westerhamstation

Good to have you back Al, great pictures, and no more offroading. All the best Adrian.

Happy Talk - Captain Sensible

The chimney for the platelayers hut has been made, and just needs painting before finally being fixed in place. It's made from card, clad with plasticard and a bit of tube for the chimney.

When You Wish Upon A Star - Jiminy Cricket ( from Walt Disneys Pinocchio )

Sunshine Superman - Donovan

Pilot Of The Airwaves - Charlie Dore

Typical, this must be the only platelayers hut in the world to have a wooden bridge gauge tied to the front of it, so it's something else to make from cut down and thinned coffee stirrers (what a suprise) I have also added some bits of additional timber that had been added to the hut over the years to hold the corrugated iron over the window, and around the edge of the roof. Next will be the chimney and the final painting.

Way Down Yonder In New Orleans - Freddy Cannon (not one of those fab four)

Tiny Blue Transistor Radio - Connie Smith

Going To Make You A Star - David Essex

Have you brought any corrugated iron lately? £32 pounds per sheet, I am not paying that. I need two sheets for the platelayers hut, as there is a big hole in the sleepers and the window frame has rotted and the glass has dropped out. So as I am not as rich as Bill Gates, it's time to make some. Out to the freezer and get a Cornetto (other frozen goodies are available) unwrap your Cornetto and eat, then get a block of wood, superglue some left over bits of piano wire to it, and it let dry. Next take a piece of your Cornetto wrapper and lightly sand the silver surface so that the paint will stick. Lay your bit of wrapper over the wire and rub it firmly all over with your finger. then give it a light spray with some grey primer, and cut to size. Some pictures of the process, sorry I do not have enough Cornetto's to share out. Ps I could have used Plasicard but then it wouldn't have been as much fun.

Hi, It's just a touch of green enamel thinned like the grey, and washed in while it's all wet. All the best Adam (aka Adrian).

You're A Pink Toothbrush - Max Bygraves ( serves you right for beating me to it)

Hi, its just cheepo printing paper stuck down onto card with PVA, and when dry torn around the edge of the card, then painted with dark grey enamel that is more white spirit than paint, really it's just coloured white spirit . Hope this helps all the best Adrian.

Things - Bobby Darin

The roof has gone on, and a door has been made. When the glue had dried on the roof, the paper was torn to give a ragged edge to look like well worn felt. The door was made from a piece of card with the planks marked out with a scalpel, and then the surface of the card removed to give it some texture, the hinges are cut from thin card and a lot of swearing. Its all been given a first coat of paint. I still have the back wall to finish and the chimney, also the bits and pieces that are on the front of the hut, so some more pictures for you, and thank you for all your comments and clicks.

Have You Seen Her - The Chi lites

Was it deer.

A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall - Bob Dylan

Hi Kevin, you will be relieved to know that it's not your snooker table that I am cutting on, the legs of that got used to make coffee stirrers. It's the Bumfold mat from Ikea (or what ever name they call it ). about a £1 or so made from polypropylene. all the best Adrian

Just a little bit done on the platelayers hut today, as I am trying to make it last. It's all been clad now with the coffee stirrers, a space has been left on the back wall for the brick chimney. Strips of thin card have been cut and glued on for the battens, when you cut thin card in strips, it wants to curl up like a pigs tail, but if you cut them a little way in on the sheet, and leave the card uncut at the top and bottom and then cut them off they will stay nice and straight, the picture shows it better. The roof has been cut from a piece of card, and the ends of some sleepers have been marked in very hard into the surface with a 2h pencil, also the ends have been nicked in with a knife, the roof has then been covered with some paper and glued onto the roof. And that's it so far.

The Man From Laramie - Sir Jimmy Young

We Are The Champions - Queen

Hi Jaz, what a great job on the repainting of the figures, you have really brought them to life. (do you think you could do the same for my hair).All the best Adrian.

Meanwhile back at the platelayers hut, a bit more work has been done. Two pieces of sleeper (coffee stirrer) were glued together to form the end timbers of the front wall of the hut, and glued to the card. same again at the other end, then infilled with more sleepers, The end wall sleepers don't have the corner pieces, and the sleepers have been layed around the windows rather than going straight across, and then cutting the window out afterwards, as the coffee stirrers are fairly tough to cut. the pictures show the methods better than my waffling. More exciting adventures of the platelayers hut next week.