BG John Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Is there a knack to joining Wills slate sheets? I've been cutting several strips off a sheet, and joining them end to end, but the slates don't all line up, and I'm getting a step in some of the joins, even though the back of the sheets are in line. It seems as though the courses of slates are different widths, and the sheets aren't a consistent thickness. Maybe like the real thing, but not helpful when trying to use them! Or doesn't it show too much when the roof is finished? This is the building I'm working on. Any answers that don't involve doing something to them after fitting will be too late for this project, but I'd like to know for future reference. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan downes Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 What I used to do where possible on say a row of houses was to build in a raised party wall between the sheets. This would of course mean arranging each building the exact width of a tile sheet. Hope this helps. Cheers. Allan. Here's an example. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theakerr Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Whilst I love wills brick sheets I don't use their slate sheets for exactly the reason you have found. Slaters make a very good sheet that is thinner and longer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted June 16, 2015 Author Share Posted June 16, 2015 What I used to do where possible on say a row of houses was to build in a raised party wall between the sheets. This would of course mean arranging each building the exact width of a tile sheet. A party wall dividing up a loco shed might make life a bit difficult . Whilst I love wills brick sheets I don't use their slate sheets for exactly the reason you have found. Slaters make a very good sheet that is thinner and longer. You need to realise that I'm a cheapskate, and have a stock of Wills sheets bought many years ago that I'm going to use up before buying anything else . It was much easier working with the embossed Plastikard (probably of greater age!) I used on the walls though. That photo is a rather cruel enlargement, and it doesn't look so bad in real life, but I'd still like to do better. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Alder Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 The short answer is with difficulty....there are other options out there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted June 17, 2015 Author Share Posted June 17, 2015 Oh well. If other people have problems, at least it doesn't just show up my incompetence! I'll do a bit of tidying up, and hopefully a coat of paint may help. It doesn't look so bad from a distance, and will be at the back of the layout! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Holliday Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 I just wonder whether you should have ignored the back of the sheet, if they tend to vary in thickness. Rather than lining up the backs of the sheets, concentrate on the front, as you have done with the coursing, which seems to have worked quite well. Would a generous helping of plastic cement along the butt joint, with a bit of pressure, have produced a slightly raised line which could be trimmed and filed down to match the rest? I have only used their stone sheets in small areas, so I am not really in a position to offer advice! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted June 17, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 17, 2015 How about adding some workmen with roof ladders ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted June 17, 2015 Author Share Posted June 17, 2015 How about adding some workmen with roof ladders ? I'd thought of that, so it's an option. It will need some research into working practices, and the types of ladder available, in 1905 though! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted June 17, 2015 Author Share Posted June 17, 2015 I just wonder whether you should have ignored the back of the sheet, if they tend to vary in thickness. Rather than lining up the backs of the sheets, concentrate on the front, as you have done with the coursing, which seems to have worked quite well. Would a generous helping of plastic cement along the butt joint, with a bit of pressure, have produced a slightly raised line which could be trimmed and filed down to match the rest? I have only used their stone sheets in small areas, so I am not really in a position to offer advice! Maybe, but I strengthened the joins with bits of Plastikard attached to the back, as I didn't think just butting them up would hold well enough. I did try to put some pressure on to raise the joint a bit. I suppose it took a while to sink in how inconsistent the sheets are, but by then it was too late! I've used the Dapol roof on the side that will be close to the backscene, and hardly seen. The slates and courses are just about the same size, but far less sharply defined that the Wills ones, but they are more consistent. I supposed I was fooled into thinking the Wills ones were better in every way!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted June 17, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 17, 2015 Another idea is to paint the two parts of the shed in different states of weatheredness, as if there has been an extension added. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted June 17, 2015 Author Share Posted June 17, 2015 Another idea is to paint the two parts of the shed in different states of weatheredness, as if there has been an extension added. After I made all that effort to make it look like it wasn't extended? "Look, this is where I joined half of the other side onto this side, as I was too tight to buy two kits" . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan downes Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 In the picture below you might just notice the join between the Wills slate sheets on the roof of one of the buildings where it's hardly noticeable. This was done by chamfering a sharp ege to the back of the sheets then when butted up the join shows as little more than a hair line. One of the roofs however, seen on top of one of the the central waiting rooms, shows a less successful join where I forgot to chamfer the adjoining edges ! Hope this helps. Cheers. Allan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted June 17, 2015 Author Share Posted June 17, 2015 I did chamfer them, but maybe not to give a sharp enough edge. Last time I did much serious modelling I didn't need glasses, but I'm currently struggling to find the right thing to magnify my work so I can see things clearly without getting eye strain, or becoming a contortionist, and that doesn't help when I'm trying to do jobs like this! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Roger Sunderland Posted June 17, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 17, 2015 You could try plastic putty available from Deluxe products, or even the white and green putties. All work by softening the styrene surfaces a little, in the same way as Butanone (MEK) does, just not as aggressively. Rub in to the join line with a finger or a small screwdriver tip, trying not to get any in the other slate courses, both vertical and horizontal. If you do get any filler where you don't want it you can remove with a scribe. Once the filler is completely dry, 2-3 days, to be safe, rub down with very fine wet and dry, trying again not rub over adjoining slates. Then scribe in the vertical slate courses every other row of slates. A coat of Halfords primer will highlight any areas you need to revisit and a couple of coats of paint after that SHOULD result in an almost imperceptible join. In saying all this life would be a lot easier if Wills just did bigger sheets! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edmund Kinder Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 Hi I too have had this challenge joining Wills slate sheets together. Basically, I more or less follow what Roger writes above. I join them together as near as I can, wait until the join is dry, push plastic putty in and around the join, when dry use a strip of fine wet and dry around the join, and then very carefully and painstakingly use a scribe and a flat bladed knife to re-do the join. I use Humbrol 64 to paint on around the join to highlight any areas a need to redo again, and then when dry go again with putty, wet and dry and then scribe etc. Whilst what I've finished with is not 100% perfect if you zoom in with a camera, at normal viewing distances you can't see the join. The two pictures below are from a terrace I scratch built. I took these pictures this morning using the macro mode setting on my camera. I've used white arrows to illustrate the join. Close-up, the roof on the right looks a little wobbly on the join, but at normal distance its very difficult to see. Best regards Edmund Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted June 20, 2015 Author Share Posted June 20, 2015 That looks good Edmund. I don't think a bit of wobblyness on a slate roof is a problem, as it's a natural material, and many roofs aren't perfect! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold mudmagnet Posted June 22, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 22, 2015 I've only recently used the Wills sheets and some of the joints can be tricky to get lined up. Careful preperation helps. Make sure that the ends are square along the joint and that the front / facing edges butt before the rear / plain back. I then glue a 40thou plain plasticard backing piece and ensure that dried before fitting the second roof section. This is aligned at the front and pushed tightly up the first. Then the glue is applied - I use EMA - and apply to the front whilst pushing the two sheets together. This sufficiently softens the plastice to help fuse together. Then leave to dry overnight. If required, the joint can be dressed with a small file and then where necessary the individual slates can then be re-scribed. Careful painting will further help to hide the joint. Additionally, if heard of some modellers using a soldering iron to melt the two edges together. A little drastic, but not tried this myself. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan downes Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 The use of a sodering iron to fuse two sheets of Wills course stone works very well but I wouldn't advise it where slates are concerned. Cheers. Allan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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