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Pressing cobbles into DAS clay - an idea?


jonhall

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I found myself looking for plasticine in my local art shop the other day (for moulding purposes) and became distracted by the DAS clay, and miliput that were on neigbouring shelves, so I ended up with those as well, just to try an idea that I have wanted to try for some time, even though I have no application for it currently..

 

Cobbles - specifically I wanted to try and get relatively even sized cobbles, over a large area without the awful joints that sheet materials often leave...

 

Step one, I used a smear of vaseline onto the sheet that was going to provide my donor texture, and wrapped a small roller in milliput, then ran it across the surface to be cloned.

 

post-336-0-70559900-1327432815.jpg

 

and waited 24 hours to let the miliput set. I then applied a thin layer of DAS modelling clay to a bit of scrap plywood, and transfered the pattern across

 

post-336-0-90672400-1327432816.jpg

 

a close up of the pattern - I've re-rollered it several times to try and match the pattern up and blend the edges, and this has split some of the cobbles where the index wasn't perfect, but I think this is probably a viable idea?

 

post-336-0-92554000-1327432817.jpg

 

Even if you didn't keep the final surface, it might be an easy way of transfering a pattern across to the DAS so that you could scribe the areas that were not very well defined..

 

Jon

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Jon,

 

That's a brilliant idea, I'm so glad you've mentioned it because I'll need to lay a long (about 6ft) cobbled street which goes over a hump-backed bridge: this is just what I need to do! I'm sure you've seen Brian Harrap's 'Quai 87' which has some beautiful hand-scribed setts, but that could get very tedious over large areas. I'm sure the definition of the pattern will be improved with technique, such as making one firm pass and avoiding the temptation to go back and re-roller it. Maybe you could practice on some plasticine?

 

Thanks for sharing this. Cheers,

 

Will

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Actually the somewhat inconsistent definition and a certain 'softness' in some of it is actually growing on me - I think it gives the impression ( ! ) of a long laid street, where the gaps between cobbles have silted up with debris.

 

Jon

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  • 2 weeks later...

What a neat solution!

 

I`ll try this idea, as I`ve been facing the task of hand scribing setts for some quite large areas of dockside roadways......I plan on using a binary epoxy resin matrix, mixed with a high percentile of a glass 'micro-balloon' filler; to thicken, firm and lighten the finished product, with the added advantage of a slow cure (permitting re-doing if areas aren`t up to scratch)......the roller-mould would be so much more rapid.

 

A very good idea: well done that man! :good:

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I seen something similar, in a book i had a while back,but unfortunately cant lay my hands on it at moment.

 

What the author did was make a stamp with a convex face which you just rolled into the clay.Not had chance to try method yet but another solution,i do like the effect Jon has created though,very nice.

Tel

Edit spell mistake

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Great idea. Where did you get the roller from? I suppose you could use a "seam roller" as used when wallpapering, but that looks wider?

 

I bought it from the art shop that I got the miliput from, there were a range of widths, and it wa described as a vinyl roller. It has a soft surface and relatively little clearance between the roller and the handle, so i suspect a seam roller would work OK

 

I seen something similar, in a book i had a while back,but unfortunately cant lay my hands on it at moment.

 

What the author did was make a stamp with a convex face which you just rolled into the clay

 

I saw an article about using a mould to impress a fake york stone patten into concrete to lay driveways (in 12in/ft) so I may have had the seed of the idea there.

 

I`ll try this idea, as I`ve been facing the task of hand scribing setts for some quite large areas of dockside roadways......I plan on using a binary epoxy resin matrix, mixed with a high percentile of a glass 'micro-balloon' filler; to thicken, firm and lighten the finished product, with the added advantage of a slow cure (permitting re-doing if areas aren`t up to scratch)......the roller-mould would be so much more rapid.

 

 

I wouldn't have the surface too thick, when I started rolling in the pattern the das tended to get squezed out the sides and ahead of the roller, it seemed to work best when there was only a very thin skim of DAS.

 

jon

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Surely though you wouldn't want it uniform? To some extend, cobbled streets can be classed as uniform but then again they're not. If you look closely, the height of a row of cobbles will be the same, but each row will have a different height. The length, though can be completely random. I'm sure that it would look much more realistic if the heights, lengths all be different. That is a superb way of applying it, and will use it when doing my cobbles on a future tramway project, but it's just my take on this situation.

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fantastic idea

how about making your own section first and cloning that? if you put a greater depth of relief in, it might give a more defined end result, closer to the sheet in your original post.mind you, I recon your results look great as they are, certainly more aged.

 

I think it might have been Alan Downes who did the convex stamp. he certainly used home made stamps for stone walls at some point.

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Dave Rowe did a rocker convex stamp for his cobbles. IIRC he also had one designed to fit between rails when making cobbles on tramway track. Basically he made a curved section of cobbles, surrounded it to make a mould, then cast the rocker stamp.

 

edit: I think that may be the one Tel was thinking of. From the book Architectural modelling in 4mm.

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I've just used some Wills granite setts (which is what is shown in the OP). I notice that these have the Wills name and a copyright symbol on the rear. A potential problem?

 

 

I think you would be ok here as he is not copying them and producing them in plastic (~direct copy) also I don't think there is any intention of it being sold

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Dave Rowe did a rocker convex stamp for his cobbles. IIRC he also had one designed to fit between rails when making cobbles on tramway track. Basically he made a curved section of cobbles, surrounded it to make a mould, then cast the rocker stamp.

 

edit: I think that may be the one Tel was thinking of. From the book Architectural modelling in 4mm.

Thats the one Andrew, ive only just found where copy of book had gone( behind bookcase) ,and could i hell as like remember authors name :banghead:

 

Tel

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  • 1 month later...
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What a good idea with the roller!

 

....don't forget that many cobbled streets had 'sweeping' or drain stones at the edges, this could help get around awkward corners, see............

 

http://www.york-united-kingdom.co.uk/shambles/

 

 

http://www.allposters.co.uk/-sp/Winding-Cobbled-Street-with-Double-Yellow-No-Parking-Lines-Edinburgh-Scotland-UK-Posters_i5046930_.htm

 

http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-48732226/stock-photo-coventry-in-west-midlands-england-old-town-cobbled-street.html

 

for instance

 

Doug

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  • 1 year later...

Whilst out and about on the North Yorks Moors Railway, I noticed that the carpark/yard at Goatland has been resurfaced in 'impressed' cobbles in coloured concrete recently (very recently) - theirs look a bit too good if you ask me - and they have managed to get the linear breaks so typical of Wills sheets (although it doesn't show in the photos).

 

post-336-0-83665200-1380314792.jpg

 

post-336-0-91076200-1380314793.jpg

 

post-336-0-80609700-1380314794.jpg

 

Jon

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  • 3 weeks later...

With regard to rollers, you can buy (from dry cleaners/houseware shops) rollers that have either a washable sticky surface or replaceable rolls of sticky tape. These rollers are for removing fluff etc from clothing. The rollers are 4 to 5 inches wide and would be adaptable to take milliput.

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  • 3 years later...

I found myself looking for plasticine in my local art shop the other day (for moulding purposes) and became distracted by the DAS clay, and miliput that were on neigbouring shelves, so I ended up with those as well, just to try an idea that I have wanted to try for some time, even though I have no application for it currently..

 

Cobbles - specifically I wanted to try and get relatively even sized cobbles, over a large area without the awful joints that sheet materials often leave...

 

Step one, I used a smear of vaseline onto the sheet that was going to provide my donor texture, and wrapped a small roller in milliput, then ran it across the surface to be cloned.

 

attachicon.gifcobble1.jpg

 

and waited 24 hours to let the miliput set. I then applied a thin layer of DAS modelling clay to a bit of scrap plywood, and transfered the pattern across

 

attachicon.gifcobble2.jpg

 

a close up of the pattern - I've re-rollered it several times to try and match the pattern up and blend the edges, and this has split some of the cobbles where the index wasn't perfect, but I think this is probably a viable idea?

 

attachicon.gifcobble3.jpg

 

Even if you didn't keep the final surface, it might be an easy way of transfering a pattern across to the DAS so that you could scribe the areas that were not very well defined..

 

Jon

 

Tracked down a cobble embossing tool from RailnScale - https://railnscale.com/2017/02/12/row-paving-fine-with-track-tth0/

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  • 3 weeks later...

If you are happy with a brick pattern have a look at this on shapeways.

https://www.shapeways.com/search?q=OO+Brick+roller&type=

 

If you buy the one with the edge for beside the rail there is also one that does just bricks without the edge.

You can buy as a set....I stuffed up and unintentionally bought just the one with the rail, edge.

 

Anyway it's a possiblity.

Khris

 

PS: Katwigan of this parish was the one who put me onto this!

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Hi

Having tried various methods,materials etc I've settled on the same Advanced Lightweight Polyfilla I use for scribed stonework when making cobbled areas. Big advantage is I don't press into it while soft; I can't get that to work neatly. I let it harden and then stamp with the end of a length of appropriately dimensioned rectangular brass tube. It's clean, fairly quick and allows for changing patterns, following curves etc in a way proprietary products don't allow. It's also very easy to paint by building up acrylic washes.

 

post-11846-0-72683600-1507657972_thumb.jpg

 

post-11846-0-55269800-1507658396_thumb.jpg

 

Regards

 

Ian

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Whilst out and about on the North Yorks Moors Railway, I noticed that the carpark/yard at Goatland has been resurfaced in 'impressed' cobbles in coloured concrete recently (very recently) - theirs look a bit too good if you ask me - and they have managed to get the linear breaks so typical of Wills sheets (although it doesn't show in the photos).

 

coblers008.jpg

 

coblers009.jpg

 

coblers010.jpg

 

Jon

Yes, I've seen stuff like that before their fake cobbled. But it's really cheap compared to real cobbles.

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