Monthly Archives: August 2015

Cheap Model Tarpaulin Wagon Sheets

Posted on by

Following on from my last effort on the wagon sheet, Bob Alderman posted a comment on how he does tarpaulin sheets on the Guild forum, which was a commercial paper sheet suitably scrunched up and then wet with dilute PVA until it lays over and takes the shape of the object that it covers.

So I had a play.

I started with this:

Skytrex Wagon Load

Skytrex Wagon Load

Placed on the lid of a takeaway tray on a couple of cocktail sticks to stop it sticking to the lid I covered it in cling film and then draped a man sized tissue over it which had the patterned edge trimmed off.
Then I dripped dilute PVA over it all until the tissue was soak and draped over the load.

I left it a couple of days to dry and then sprayed it with grey paint so that I could see what I was looking at.

Wagon Sheet from Tissue paper

Wagon Sheet from Tissue paper

It holds it’s shape nicely but like many items we model could be crushed with mishandling.

Connoisseur Models Ex GER Sand Wagon

Posted on by

The latest item to pass across the work bench is a Connoisseur Models, Brass/Whitemetal kit of a former GER Sand wagon. I have finished this as a BR example because it’s destined for the small adds to raise funds for Telford. I do enjoy building Jim’s kits and this is no exception giving about 23 hours of
pleasure to get it to this.

Connoisseur Models Sand Wagon

Connoisseur Models Sand Wagon

Connoisseur Models Sand Wagon

Connoisseur Models Sand Wagon

Connoisseur Models Sand Wagon

Connoisseur Models Sand Wagon

Connoisseur Models Sand Wagon

Connoisseur Models Sand Wagon

I couldn’t resist picking out the eylets in weathered brass.

Connoisseur Models Sand Wagon

Connoisseur Models Sand Wagon

More Saltiness….

Posted on by

Finally for me on last weekend’s endeavours, I also managed to get a bit more paint on the Salt wagon.

 

Slaters PO Salt Van - Mangers

Slaters PO Salt Van – Mangers

Slaters PO Salt Van - Mangers

Slaters PO Salt Van – Mangers

I do need to sort the couplings an then get a touch of weathering to tone down the newness..

Another Wagon load from Household Waste.

Posted on by
Following on from a posting about wagon loads from household waste, albeit much belatedly, a gent on the guild suggested that the siphon valve wouldn’t really work as a load due to the size of the screw thread. That made sense and at the time I thought that it would make a load that could be sheeted if only I could make a suitable tarpaulin.
Fast forward to Ian G posting a link to an article on making realistic tarps (http://www.militarymodelling.com/news/article/making-realistic-tarps/3310) and I thought that I might have the answer. Sadly several attempts were made none of which were good enough to me. The first using Kleenex tissues just disintegrated and using the process on thin cloth worked but it wasn’t flexible enough. As a last resort I put a few lens cleaning tissues on one side after they were used to dry out and hey presto they worked.
This is what they look like after being ironed and treated – not much different in looks to be honest but they feel slightly thicker and have a texture. More importantly they can be handled/folded/stretched without mishap.
IMG_8620
Next I cut some styrene discs using a leather punch and stuck them to a sheet to make eyelets. When they had dried I drilled holes through them and then brush painted both sides of the sheet black (the original plan was to spray them but I ran out of time last week). Next out came a cheap stencil and the letters LNER were painted on along each edge and some cotton cords tied through each eyelet.
LNER Tarp

LNER Tarp

In between this while things were drying, etc. I made up a timber cradle for the load.
7mm ScaleWagon load from Household waste;

7mm ScaleWagon load from Household waste;

Lastly I tied it all on – I had to add a couple of staples made from 0.45mm wire to the cradle ends to allow the sheet to be fastened.
7mm Scale Sheeted Wagon Load

7mm Scale Sheeted Wagon Load

7mm Scale Sheeted Wagon Load

7mm Scale Sheeted Wagon Load

7mm Scale Sheeted Wagon Load

7mm Scale Sheeted Wagon Load