iL Dottore's GTH Project - Lessons Learnt

[iL Dottore]

Now that the euphoria (and relief) at completing the GTH (started - would you believe it - as an entry to RMWeb's 2008 Project) is over, I did some thinking at what I had learned in creating Brunel Terrace

 

What worked:

• Creating the plans in powerpoint, using as a starting point architect's drawing of Trinity Church Square resized (in powerpoint) to 4mm/foot
• Building the masters out of plasticard and embossed plastic sheet
• Using MicroMark's two part resin and two-part silicon rubber moulding material
• Using acrylic paints

What didn't work well (and why)

 

• Creating the master for one individual facade and making the walls prototypically thin
  • It would have been just as easy to make a series of three facades per master with thicker (say 4mm - 6mm thick) walls - this I feel would have reduced or eliminated warping and minimised the amount of time trying to get the facades glued together straight

  [*]Using too little silicon rubber in my moulds

  • having to import the material from the US meant that I tried to be sparing in the use of the material - a BIG mistake - thinner silicon rubber moulds meant that pieces warped during the curing and required them to be taken out of the mould at the earliest possible release time and gently straightened out (which didn't work too well)

  [*]Switching resins during the project

  • In order to cut costs, I swapped to a UK sourced two part resin I found on the internet - not as good as MicroMark's resin by a long way!

  [*]Using superglue

  • Sometimes it worked, mostly it didn't (the MicroMark resin was the most amenable to superglue). Two part epoxy resin glues of different types were used, more or less successfully. Most of the model is held together by an unholy concoction of two types of superglue and three types of two-part epoxy resin glue
    

  [*]Using acrylics

  • Although working beautifully on the resin castings (much better than enamels), as I had to mix-up each batch of "brick" from various acrylics I ended up with a rather piebald brickwork - despite always following the same "recipe". Next time, should I need to mix my own batch of colour, I'll paint absolutely everything I can that need such a mix at the same time

  [*]Mixing grain of wheat bulbs with LEDs

  • More of a "not advised" rather than a failure - as the different illuminated room interiors have different lighting levels because of this - whilst all running on 12V - but it is acceptable

  [*]Being ambitious and not reading the architect's plans/my scale drawings!

  • I had originally planned to install a smoke generator in the chimney stack - but the final (prototypically scaled) size precluded against that. Next time check the plans before opening my mouth!

  [*]Working in "mixed media" (cast resin and plasticard)

  • Not the happiest of partners, installing the interiors (built out of plasticard) required HUGE globs of 2-part epoxy to fix the interiors in place. Although, to be honest, the MicroMark resin was a lot more managable "marriage" partner

Thank goodness paint and filler (and the front, sunken, gardens) hide a lot of sins! It really doesn't bear close inspection. But it's done and I'm looking forward to the next building to bodge!

 

 

F