Dock Green

[Fettster42]

Hi Chaz,

 

Walls looks good, Can we have a tutorial please?. I will need to do the same to my warehouses on my quayside narrow gauge layout when they get built.

 

For the board join, could you split the main fence posts in two down the centre and have a set of half posts and wires that slot in, held to the in place half with some small rare earth magnets if required.

 

Like this crude sketch tries to explain!

 

 

Leigh

[chaz]

Hi Chaz,

 

Walls looks good, Can we have a tutorial please?. I will need to do the same to my warehouses on my quayside narrow gauge layout when they get built.

 

For the board join, could you split the main fence posts in two down the centre and have a set of half posts and wires that slot in, held to the in place half with some small rare earth magnets if required.

 

Like this crude sketch tries to explain!

 

 

 

Leigh

 

No great secret to painting the brickwork Leigh. I gave it a coat of buff acrylic all over and when that was dry dry-brushed it with brick red. Later, when that had dried right off I dry-brushed matte black over the top. I do intend to try out airbrushing the black, which should put grime into the mortar courses as well. WTS

 

As for your idea on the fence my experience of rare earth magnets suggests that the fence would be pulled completely out of shape when I tried to remove the "loose" section. Or was your tongue in your cheek?......in any case, cutting one of those posts in half down the middle - not sure I could do that.....

 

I must just say that the gaps in the wires are a lot more obvious in my photo than they are when viewing the layout - the wires are scarcely visible at any distance.

 

Chaz

Edited June 5, 2013 by chaz

[Softvark]

I'm really impressed by this cracking layout - can I ask how you made your chainlink fence? I've looked through the pages and I can't see any explanation but I may have missed it. So often it can look overscale but this looks just right.

 

 

 

Julian

[chaz]

I'm really impressed by this cracking layout - can I ask how you made your chainlink fence? I've looked through the pages and I can't see any explanation but I may have missed it. So often it can look overscale but this looks just right.

 

 

 

Julian

 

Thanks for the comment Julian, much appreciated.

 

The chainlink fence?   Well the posts are square section plastic bar, with the top section formed by briefly heating it over a candle flame and then held on a drawing of the angle while it cooled and set. The chainlink itself is a Scalelink brass etch - actually sold as a 4mm product but perfect for 7mm I think. Sadly it's no longer in their catalogue. I was given a couple of etches and by careful cutting I was able to get a length just enough for my factory yard.

 

Chaz

[Softvark]

Thanks Chaz, it gives me ideas and something to look for.

 

 

Julian

[chaz]

Thanks Chaz, it gives me ideas and something to look for.

 

 

Julian

 

You might find it impossible to find any of the Scalelink etches, Julian. I don't know how long they have been out of their range but the mate who gave me two etches had them for a long time. If you do find some, or better still persuade Scalelink to produce more, do let us know!

 

Chaz

[Softvark]

Is it the diamond mesh on this page http://www.scalelink.co.uk/acatalog/Meshes___Mailles.html? It looks like it but it would work out rather expensive for the length I would need.

 

I'm also looking at using tulle - a sort of netting used in dressmaking. I've got some which I'm using for model trawler fish nets which is almost the right mesh size but it will be difficult to get it to be even and vertical for the length of a fence.

 

I'm also thinking of using tinsel wire stripped from old telephone cables for the top wires. The model barbed wire seems really overscale but tinsel wire looks pretty good.

 

Julian

[chaz]

Is it the diamond mesh on this page http://www.scalelink.co.uk/acatalog/Meshes___Mailles.html? It looks like it but it would work out rather expensive for the length I would need.

 

Julian

 

Yes it is, Julian. That's embarrassing - how did I miss it? - when I wanted more I went on to Scalelink's website. My pieces were labelled "F61 4mm". I put "F61" into a product search but it found nothing. I don't know how my subsequent trawl through the pages of the site failed to find the stuff Presumably "SLF61" would have found it? Anyway, thanks for posting the link, if I need any more it's nice to see that it is still available.

 

I assume that "4mm" is a reference to the scale for which it's suitable, as the the pitch of the mesh is shown as 2.5mm. Still SLF61 looks spot on for O gauge to me. Expensive? Well, I suppose it is but it's so convincing I think it's worth the money. However you might be interested to know that I found that if I cut my two pieces the height that I wanted I had two half height pieces left over. I soldered the two offcuts together with a very small overlap and so ended up with three pieces, all the same height.  I sprayed it with grey primer - I did consider adding some rust but decided to leave it looking new. Now it is painted the overlap join is indetectable. I made my factory yard just wide enough so that the three pieces joined together formed the fence without any waste.

 

Chaz

[Donw]

Chainlink is usually a 2inch square hole. Not sure how the pitch is measured. 2.5mm is just over 4in in 7mm so pretty close I think. I have watched a full grown rabbit squeeze through. The fur makes it look like the rabbit has magically passed through.

Don

[HeatherKay]

I'm also looking at using tulle - a sort of netting used in dressmaking. I've got some which I'm using for model trawler fish nets which is almost the right mesh size but it will be difficult to get it to be even and vertical for the length of a fence.

 

Just a thought, but chain link fence often has a horizontal wire or two to support it over a certain height. You might find you can thread the tulle on to fine brass wire to achieve the support you need.

[chaz]

Chainlink is usually a 2inch square hole. Not sure how the pitch is measured. 2.5mm is just over 4in in 7mm so pretty close I think. I have watched a full grown rabbit squeeze through. The fur makes it look like the rabbit has magically passed through.

Don

 

I didn't worry too much about getting the exact size Don. It looks right - which is good enough for me!

[chaz]

Just a thought, but chain link fence often has a horizontal wire or two to support it over a certain height. You might find you can thread the tulle on to fine brass wire to achieve the support you need.

 

Have a look at the snap - a stretch of chainlink fence just up the lane from where I live....

 

 

This fence has three support strands but they are difficult to see. Incidentally the power cable was for an automatic gate which opened in response to a remote control operated by an approaching lorry's driver. (The area used to be used for parking Transit vans from Ford's Southampton factory.)

 

Chaz

[Softvark]

However you might be interested to know that I found that if I cut my two pieces the height that I wanted I had two half height pieces left over. I soldered the two offcuts together with a very small overlap and so ended up with three pieces, all the same height.  I sprayed it with grey primer - I did consider adding some rust but decided to leave it looking new.

 

That is really useful to know. It would definitely make it more cost effective.

 

Julian

[Softvark]

Just a thought, but chain link fence often has a horizontal wire or two to support it over a certain height. You might find you can thread the tulle on to fine brass wire to achieve the support you need.

 

Yes, that was something I am considering doing if I go down the tulle route. I think I need to try it as I'm wondering if the threading will look odd, unless the wire is very fine. I was also wondering if nylon fishing line might be finer?

 

Julian

[chaz]

Yes, that was something I am considering doing if I go down the tulle route. I think I need to try it as I'm wondering if the threading will look odd, unless the wire is very fine. I was also wondering if nylon fishing line might be finer?

 

Julian

 

As you might have read above I use 0.31mm brass wire (which I got from Eileen's) - this is quite fine enough for fencing - although actually a bit overscale, it looks right - in fact depending on the background it can be almost invisible.

 

Another, and much cheaper, possibilty for chainlink is this product....

 

 

I was going to use this until I was given the Scalelink etches. The main problem with it is that the pieces appear to be cut so that the "weave" is at an angle. To trim it to put this right would be quite wasteful. Still it is considerably cheaper than the brass etches so maybe the waste would not matter, or you could ignore the slanting weave and cut it for economy (I wouldn't do this however, IMHO it would always look wrong). The product code is GS329.

 

Chaz

Edited June 6, 2013 by chaz

[Softvark]

It looks very similar to the tulle I am thinking of using.

 

 

You'll have to excuse the garish green colour - I was experimentally dyeing it for use as fishing nets...

 

As you can see from the ruler I reckon that there are approx. 3 links per 5mm, if it's not stretched, which is slightly overscale but not too bad.

 

Julian

 

[Donw]

That form of mesh is chicken wire rather than chain link. The photo of chain link above looks like someone didn't tension it properly. If chainlink isn't tensioned it has no strength.

Don

[switcher 1]

I did hide one of the baseboard joins (and the consequent gap in the post and wire fence) behind a corrugated iron fence but I can hardly pull that trick twice and anyway this section of fence is so close to the edge. So I have just left the wires a little short. In fact the ploy can hardly be seen so I think I will live with it. I had considered putting a couple of big shrubs in front of and on either side of the join but that doesn't look practical in that very thin strip. So unless anyone has a helpful suggestion it will stay as it is....

 

Chaz

Maybe a removable access gate (with a padlock & chain) could be dropped in/removed for this join in your baseboards.

[chaz]

Maybe a removable access gate (with a padlock & chain) could be dropped in/removed for this join in your baseboards.

 

That's an idea. Maybe if I have a moment....

[chaz]

It looks very similar to the tulle I am thinking of using.

 

Julian

 

Yup, Julian, it's probably the same stuff. Buying the tulle is almost certainly going to be cheaper......but my first choice is still the Scalelink etched brass.

 

Chaz

[chaz]

As I work my way through the various tasks on Dock Green there have been quite a number of half-done, "return to that later" jobs. This evening I decided to pick up one of these "on hold" jobs and progress it, doing a bit more work on the excellent street lights that Peter Harvey designed and got etched for me.

I had made the "ladder bars" from 1mm brass wire but these did not look very convincing. The real things are often quite ornate cast iron (?) fittings and they always seem to have a boss on their ends, to prevent a ladder from slipping off. I have no easy way of making them ornate but I thought I could add bosses. I cut some 1mm lengths of 2mm OD brass tube and slipped these onto the ends of the wire.

The first photo shows two lamps, one without and one with the bosses.

 

The second photo shows my way of cutting the tiny bits of tube.

 

The tube is projecting a little from a 2mm hole drilled in a piece of wood. A piercing saw with an 81TPI blade is being used to make the cut. No pressure is applied at all, just the weight of the saw frame. Any pressure usually results in a broken blade or the piece being cut pings across the room never to be seen again. I stop sawing as the cut piece "hinges" down on the last whisker of brass, finishing the cut by bending the boss up and down until it separates. These cut pieces of tube are tiny!

I will solder the bosses in place using the smallest fragment of 145 solder that I can cut from the reel with a Stanley knife. The last thing I want is a great blob of solder to cut away - far better to use just enough.

Chaz

Edited June 10, 2013 by chaz

[N15class]

I find it easier to use a stanley knife (other knives are availiable). If you insert a wire into the tube and roll the tube backwards and forwads under the knife it works like a pipe cutterI can cut pieces down to under 0.5mm in length. I have a block of wood on the bench to save damaging the bench.

[chaz]

I find it easier to use a stanley knife (other knives are availiable). If you insert a wire into the tube and roll the tube backwards and forwads under the knife it works like a pipe cutterI can cut pieces down to under 0.5mm in length. I have a block of wood on the bench to save damaging the bench.

 

Thanks, Peter, sounds like a good idea.  I will give it a try later (I have two more lights to do).

 

Chaz

[R A Watson]

I have used a small pin vice, as used when drilling with small drills, held in the normal vice. The tube will fit through the normally hollow handle with the required length sticking out of the chuck allowing the piece to be cut off but without the need to hold the tube as you are doing in the photo.

 

 

Wally

[chaz]

I find it easier to use a stanley knife (other knives are availiable). If you insert a wire into the tube and roll the tube backwards and forwads under the knife it works like a pipe cutterI can cut pieces down to under 0.5mm in length. I have a block of wood on the bench to save damaging the bench.

 

Excellent - just tried this technique, worked like a charm. Did the remaining four in the time it would have taken to cut one with the piercing saw, so thanks for that, Peter.

 

Chaz