How do I make the bricks at the top of a window?

[ColinK]

Hi,  I’m making  this 4mm scale low relief building from embossed plasticard on balsa.

 

 

Making the windows sills is simple enough, but there should be a sort of brick arch at the top of each window, please can anyone suggest how I make them?

 

Thanks.

 

[Fishoutofwater]

Wills kits SS55 brick arch overlays may be useful. Depends on your window width.

[Hibelroad]

The traditional way would be to scribe plastikard sheet and cut out arcs to fit the windows. Yorkmodelrail.com make a range of headers but they are sized to fit their window range so may not fit. 

[ikcdab]

Whatever you do, in 4mm it's going to be fiddly.

My approach would be to not start from here, but use brick paper instead. Download the scalescenes paper, then use ones of their arches or make up your own arch in an imaging editing package.

Not much use for you as you have already made the building!

The trouble with the commercial ones is that they are too thick and stand out too far from the wall unless you can fit them perfectly.

I would definitely go for scribed 5thou plasticard. Use dividers to scribe two arcs then scribe joints radially.

There will probably be a more prominent keystone which you can add on separately. 

It will be fiddly!

Ian

[Vistisen]

I have a program BrickArch that can generate bricks and Window headers  in different sizes. I 'm sure I downloaded it from a Model Railway Clubs website. It was free to use, but I would not pass it on here without their permission. But I can not remember which site it came from,

Edited April 10, 2023 by Vistisen

[Free At Last]

20 minutes ago, Vistisen said:

I have a program BrickArch that can generate bricks and Window headers  in different sizes. 

A search found this... http://www.bwwmrc.co.uk/bricks/

[Vistisen]

1 hour ago, Free At Last said:

A search found this... http://www.bwwmrc.co.uk/bricks/

Thats what I was looking for.  Thanks

[ColinK]

Many thanks everyone for ypur help.

[Stubby47]

Another idea is to use thin card, draw a straight row of bricks, then cut the straight strip out, and cut halfway between each brick. This will naturally curve the strip.

[rovex]

Cut a strip of bricks the correct width for the brick arch.

Then cut through the mortar line on one side about two thirds of the way through the strip. this will cause the brick strip to start curling.

As you cut through more mortar lines the more curl, until you have your brick arch.

Hoped that made sense

[ColinK]

The building is finally finished on the third attempt.  The first one was a Scale Model Scenery kit, but I messed up the paper overlay so it ended up in the bin.  As I still had the windows and doors I tried scratchbuilding one, but slightly larger, that’s the one at the start of this thread, but I wasn’t totally happy, plus some of the windows had vanished, so that got scrapped.  So for the third attempt I bought another Scale Model Scenery kit, but instead of using the paper overlays, I covered it in embossed plasticard and painted it.  To make the arches over the windows I used microstrip cut into individual bricks; they looked a bit rough until painted. To give it more relief I  made the centre section stand out using a bit of 6mm balsa.  So here is the completed low relief warehouse.

 

If you are wondering about the name (made from Slaters letters) it is inspired by Friden Brickworks in Derbyshire, but not a copy of a real building there.  All I’ve got to do now is complete the 009 micro layout it is going on.

 

 

[melmerby]

Nice job, should look good when in place.

[JeffP]

Not sure if this would work in OO, but it certainly does in N.

I used to draw the required brick courses using a 2H pencil onto cartridge paper.

Cut them to size using a scalpel, hold in position above the window with the point of the scalpel, then touch either end with a small paintbrush loaded with MEK.

Edited July 3, 2023 by JeffP

[ColinK]

And its neighbour, uses a window and doors off the Scale Model Scenery kit.