Brick Arches

[Campaman]

Anyone got any tips on how to create the bricks on end arch bit when scratchbuilding a bridge?

 

I am knocking up a couple of test build bridges for my test layout I have made the abutments for my Plate Girder style, and have got a nice set of Arches and wing walls made for the brick arch, but the on end bricks are not going well, actually they arre not going anywhere because I am stumped on how to do it.

 

Edit: for info I tried to post this is the scalescenes forum as I am using their Red Brick texture to do this, but it has been moved here, so thought I had better point out what I am using to build the bridges.

[Poor Old Bruce]

This was covered a few months ago but I can't find the reference to give you. This is a bridge being built on Mickleover MRG's Duffield layout:

 

 

 

For the arch rings, I used Slater's embossed Plastikard for Flemish Bond brickwork, as used for the spandrels. I cut vertical strips through the half bricks, formed them roughly to shape using a former and boiling water and then stuck them to a (3mm IIRC) card backing. The spandrels were made to fit. Coping stones were from Evergreen plastic strips (two together to make the right width with one edge rounded. Painting of the brickwork was dark blue for engineering bricks with a wash for the mortar.

[Campaman]

Thanks for that, my problem is that I am trying to do them with a paper brick texture sheet, to be honest if I was using plasticard I would probably just try scribing them by hand into plain plastic.

 

My thoughts are at this point is to put V nothces into a strip of brick texture that I can then position around the arch, not sure how well it would work though.

[robert17649]

If you are patient enough try using watercolours ,artists quality from tube and a fine brush quite literally draw the arch in pencil and paint between the lines. Mortar can be white acrylic diluted down when the watercolour is dry ,wait 24hours before overpainting.once weathered it can look really good.My dad used to do this all the time .one tube of watercolour costs about three quid and we all learnt to use a pencil and a ruler at school To my eternal discredit I never took any photos of his layout and then he died. He used to build carriages out of balsa,plasticine and all sorts,. he was a great advocate of using paint to preserve the illusion. One thing I could say is that you dont have tp paint every brick the viewer will substitute for spaces as long as the general back gound looks right. Windsor and Newton burnt sienna is a dead ringer for red brick,oddly raw sienna doesnt do quite as well for yellow.

[Campaman]

Robert, Thank you for reminding me of this.

 

I have around 60 tubes of watercolour, and I have just finished using them to paint some stonework on scribed DAS clay for an old stone barn I am building, why I didn't think to do the brick arch with them I dont know. Doh!

 

Will be giving this a try later as I am sure this is going to be the answer to my problem, the arch rings on bridges, due to the bricks being the other way round always look a bit different, so its only a matter of getting it about the same colour.

 

Cheers

 

Andy

[Poor Old Bruce]

My thoughts are at this point is to put V nothces into a strip of brick texture that I can then position around the arch, not sure how well it would work though.

Try it! If it goes wrong, try something else. Remember that the man who never made a mistake, never made anything.

[Campaman]

Yeah, I have tried this and it does sort of work, but I either need to colour the edges of the cuts with a felt tip pen first or give it a wash of water colour afterwards to get rid of the white cut edges.

 

I will also be trying the full watercolour method later when I have more time.

 

Thanks

[karmaplanet]

I like the plasticard effect - you mentioned the use of a former and boiling water - what did you use Bruce as a former?

[Poor Old Bruce]

I like the plasticard effect - you mentioned the use of a former and boiling water - what did you use Bruce as a former?

 

I used some laminates of thicker plastic with someting the same thickness as the embossed bricks in between. It just about did the job but the boiling water did deform it somewhat. Next time I would possibly try wood as it may resist the boiling water a bit(?) better.