Dry Stone Walling

[greggieboy]

Hi Guys, does anyone know if there is a manufacturer who supplies 'flexible' (which could follow contours of a landscape) dry stone walling in 4mm scale, or am I asking for the impossible. Lol.  Thanks.

[The Johnster]

I've no idea, but it has triggered a memory of a Pam Ayres poem:-

 

'Oi am a dry stone waller

'an Oi drystones drystone walls

Of all apalling callings

drystone walling's worst of all'.

 

They don't wroit, I mean write, them like that any more!

[Steamport Southport]

4 hours ago, greggieboy said:

Hi Guys, does anyone know if there is a manufacturer who supplies 'flexible' (which could follow contours of a landscape) dry stone walling in 4mm scale, or am I asking for the impossible. Lol.  Thanks.

 

Yes. As well as a few "solid" packs there is a pack of flexible walling.

 

https://www.hattons.co.uk/stocklist/1000464/1000588/1000660/0/javis_scenics_oo_gauge_1_76_scale_bridges_tunnels_walls/prodlist

 

Personally can't recommend it as I've never used it!

 

And there are probably other manufacturers selling similar.

 

 

Jason

[greggieboy]

4 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

Yes. As well as a few "solid" packs there is a pack of flexible walling.

 

https://www.hattons.co.uk/stocklist/1000464/1000588/1000660/0/javis_scenics_oo_gauge_1_76_scale_bridges_tunnels_walls/prodlist

 

Personally can't recommend it as I've never used it!

 

And there are probably other manufacturers selling similar.

 

 

Jason

Hi,thanks Jason. Yes, I have seen the Javis pack, but it just looks like a strip of grey sponge (which is actually what it is) Doesn't look realistic at all. I'm looking for something with a bit more realism, but thanks for the message.

[eastglosmog]

I think it would be difficult to make a flexible drystone wall strip that looked realistic unless the ground undulations are very gentle.  Most walls I have seen maintain approximately level courses of stonework up and down hills.  You will also need to tailor the stone appearance to the local geology - Cotswold stone walls look very different to Peak District stone walls, although both are made of limestone.

[greggieboy]

1 hour ago, eastglosmog said:

I think it would be difficult to make a flexible drystone wall strip that looked realistic unless the ground undulations are very gentle.  Most walls I have seen maintain approximately level courses of stonework up and down hills.  You will also need to tailor the stone appearance to the local geology - Cotswold stone walls look very different to Peak District stone walls, although both are made of limestone.

Yes, I agree. That is, I suppose, why it's not produced by manufacturers. I just wondered if any other modellers have found a source of such a thing. If you don't ask, you don't get !! Lol......Thanks for your reply anyway.

[osbornsmodels]

try https://www.osbornsmodels.com/aloo201-arch-laser-flexible-cotswold-stone-walling-bulk-pack-42999-p.asp

[eastglosmog]

9 hours ago, greggieboy said:

Yes, I agree. That is, I suppose, why it's not produced by manufacturers. I just wondered if any other modellers have found a source of such a thing. If you don't ask, you don't get !! Lol......Thanks for your reply anyway.

Sorry, didn't want to be negative about it, but a few years ago, I was looking into the same thing and looked at a lot of walls to determine what the structure actually was. Came to the conclusion it was going to have to be hand built to get it to look right!

[MattR]

I can definitely recommend the Osborn's flexible walling. 

[MartynJPearson]

If you do decide that the ready made option isn't going to be viable, then this might help... 

 

[DCB]

The Osbourne's look good but the handmade ones look more like northern dry stone walls than Cotswold stone walls which are much neater than Pennine limestone walls found through Derbyshire, Yorkshire etc as the Cotswold stone tends to come out of the ground in thinner slabs than the northern stuff which seems to be great lumps.  Cotswold stone comes in thin enough to be used extensively for roofing albeit its very heavy and a bit porous which is why Cotswold roofs tend to have very steep pitches

Even the field walls tend to be very neat with thin stones seldom more than 3" thick 1mm in 00 scale.  Many were built circa 1800 following the Inclosure (not Enclosure)  awards which consolidated land owners holdings into contiguous plots instead of strips dotted around the parish so were in good nick when railways were built in the 1830s to 80s and many remained good with little or no maintenance until the end of steam, or indeed today.   Where modern builders go wrong is using thick blocks for walls and in not following the contours of the land, up to around a 1 in 7 hill 15% the individual stones of  Cotswold dry stone walls follow the slope of the ground, only steeper than 1 in 7 ish are they laid horizontally.  Building walls stones are laid horizontally but generally only those field walls built by ignorant townies and builders who know no better have horizontal layers and some even have concrete blocks bodged in to "Support" them.  This is nonsense as Dry stone walls move with the land as the land heaves with changes in water content etc while Concrete and cement fracture when the ground heaves and this  dramatically shorten the lifespan of the walls.      Pic of  my son measuring a local road, which is only 8ft 3" ( that's 1 inch in 00,) between walls ....

Edited June 15, 2023 by DCB

[greggieboy]

17 hours ago, osbornsmodels said:

try https://www.osbornsmodels.com/aloo201-arch-laser-flexible-cotswold-stone-walling-bulk-pack-42999-p.asp

 

17 hours ago, osbornsmodels said:

try https://www.osbornsmodels.com/aloo201-arch-laser-flexible-cotswold-stone-walling-bulk-pack-42999-p.asp

Thank you for the link.

[greggieboy]

12 hours ago, eastglosmog said:

Sorry, didn't want to be negative about it, but a few years ago, I was looking into the same thing and looked at a lot of walls to determine what the structure actually was. Came to the conclusion it was going to have to be hand built to get it to look right!

No worries. I may end up hand building them, or using Osborne Models version, but changing the colour, as my location would need them to be grey.

[greggieboy]

6 hours ago, DCB said:

The Osbourne's look good but the handmade ones look more like northern dry stone walls than Cotswold stone walls which are much neater than Pennine limestone walls found through Derbyshire, Yorkshire etc as the Cotswold stone tends to come out of the ground in thinner slabs than the northern stuff which seems to be great lumps.  Cotswold stone comes in thin enough to be used extensively for roofing albeit its very heavy and a bit porous which is why Cotswold roofs tend to have very steep pitches

Even the field walls tend to be very neat with thin stones seldom more than 3" thick 1mm in 00 scale.  Many were built circa 1800 following the Inclosure (not Enclosure)  awards which consolidated land owners holdings into contiguous plots instead of strips dotted around the parish so were in good nick when railways were built in the 1830s to 80s and many remained good with little or no maintenance until the end of steam, or indeed today.   Where modern builders go wrong is using thick blocks for walls and in not following the contours of the land, up to around a 1 in 7 hill 15% the individual stones of  Cotswold dry stone walls follow the slope of the ground, only steeper than 1 in 7 ish are they laid horizontally.  Building walls stones are laid horizontally but generally only those field walls built by ignorant townies and builders who know no better have horizontal layers and some even have concrete blocks bodged in to "Support" them.  This is nonsense as Dry stone walls move with the land as the land heaves with changes in water content etc while Concrete and cement fracture when the ground heaves and this  dramatically shorten the lifespan of the walls.      Pic of  my son measuring a local road, which is only 8ft 3" between walls ....

 

6 hours ago, DCB said:

The Osbourne's look good but the handmade ones look more like northern dry stone walls than Cotswold stone walls which are much neater than Pennine limestone walls found through Derbyshire, Yorkshire etc as the Cotswold stone tends to come out of the ground in thinner slabs than the northern stuff which seems to be great lumps.  Cotswold stone comes in thin enough to be used extensively for roofing albeit its very heavy and a bit porous which is why Cotswold roofs tend to have very steep pitches

Even the field walls tend to be very neat with thin stones seldom more than 3" thick 1mm in 00 scale.  Many were built circa 1800 following the Inclosure (not Enclosure)  awards which consolidated land owners holdings into contiguous plots instead of strips dotted around the parish so were in good nick when railways were built in the 1830s to 80s and many remained good with little or no maintenance until the end of steam, or indeed today.   Where modern builders go wrong is using thick blocks for walls and in not following the contours of the land, up to around a 1 in 7 hill 15% the individual stones of  Cotswold dry stone walls follow the slope of the ground, only steeper than 1 in 7 ish are they laid horizontally.  Building walls stones are laid horizontally but generally only those field walls built by ignorant townies and builders who know no better have horizontal layers and some even have concrete blocks bodged in to "Support" them.  This is nonsense as Dry stone walls move with the land as the land heaves with changes in water content etc while Concrete and cement fracture when the ground heaves and this  dramatically shorten the lifespan of the walls.      Pic of  my son measuring a local road, which is only 8ft 3" between walls ....

Thank you for that excellent information. I will try and get my walls looking right for their location.

[ianLMS]

I used these fixed down with no more nails. Difficult to follow contours exactly but doesnt look too bad.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/50-STONE-WALLING-00-GAUGE-BROWN-SCENERY-NEW-/364173652298?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p4429486.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

 

I have seen hand-built ones using a thin layer of DAS clay which has dried then broken up into tiny peices to give the thin stone layers you may be after. 

 

 

[greggieboy]

5 hours ago, ianLMS said:

I used these fixed down with no more nails. Difficult to follow contours exactly but doesnt look too bad.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/50-STONE-WALLING-00-GAUGE-BROWN-SCENERY-NEW-/364173652298?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p4429486.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

 

I have seen hand-built ones using a thin layer of DAS clay which has dried then broken up into tiny peices to give the thin stone layers you may be after. 

 

 

 

5 hours ago, ianLMS said:

I used these fixed down with no more nails. Difficult to follow contours exactly but doesnt look too bad.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/50-STONE-WALLING-00-GAUGE-BROWN-SCENERY-NEW-/364173652298?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p4429486.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

 

I have seen hand-built ones using a thin layer of DAS clay which has dried then broken up into tiny peices to give the thin stone layers you may be after. 

 

 

Ok,thanks very much. Yes, I've seen various hand made versions on You Tube. I may have to give one of those a shot as it will reduce the repetition of commercially made pieces.

[mike morley]

Tile grout mixed with PVA and emulsion paint.  The PVA greatly extends the time the mix took to dry enough to become useable (72 hours) but without it the 'slates' were so fragile and prone to shattering construction was almost impossible.

 

[joseph benjamin]

I've been using a locally produced cast resin dry stone walling which is a reasonable depiction of that found in the Peak District and can be bent after immersion in hot water for a couple of minutes. My problem is the supplier has retired and the internet isn't very useful.

[joseph benjamin]

There are lots of advertisers on the internet with most of the adverts not fit for purpose, like how long is the product? Is it bendable? while most of the photos are as much use as a chocolate fireguard. At least Osborn's advert is a cut above the majority so I've ordered some of theirs. 

[joseph benjamin]

The Osborn OO scale stone walling arrived yesterday, it looks great unfortunately at 12 mm tall it represents a 3' high wall which I've never seen in the Peak District.