out one segment, & drilled holes for 9 bars as per example found on web
http://www.belowstairs.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Equine__Horse_Brasses__Stable_Fittings__etc__18.html
13th item down
This will form the top of the rack
Top & 2 sides assembled, as this is going to be quite fragile, I have added 2 side straps to joint the top corners together & added a temporary 'handle' in white for use during construction & painting, when cut off when completed the bits left in the corners will add extra strength
Using card template to fix first bar ( middle one )
the bars should be round, but as I have not got any to hand, I am using half round instead which will also bend to shape easier
Fix one either side, as the bars run down parrallel, the holes in the side bars are drilled accordingly ( NOT equidistant around the segment )
all 9 bars insitu, this simple project was more complicated than I first thought
Gave the two fixed walls a first treatment
Polyfiller/pva/ water mix, applied in a thin layer
texture acheived using a offcut of floor joist about 2 ins long on edge as mix had started to go off
when wall coating was tacky dry, laid hay rack on its side to see how it looked
modified the wall texture & done some weathering of the rack, needs a better pic in the daylight tomorrow
The construction of the hay rack is pretty clever!
Like the way this is shaping up. When was the last time we all watched a hay rack being built? The website you linked to for antique horse stable bits is very interesting too.
Quote from: Ray Dunakin on March 17, 2012, 06:14:24 PM
The construction of the hay rack is pretty clever!
Thanks Ray, I am getting pretty hamfisted in my old age, hands dont exactly hit the target accurately every time, so the white 'stick' gives strength while assembling.
Doing something new like this I try to think how would the blacksmith have gone about this? & try to replicate his work.
I have deviated a bit as wrought iron would not need strengthening fillets in the corners
Quote from: artizen on March 17, 2012, 10:24:26 PM
Like the way this is shaping up. When was the last time we all watched a hay rack being built? The website you linked to for antique horse stable bits is very interesting too.
Thanks Ian lots a of bits of detail on that site
It was quite difficult to photograh as well, being of such a complicated shape having curves in three planes. It took a while looking at their photos to work it out, especialy the dimentions
Did a cill for the window above the tack room, its even got its drip groove!
Then I realised I had forgotten about the lintel OVER the window
so adjustments neccesary
I want to slightly set back the wood lintel & not have it flush with the outside wall
View in this afternoons sunshine
Comment about wall texture please
What I have tried to replicate is a wall built out of flat stones rather like slate, but approx 2" thick, then given regular coats of whitewash for stable hygene,
I applied a mix of polyfilla, pva, acrylic paint and water very thinly with a wallpaper scraper, when starting to set worked it by dabbing with the edge of a scrap piece of floor joist, footprint of 6mm x 40mm, when set lightly rubbed down with fine abrasive to remove the peak of the stipples, it then looked too flat so gave 2 more coats of fairly thick white acrylic with some pva mixed in, finishing off brushing horizontally with the stone bed.
I feel it needs highlighting with some grey thin lines for dust
but my wife says it looks realistc leave it as it is
The amount of rust on the hay rack suggests it has been there for some time so maybe dust on the wall would help to conjure up a scene that has been around a while.
If it was me, I might go over the wall with a very thin wash of brownish black and let it settle naturally onto the protrusions of the wall.
Thanks Ray for reminding me,
yes I used avery thin wash on the wall of the Packing shed to good effect, try & give a bit of diferentiation in tone around the feeder,
Do I forget more than I remember?
Don,
certainly looks like a well whitewashed wall to me ............. although think I may add a few very diluted grey washes to it with maybe the odd touch of brown just to age it slightly
Did a weak black wash with a hint of grey all over, when dry did a brown wash where the dust from the hay would be prevalent
I Like this shot
But in places the change from brown to black is a bit too abrupt
Having said which I do like the way the brown fades around both sides of the feeder where the hay being pulled out of the rack would have flicked the dust off the wall a bit, perhaps?
That's looking good, IMHO. Of course it all depends on how recently painted the wall is supposed to be, but I would think that in a horse stall dust would accumulate pretty quickly.
If you're concerned that some areas might be too dark you can always tone them down with a wash of white.
Quote from: Ray Dunakin on March 19, 2012, 12:35:19 PM
That's looking good, IMHO. Of course it all depends on how recently painted the wall is supposed to be, but I would think that in a horse stall dust would accumulate pretty quickly.
If you're concerned that some areas might be too dark you can always tone them down with a wash of white.
It did occur to me to perhaps try a white wash but with the wall upside down so that the colour would collect on what would end up being the the lower edges, so still retaining the dust on the top edges.
Time frame, quite a while since the last horse departed, but building run down & not redecorated, and building used for repair work, so more dust
But that does not mean that I might not do a photoshoot with a horse in there just because I can!
Done the lintel over the window, with it being recessed it gives the cornish character I think
Door lintel
Edit. this is not the final wall finish, just coloured for the look
While waiting for glue to dry, made up a couple of ladders
a 3 part extending ladder & a widow cleaners ladder
As a lot of interior detail will be visible, but wont be get-at-able when assembled, at this stage the only fixed parts are the two walls the hay rack will be mounted on & the base, the rest is just a snug dry fit to ensure it all fits properly, so I can then finish & detail the interior, So ignore the floating wall etc.,
its work in progress
The wall appears to be floating due to the need to get levels right for the drainage channel seen in the centre there
As the base is not solid, its a styrene & card lamination, I wanted to avoid building it to top surface level & then cutting out as that would have weakened the structure
Working on the tack room wall as that will be the most inaccessable part, Framework for hollow wall designed to support floor beams, with spacers at 16" centres on back wall
Tack room wall cosmetic spacers added as part of front card leaf & wall given coat of texture, opposite wall added & fixed
3 walls done complete with lintel over door
So turn attention to gable wall, corner strengthener same dimension as wall thicknes, framing door way & window with scrap bits of wood that will only show one face, if that
First coat of surface mix before application of texture finish
Texture applied to surface & some wash applied,
Before I could fit the workbench along the stable wall, I needed to get the floor levels sorted & found some old 1970s ceiling tiles that had a moulded beveled edge to make up the levels
Nice snug fit for drain channel
Cut cereal card into 2" x 3" slabs after painting card gray, & glued in place
Made up a drain cover as per type that a blacksmith would do, drilling holes in wrought iron plate,
and fitted in place at end of gully
One thing I had of that time long ago, & far away, was fond memories of a go-cart I built from pram wheels, some planks & a couple of boxes,
used to race down the hills, & use it about the garden to shift stuff about
Funny, at the time I was dissapointed that I could not get hold of the larger better quality pram wheels, so had to settle for pushchair wheels that were only about 7" diam.
On reflection small wheels on the front were an advantage as they gave a greater turning circle before catching on your feet which were on the front plank doing the steering
The floor turned out nicely, and the go-cart is a great bit of extra detail!
Neat stuff! I like the way the drain breaks the "bottom" level of the floor and adds some extra dimension there. -- Dallas
Great progress - and I am quietly following along.
However .............. the "trolly" is a eureka moment - one of those; "Why didn't I think of that"?
I hesitate to say it but in the interests of honesty - yep! I'm going to thieve that wholesale - Well done.
Thanks Guys,
History repeats itself, Just as when I built the real size one, wheels were hard to get hold of , had to walk around the town till I spotted an unused pushchair in someones garden, & go & ask if I could have it,
6-7 decades later, times are hard, now I could not find small wheels ( without buying that is) back wheels are off a dolls house tricycle effort, but did not look right on front, & would foul feet when steering, so for the front I cannabalised an old 1970s Matchbox Kingsize digger, Aveling Barford I believe. ( dont tell Gordon :D )
So the story goes that the front wheels in the model world came off an old Triang or mettoy childs Ride on tractor
Doesnt look right to me cause of my memories
But Hey, if I could enjoy it back then, whatever, so I can now
PS, you did notice its the deluxe version with upturned tomato tray for a seat, may even end up with an old discarded cushion on top!
Thanks Andi, It wasnt in the original idea, but after a few weeks churning my memory over for details, I remembered it Had great fun on it used it to go down a 1 in 4, that is until the local policeman saw me take it out the back gate & demanded where I was going to run it,
"well down the hill "
""Dont you dare, or I will tell your parents""
Actually its scary thinking back, but there was so little traffic on those roads back then, & the bus only ran every 90 mins, so you could avoid that easily
and it was so much FUN.
Trouble with memory, after building an internal ( later addition of brick ) chimney with copper boiler at base, I remember later the original cottage had an external stone chimney & found an old family photo to prove it. DOH.
photo 1- brick base for copper boiler, with access door for sweeping chimney
photo 2- chimney in brick
photo 3- Chimney top ( from street view I see that is still there
All still in need of final weathering
Removed the unprototypical back bars from the hay rack, found A Guiness poster that I thought apropriate for a stable setting!
Looks like autumn leaves have blown in
floor given another wash of brownish colour
set of fittings fashioned out of some brass strip
Anyone any ideas of their use/application
Gradually shaping up, isn't it? -- Russ
The tomato box has had the legend " Guernsey Toms " added in red
just realised what was not right, forgot to add the green line top & bottom!!
Still needs the addition of 2 comfort items
cushion
&
brake!!
The Humbrol tin is almost scale for a 10 litre paint bucket! Just change the name?
Quote from: artizen on April 21, 2012, 04:59:02 PM
The Humbrol tin is almost scale for a 10 litre paint bucket! Just change the name?
Oh, much simpler than that Ian, got one somewhere that has the big print, name, obscured with paint runs & only the small print details left showing!!
Love it when things transfer straight accross from real to scale
Quote from: finescalerr on April 21, 2012, 12:57:35 PM
Gradually shaping up, isn't it? -- Russ
Yes, And I am enjoying it, I used to rush things through to get it finished & on to the next,
but this I am doing things leisurly, adding details while I can still access the interior.
With old age & chronic Fatigue, pacing myself & skipping about from one aspect to another keeps me interested
Nobody has said what they think these fittings are for
Anyone?????
Are they gutter clips?
Quote from: artizen on April 22, 2012, 12:51:57 AM
Are they gutter clips?
no, but a clue is they are two different shapes that work together in matched pairs
I am pleased with the results with the clay drain channel,
but I think for an old floor (100 years ) the slate edges would be more packed with floor grot, they are too sharp
extension ladder guides maybe?
Flitting back to the ladder ( one of them)
Did I use the wrong sort of wood?
I love the grain in Beech, but even at this scale, 1/12th it looks out of place
Wanted a new clean look so varnished it, probably a mistake
My wife says it looks like chipboard!!!!!
Quote from: chester on April 22, 2012, 01:18:40 PM
extension ladder guides maybe?
Spot on Chester, bigger ones are the guides,
smaller ones are the stops
Ladder painted grey, was probably Govmnt Surplus back in 1950 anyway
now with top fittings fixed
And bottom stops
and stowed in place on hooks on side passage wall,
high enough to just not catch your head
(Well for a child anyway ;D )
Quite pleased with the way the concrete path turned out
This is turning into a work of art. Keep posting.
Another shot, from this angle you can see the path rises towards back of building, about 18 inches between front & back
Eric decided it looked too bare, so he put up a rail with some 6" nails to hang stuff on & make the place look more " Lived in "
Pity theres no hook or hole on the grass hook though ;D
He got a bit enthusiastic & soon had more than enough
just a few shots
into tack room ( horses long gone )
The fire grate is still in the boiler base
but
the copper boiler has long since, corroded/removed/ sent for scrap
Looking the other way from the tack room into the (ex- )stable
and from above before floor gets fitted
Better and better. -- Russ
I gave the floor slab gaps an application of a thick mix of PVA white / grey acrylic / polyfilla mix & I think its a great improvement as it has definately softened the sharp edges of the slate slabs
An effect that would be difficult to acheive just scribing a full sheet instead of using individual slabs
Don ................ that does indeed look so much better, and true ........... a scribed sheet just couldn't pull that effect off.
I'm loving the "dressing-up" in the workshop - really quite convincing ................ good job.
Stunning. Love your work.
Thanks guys
In such a small room, 7' x 9', with shelves & bench etc., I have a job getting right light for photography, especially as the building height is about 30 ins
with my fatigue carrying it from upstairs down to the garden is not on.
To get light in the window I have bodged an extention to the 12" window work bench
old cabinet side clamped to bench
with spare banister rod screwed underneath for support
So using the bench extention
this shot was taken facing the window & had to crop it even tho the
blind was down
here you can see the different levels at the end of passage & door
into tack room, there was 2 steps down there.
Quote from: Andi Little on April 24, 2012, 03:21:21 PM
Don ................ that does indeed look so much better, and true ........... a scribed sheet just couldn't pull that effect off.
I'm loving the "dressing-up" in the workshop - really quite convincing ................ good job.
Basically the dressing up was an excuse for a quickie photoshoot
Clutter,
I am in two minds,
if it is all fixed or glued down, nothing will get out of place when moved
BUT
I do like to take series of pics telling a story,
which would be easier if it all was removable but that would be a chore,
so maybe middle course, stuff round the edges that would always be there be fixed
& rest movable,
so far only the Hay rack, work bench & rail above it & spare wood on end in corner at far end of bench is fixed
for example a load of fire logs rounds has arrived at the doorway ( yet to be modelled!!)
Using the go-cart, & turning the tomato tray seat up the other way, my job was to move the smaller stuff
#1 - Surprising how much you can move!
#2 - clutter to sides, space clear through middle
Some great clutter and details Don!
Thanks Chuck
#1 - So if you got big rounds & no big axe what do ya do
get a Hammer man instead
#2 - And make a couple of wedges ( thats why they're not rusty yet!!)
& belt them into a round ( burr on top already evident)
#1 - cut into sizes that will fit the boiler /range/ woodburner/ whatever
#2 - cut some into slabs with small axe
cut slabs into kindling
Base log for chopping on, now well textured
so we got
#1 tree trunk
#2 full, half & quarter rounds
#1 Fire ready logs
#2 loads of kindling
Now the wood chopping actually all took place in the tack room, but I am waiting for the earth floor to dry before stacking in there
In the late 1970s when I was into road transport, I built several trailer chassis in another stable in another County
One was built to go under a 16ft box trailer
so maybe that will be another little detail project for welding up in the main stable
probably sans wheels ( cost & availability of 1/12th wheels)
I know some RC models are 1/12th scale, but I dont suppose they use 185 14 sized tyres
(the transit size that I used)
Archive pic not very good I'm afraid
Knowing you, the trailer will be knocked up out of plastic strip in about two days!
The whole diorama is looking really good.
Quote from: artizen on April 25, 2012, 03:35:56 PM
Knowing you, the trailer will be knocked up out of plastic strip in about two days!
The whole diorama is looking really good.
Dont know about that, probably not got a lot of strip left
but I will admit to having knocked up a small 3" wide blade trimming axe in brass
and a Sandvik type bowsaw in styrene & wire insulation since tea time
too late for pics now, been a long day
Before I get round to pics
just a quick link
information about AXES, very intresting
http://www.rutlands.co.uk/cgi-bin/psBuyingGuide.cgi?action=showGuideHeader&guide_id=3
Looks like the one I did yesterday was more of a Maul
I remember a mate of mine, who is a tree surgen (& woodsman) saying
dont lend your axe to anyone its blade cutting angle is unique to you, your height, swing etc.
One of my favourite kindling chopping tools was a short handled version of this bush slasher
Sandvik type bow saw
basic frame cut out of 60thou black styrene
tubular part made from cooker wire insulation, slit along its length & glued to styrene frame
blade is a junior hacksaw blade
#1 - small axe I made came from
#2 - brass terminal/ pin from out of a antisurge multisocket that went "Phut" with a 4mm brass tube for a handle bent by hand gently & then slightly flattened into an oval
General Axes have a more shaped blade, being wider at cutting edge than at top,
in my bits drawer found this bit of copper bar 3/4" X 1/4
filed to shape & drilled whilst still on stock bar
Having problems this morning, first finger & thumb on right hand split open yesterday, due to drying out from use of acrylic paint & PVA glue I think
so typing with middle finger only ::)
So, slow progress today
tree felling axe, copper head, brass handle awaiting finishing
axe now in zinc chromate primer
and bow saw now in green
Bow saw in permanent lodging place
earth floor now dry
Not terribly keen with the look of that floor
looks more like small coal bits
or nutty slack as we used to call it
Firewood in its final position in tack room
view that will be seen when this end gable wall is fixed in place
It could look worse. -- Russ
Quote from: finescalerr on April 27, 2012, 01:01:50 AM
It could look worse. -- Russ
And it could look better,
having tried this wall finish for the first time on the interior.
I am hoping to improve the technique when I do the exterior
The axe handles could be improved.
I was very pleased with the way that the brass tube bent to shape in my hands, and gentle tapping the tube flattening it in to an oval, was an improvement,
But, I might try inserting a cocktail stick ( with a very loose fit) down the bore before bending & ovalling, might maintain a better profile
And I might try trimming back the styrene underframe of the bowsaw, if I can do so without disturbing the glue bond of the covering insulation
I do a miniature enthusiasts newsletter each month and I am always looking for photos of 1:12 scale work. Would I be able to do a write up of your model for the next issue? It has a rather heady circulation of around 85 dedicated dolls modellers here in Brisbane.
Ian, you have a PM
#1 bowsaw now with flange removed, great improvement
#2 Mark 1,2, & 3 axes
brass tube with wood insert did not work, wood too soft
so mark 3 axe handle is solid bar, hammered a bit flat on anvil
& smoothed oval with files etc, much better look & feel & plus got solid end to heel of handle for shaping
Looks like Grandpa's been busy
not finished obviously
I remember using an axe similar to the one in the centre to cut timber when I was a lad. Obviously we lived in a colder climate (England) than I do now (Queensland). Now I almost live in the tropics and the kids ask why would you cut timber to heat the house when all you need to do is push a button on the reverse cycle air conditioning!!!! Maybe I should send them out west past the black stump to the desert country where it gets below freezing in winter to properly explain.
Love the latest photos with all the clutter.
The dollhouse under construction is a nice touch that lends a further sense of humanity to the scene.
Quote from: artizen on April 28, 2012, 03:37:25 PM
I remember using an axe similar to the one in the centre to cut timber when I was a lad. Obviously we lived in a colder climate (England) than I do now (Queensland). Now I almost live in the tropics and the kids ask why would you cut timber to heat the house when all you need to do is push a button on the reverse cycle air conditioning!!!! Maybe I should send them out west past the black stump to the desert country where it gets below freezing in winter to properly explain.
Love the latest photos with all the clutter.
Well Ian the advantage us older ones, that may have lived through hard times in the past, have, is that we know the wisdom of having a back up plan thats viable.
Whereas
some younger ones, when the money to fuel the Air Conditioner runs out, are at a loss at how to manage ( possibly due to the expectation they were brought up with ) We hit a financial bump a few months ago, & we have tried living at BELOW what we could actually afford in order to practice for when it might get worse, quite a challenge, and you then have a bit in hand to give yourself a treat!!
>> ""Looks like Grandpa's been busy""
he sure has
This little house is harder to do than the other one
its 1/12 scale in 1/12th scale
or 1:144
The windows could prove difficult to do
but then again if I do a model of
1/12 of 1/12 of 1/12
that would be 1:1728
or in other words the longest dimension of that model would be just 0.1666 inches or aprox 4.23 mm
would be no problems with the windows there then, :D
just a full stop would do,
a square one of course ;D 8)
This is bringing back memories of my childhood when we (I have two sisters) used to play in the shed/garage with our father's 'stuff'. We were never officially allowed to touch his 'stuff' of course! He was a bricklayer so he had all sorts of interesting things including full bottles (not plastic containers) of hydrochloric acid etc to clean his tools. Wonderful to explore - you were always well aware of the dangerous nature of sharp edges and bottles of mysterious liquids! All of the sheds had dirt floors and endless spiders.
How are you going to model the spiders then, Don?
Just lovely. Great fun watching this come together, and how you are scratbuilding/creating all the various details and bits. thanks.
Marc
Hi Don, checking in again, absolutely wonderful sense of reality coming through. The axes are a trick subject for sure, I use my full size splitting axe all the time, it needs a new handle, because it is getting a bit butchered at the intersection of the head and the handle. Have you thought about adding an old worn axe with a handle prepared from a bamboo skewer?
I really liked the shot in the wood storage area. and the soap box cart, scraped a few knees in my youth on one of those.
QuoteWe hit a financial bump a few months ago, & we have tried living at BELOW what we could actually afford in order to practice for when it might get worse,
Wise for sure, I just had to turn off the propane to the house heating system last week to conserve enough for the domestic hot water. The sun and the wood stove are all we are using now for heat. and the sun is doing a great job during the day. wood stove and good insulation a great job in the evening and over night.
The lake is still covered in Ice! and it is may tomorrow.
Michael
Quote from: artizen on April 29, 2012, 03:42:19 PM
This is bringing back memories of my childhood when we (I have two sisters) used to play in the shed/garage with our father's 'stuff'. We were never officially allowed to touch his 'stuff' of course! He was a bricklayer so he had all sorts of interesting things including full bottles (not plastic containers) of hydrochloric acid etc to clean his tools. Wonderful to explore - you were always well aware of the dangerous nature of sharp edges and bottles of mysterious liquids! All of the sheds had dirt floors and endless spiders.
How are you going to model the spiders then, Don?
A young friends daughter (2 1/2 )is mad on this one
Woolly & Tig http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/woolly-and-tig/
could be big enough to model ;D
EDIT;-
Actually when we were into dollshouse retailing, there was someone who did cobwebs in 1/12 in etched brass
EDIT 2;-
or DIY
http://www.ehow.com/how_2093321_make-spider-webs-dollhouse.html
Mark, thanks for watching!!
Michael, You asked Have you thought about adding an old worn axe with a handle prepared from a bamboo skewer?
did you mean as in blade chipped from hitting stone instead of wood,
and with a straight, quick replacement emergency handle when no shaped hickory one available? plus the back of the head burred from use as a sledge
Now there's a thought
funnily enough the mark 3 axe had a notch in the blade from the stock bar & I ground it out!!
On the grounds that it was bad workmanship or misuse of a tool
But then I remembered that once when I could not hire gas cutting gear, I bought an axe ESPECIALLY to cut the steel body off a van chassis so I could use the chassis as the base for a trailer build, like a giant tin opener.
Still got two scars on my right forearm to prove it!!!
Didnt hurt the axe though!!
OK, what do you recon Michael?
Abused enough?
Shaft damaged, used to get that a lot on sledge hammer handles when breaking up cast iron objects,
blade edge chipped ( may have over done that bit)
Now, as this axe is made up from 4 layers of 60 thou styrene laminated,
I could not quite see how to get a burr on the back of the axe head
whereas with using brass or steel you can beat the burr in naturally
Hi Don, My own personal opinion is that the handle looks great, one would need to the the "Hulk" to create such large notches in the metal of the head though. you could just file that down a little because that is of course how we sharpen the head.
Cheers Michael
Been out most of the day, shopping etc, but before we went I had a go at doing a window for the little stable cott.
Took some double sided tape, stuck it to a base of cereal box card afixed some microstrtip to it to form a rectangle larger than the window opening, & mounting a piece of 60 thou clear acrylic, the size of the window opening on to it with solvent, lifted it off the tape, trimmed the strip, turned it over refixed to tape & stuck two very thin microstrips across to form the panes
not sure, looks a little clunky,
although the windows are less than 10mm x 10mm
oh, but it does have a window cill ;D
filed down blade a bit
Quote from: granitechops on April 22, 2012, 12:13:08 AM
Quote from: artizen on April 21, 2012, 04:59:02 PM
The Humbrol tin is almost scale for a 10 litre paint bucket! Just change the name?
Oh, much simpler than that Ian, got one somewhere that has the big print, name, obscured with paint runs & only the small print details left showing!!
Love it when things transfer straight accross from real to scale
Ah, found it, an old Airfix paint pot thats thinner & taller with the brand obliterated but small print left
Some 60 thou styrene sheet, plus some styrene tube.
Plus some card tube . . .
and
A chunk of balsa,
a brass pin,
a small nut,
drill a few holes
Take a length of Hornby 00 track feed wire
plus a larger diameter piece of wire insulation
Marry the 2 together
times 4
Add various sizes of styrene tube,
plus a brass bezel from a ship fitting
glue & paint
fit into block,
at first it did not look right
& then I realised normally the distributor seems further down when the cylinder head & the rocker cover are in place
probably adds another 9-10 ins to the height
down the right side are the studs to hold the petrol pump
still a work in progress,
pics show the need for tydying up joints & faces plus more details
Neat! I like the approach to building the open cylinder block. -- Dallas
Quote from: Malachi Constant on May 06, 2012, 11:41:22 AM
Neat! I like the approach to building the open cylinder block. -- Dallas
Thanks, yes much easier & neater than drilling holes in a solid ( well, with my resources)
I found this enlightening
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LauE0W2UZe4
( Simplified explanation!!!!! )
Build sand castles, group them together & pour molten metal around them
Don, neat........ But and you will hate me for this, you need 5 leads for the distributor, 4 to the plugs and 1 HT lead to coil
Quote from: gfadvance on May 07, 2012, 04:43:39 AM
Don, neat........ But and you will hate me for this, you need 5 leads for the distributor, 4 to the plugs and 1 HT lead to coil
Not at all Gordon, there is also the LT lead, and the disc on the side, Diapragm?? adjuster?
I was vaguely trying to do an engine for an Austin A35, but the sump is a different shape, and the distributor cap on that had the HT leads coming out sideways,
I think going from memory the one I did was more like the Ford transit ones, that I had many more years experience with, having driven them from the very first pickup they made
This may end up under the bench as clutter as a generic anonymous breed!!
At least I have learnt something along the way, enjoyably so.
Coil- distibutor lead added, plus plug tops on end of leads, you can just see the LT lead coiled up, surface joints filled & painted, needs weathering, could really do with more casting webs etc, & disributor needs finishing
After a "summer" of inside modelling inactivity, I finally got back to the Cornish Stable. As mentioned previously I want to maintain easy access to the ground floor for scene setting/ workshop photo shoots, but because the upper floor( 1st floor UK speak) has the floor beams exposed with no ceiling below it, could not see how to acheive that as it would not slide into position, but more about that later.
Joists in place in slots cut in top of support wall
So I first concentrated on laying the floorboards,
#1 boards for comparison as cut on table saw, and after a wash with very dilute acrylic black with a touch of red brown earth
#2 which when turned over gave this effect from creepage, but this will add variation when the top side is washed with a touch more brown in it
After gluing in place & lightly sanding, with 144th scale stable for comparison
initially cutting some to normally usable lengths as individual planks, the chippy using up all usable offcuts, this was an economy build originally.
So economy, that when someone cut two planks too thin
( thinner than two thick planks, obviously ;D )
they too got pressed into use
With some of the floorboards glued in place the whole floor could be lifted out of the main building, & the end INTERIOR gable wall fitted in place being glued to a fillet of wood ripped out of a piece of unused parquet flooring that I had had kept back for 42 years, well seasoned, a very dark red/brown colour, the gable being a lamination of hardboard & strong card from a jigsaw puzzle box
then back into place to align window openings in back walls, inside being wider than outside to acheive splayed angle for max light entry
#1 Back wall with strip framing, & window fabricated out of ex dolls house mullions ( glazing bars) with outside frame cut out of surplus doorframe, dolls house again,
#2 close up of framing to save cutting a wider piece for the angle, I chose to use pieces of all same width, skin of inside wall would cover it.
#3 framing on ouside of inside wall, joints very casual butt ones, jigsaw puzzle box card again, must be nearly 2mm thick
#1 gluing inside skin of INSIDE wall into place
you are keeping up arent you? :D
#2 card filler for inside window wall seat?
#3 and in place
#1 while giving a coat of colour to walls, my clumsy fingers eliminated a glazing bar ::)
so now that changes the buildings history, but more later
#2 fitting side trims to outside of OUTSIDE wall on main stucture
and window cill ( cill in styrene as wood might split with rough handling)
#3 Stone lintel over this window needs altering, which will get done when final outside finish is applied here, which will also cover wood side trims to simulate stone
#1 rest of boards now laid, these I only cut part through to simulate the end on joints
#2 nail holes impressed with a tool fashioned out of a jewellers screwdriver ground into a V shape as floor would have been nailed originally with cut nails as opposed to round heads, and a thin black wash applied to colour in holes
#3 barely noticeable from a distance, but that is the effect I wanted
Looking good!
Glad to see this one is back.
I mentioned the unfortunate event with the broken window frame. I usually try to make advantage of such miss-hapenings.
In this case, the scenario is as follows.
When the stable was built the upstairs was for storage of fodder & the stableboy/groom/mine apprentice's accomodation. As such he would rarely be using the upstairs in the middle part of the day, so it was felt by his master that ventilation by having opening windows, was a luxury not befitting his station, when needed ventilation would be acheived by opening the door to the steps. But that was some hundred & fifty years ago, somewhere in between then & now an opening part was made to fit in the space of 2 panes to improve ventilation for those with greater expectations.
In the model this was done by using styrene 3mm square bar to fabricate the opening, this was exactly the same size as the original glazing bars.
I used mainly 3mm solid square bar, but had a bit of 3mm hollow square styrene that I used for the hinge stave, thus a bit of copper cooker wire could be used as the hinge.
All I have to do now is work out how to drill the main frame in that short space & keep the hole vertical
I mentioned that I could not slide the upper floor out, as you can see the slots that the floor joists fit into preclude that, also the floor extends to the side in behind the main carcase corner fillets. So it has to slide out upwards, that of course raises another challenge, as I want to have the roof with all its beams & rafters as a separate unit
Edit, although that front floor joist is not prototypical, being close up to where the front wall will be, it is neccessary for structural integrity of the main carcase
Similarly the larger (bottom) of the two apex beams is neccessary to maintain shape of gables, the top smaller "beam" will be the apex of the removable roof unit.
you may also notice the gap between the upper & lower modules to represent the thickness of the stone wall, without adding too much weight, which would be the case with a solid wall in this scale
This has turned into a fairly complex model, hasn't it? -- Russ
The challenges involved make it all the more interesting.
I always take more pics than I need, scanning through I found this one that epitomises what I remember as a kid, the lack of window & light is just as it was
By using a pin drill, I managed to make two holes for the hinge pins,
I then realised that one piece of wire would be too long to feed in from top end without kinking, so had to resort to two separate bits
#1 shown here dry run.
this gave a problem with the top pin, if I put it in from the top it might just drop straight down inside frame, and if I laid it on its side instead I might still have a problem with the super glue wicking into the hinge joint & the whole lot seizing up
so I formed a crook in the end of the pin so as to have it locate into a side hole in the main window frame
#2 close up of top pin ( which kills two birds with one stone as the mullion to frame butt joint here is a bit weak or poor workmanship!)
So bottom pin was glued in place & allowed to dry thoroughly, then casement placed & top crooked pin inserted & carefully one drop of super glue in the hole to locate the crook securely
#1 open window
#2 Now with working window catch
MUST REMEMBER to close window BEFORE lifting top floor section out or opening casement will get ripped off :-[
Edit; may replace that window catch, looks a little coarse
#1 new shape window catch, you see the shape better while still in copper
#2 & painted black
#3 Tried to 'tool' the floor joists to show ancient, more rustic timber
dont think I have quite achieved what I had in mind
Started on the floor section in the far back corner by the brick chimney.
Interesting exercise, includes trapdoor & shaping around chimney stack to carry joists
Idly playing with camera after debris from working built up on model
#1 View of floor sub unit from underneath
#2 sub unit in place,
bow saw permanantly fixed to wall,
was also going to have this section removable, but decided it was not neccessary
will make it easier to place removable roof unit
loft ladder made up but not yet fixed
Not been feeling well last couple of days, in fact I slept for 14 hours last night!!
But some slow progress has been made on the raftering
#1 Barge boards had to be in place this early on, as the roof will be removable & they help keep the shape & give strength
#2 Valley base probably not quite prototypical, but is below the level of the rafters & there is still the battens to add to enhance the difference
#3 View from inside, some of the beams will stay with the top floor unit for its structural strength, some will be a part of the roof structure, which would otherwise be flimsy
Cant quite make my mind up wether in 1860 the Cornish would have used lead or zinc sheet for the valley, dont suppose it would make much difference on the model, except maybe for sheet size
I have experienced roof damage on models in the past when having the slates overhang fascias as here in the workshop roof,
Edit; apologies for the dust!
So on this model I sought to avoid this happening by giving a solid base to the bottom edge by using black styrene sheet strip notched to give effect of individual slates as only the ends will be visible, sufficient to be visible from below with the 2 inch over hang, but when, if, I fit a gutter very little will be seen of it
# 1 Lead lining in valley, from old hanging file pockets, good quality, fine card.
# 2 Battens also fixed
# 3 as I calculated that there would be 600 glue points on the batten to rafter joint, so decided it would be quicker to use card spacers between battens rather than mark out & glue to pencil marks
Progress has been slow, I think that putting up real slates, with nails is much easier than gluing scale ones that move when you turn your back, at least they stay where you put them!!
valley detail
and texture/finish of slates
.75mm card stock used for slates,
acrylic black with a touch of red in different proportions to give variety in colour
then card cut to size & fixed which gave a white edge that was coloued with a black/ green acrylic along edges to soak in & then wiped off surplus before drying.
which left a under shadow along bottom edges of slates
Then sealed with a water resistant PVA slightly diluted
another edge treatment with black/green.
I found that the PVA had not thourougly dried after 3-4 hours and that wiping clean along the line of slates left a faint smear texture that looked wrong.
So damp cloth & immediately finished off wiping down the roof which although is a minimal texture definately looks much better
Incidently I have avoided the broken slate syndrome on this part of the roof, reasoning that I would probably overdo it!
result, a raggedy type roof
Suppose I could fit a few slates with repair tags bent up over bottom edges
Must try & get some daylight pictures
Looks good!
Why not just build it 1:1? it wouldn't be any more work and would look the same. -- Russ
Quote from: finescalerr on October 30, 2012, 12:44:08 PM
Why not just build it 1:1? it wouldn't be any more work and would look the same. -- Russ
(Muffled guffaw) - Very true. But which is of course a back handed compliment if ever I heard one: thoroughly well deserved of course.
Well done - great job - most excellent fortitude.
Quote from: finescalerr on October 30, 2012, 12:44:08 PM
Why not just build it 1:1? it wouldn't be any more work and would look the same. -- Russ
Yeah, but,
I doubt if card stock, even treated would be very long lasting on a 1:1 building ;D :'(
Real roofing is easier,
been there done that, got the T shirt, AND the "granny's blessings"
On a full size roof all the materials & procedures are already accepted practice
But adapting different mediums to portray the 'real' world when modelling is much more difficult
The only easier bit is that the physical energy to lift the model slates up on to the roof is far less than on a real roof!!
The other observation to be made, from when we were into dolls house retail was that very often a model, say for example a wheelbarrow could be more expensive in model form than in full size
And thanks for the complment
Thanks Ray & Andi for the encouragement
The value of forums like this is not to compare my efforts to others on here, or I would be completly deflated, but to improve slowly & learn from others experience & ideas
Which I sometimes acheive, and sometimes dont ;D
One thing not to overlook when cutting your own slates, is the need for exact sizes
having only a cheap bog standard cutter I finally acheived it with a rustic fence clamped to the same base that the cutter was clamped too
couldn't resist, was cleaning out debris prior to paying attention to interior wall finish with a 3/4" paint brush, thought, looks like someone has been interupted while brushing up
Made further progress with rest of roof and done first step of "weathering" the valley gutter
acheived by first brush applying a dirt colour acrylic, allowing 30 seconds drying time & then running a small amount of water down through as in real life to wash some of it away
Looks like the lead joints need a bit of under shadow to dry on thoroughly first