Gnutley Grange, another pizza saga and the techniques used.

[Steve Bennett]

Oh no, I hear you say, not another pizza . Well I hope to make this thread a little different, wether it works out or not remains to be seen. I'm hoping to experiment along the way, finding new ways of doing things, for me at least and sharing the findings and the failures, not too many of them I hope. I will also link in to previous threads to help flesh out some of the techniques. It is my hope that we can all learn along the way and that some might join me in getting their hands dirty on some of the projects (more on the first one later).

Well as a starting point, here is where we are at the moment.



Nothing is fixed and may well change. At present the base is not even complete, the track is stuck to a piece of card, but this is only pinned to some polystyrene ceiling tiles, so that could change. Most of what can be seen in the photo, is from previous experiments. Dont expect this to be finished quickly, progress will be made as ideas come along and time permits. I'll start with links to previous threads which describe what is here so far.

First the trackwork
http://forum.gn15.info/viewtopic.php?p=4996#4996

The stonework on the building
http://forum.gn15.info/viewtopic.php?t=651

and the roof tiling
http://forum.gn15.info/viewtopic.php?p=28931#28931

I dont know about anyone else, but I intend to have fun with this. Your feedback and questions are welcome and if you know a simpler way of doing something along the way, please let me know, I hate making the same mistake twice. The first little project is done and I will be back shortly with it.

[Steve Bennett]

First we have a nice simple little project to get things rolling here. There are not many places in the UK, or from what I have seen around Europe, where you wont find old stone water troughs, either in use as ornamental features or for putting decorative plants in around the garden or in village streets. So this seemed a nice little project to start with. Here is a pic of the mainly finished item, I will then go on to show how I did it.



I do have a problem with objects of an irregular shape, most things I make seem to come out too square and even, so I looked around for a material that would not be too stable or hold it' shape too well. A scrap of corrugated card seemed to fit the bill quite well, so an open box shape of approximately 1.25" by 1" by 0.5" was cut out and stuck together, like so.



Once set, a combination of toilet tissue and PVA glue was used to cover it, round the edges and cover the holes in the ends of the card where the corrugations are. This gave a nice irregular shape, as though it might have been carved from a solid block of stone.



Now the next stage still has some room for experimentation. I took the easy route and used Greenscenes textured paint to cover it, the same stuff that I used for the stonework on the building. Once set, this stuff is rock hard and although I havent tried it yet, I think this trough would actually hold water.



I quite like the look of it, but I feel it has a bit too coarse a texture for a trough that could be hundreds of years old. I did apply the paint with a paintbrush, but with hindsight, think laying it on with a spatula or similar tool, might have worked better, maybe I will try another later.

Thinking of other materials for those who cant get the Greenscene paint easily, I think it should be possible to make up something similar from ingredients we already have. A mixture of plaster, PVA or white glue and latex/emulsion paint, should give a similar result, I would think, maybe even Papier Mache could work. If anybody has any further suggestions, dont be afraid to say.

One final pic, for the moment, it just has some greenery from Woodland Scenics Foliage Clumps placed temporarily in it, until I can work out how to do some pretty flowers .



Comments, feedback and suggestions welcome, I hope this becomes an interactive thread with input from others, for the benefit of all.

[andrew milner]

Steve, I was just about to agree that the texture was a bit rough when I saw the finished ' version with the plants and it looks great . I think the inside would have worn smoother with use in real life but as you can't see it, I would leave it 'as is'. Nice to see this thread, sure we can all learn

[cookie]

Nice pizza Steve

Great idea to run thread with tutorial style features, demonstration is often the best way to learn new skills, pick up tips and motivate, I know it works for me in any case
I'd not seen the Heywood cast iron sleepers before and I do like them, they've sent my mind a wandering...
Could you possibly squeeze in a quick note on how you do the signs at some point please? They look absolutely spot on..

Steve

[Steve Bennett]

Glad it meets with approval so far. As for the pizza, it remains to be seen if it gets finished, could just be an excuse for a thread . As Cookie picked up on, the aim is to bring a pool of ideas and techniques to the fore and maybe demonstrate how they can be used.

The idea for the cast type sleepers/ties, came from Chris Krupa, so we have him to thank for this. I simply followed his example and as he isnt equipped to show his work on here, filled the gap.

The signs How long have you got . In simple terms, they are made up from little bits scattered around the web, then brought together, cut, paste, modify and the like in MS Paint, then further work and lettering normally done in Adobe Photoshop. Not much is my own work, apart from the layout. The example shown here is a good one, the artwork part is now one file and to that i can add the lettering at will, so changing the name for instance, takes but a few seconds. The logo for Gerry's Gneiss Farm, was done in the same way, but with the advantage of having a complete logo to work from. Here are the various steps.

Original logo


Text removed


New text added


And from that a different shape version developed


Hope that helps a bit.

[michael]

Steve I think you need to try a smoother sided stone trough, most of the ones I remember were of granite or similar materials, This would have made the trough a little bit easier to clean out in their day. Also the smoother sides would have been less suceptible to alge growth.

Of course you will now dive into your incredible archives and show me all sors of rough stone troughs

This is already a very interesting thread that is triggering too many ideas in my head.

[cookie]

Ingenius Steve, the end results certainly look worth mastering MS Paint etc Thanks for the reply, it all looks so easy when you it see it step by step......

Steve

[dr5euss]

I see you left the alcohol % off the new sign Steve, is that legal?

Trough looks good, I like the way it matches the building Maybe raise it up to waist height on a couple more stone blocks with a simple drainage pipe below and a rusty grill and tap on top?

[Jim Snee]

Hi Steve

This is great, I like the stone trough. From my memory I think it could be either smooth or rough as individuals choose.

For the smooth one your original covering mixture sounds good enough once painted and with a little Green brushed over the outside. My memories of the troughs at my parents home was the stone turnng green over time.

I'm looking forward to see what other inovations you share with us.

TTFN

Jim

[Gerry Bullock]

I see you left the alcohol % off the new sign Steve, is that legal?

Are BUT It's on the Barrel sign George
Certainly looks a great start Steve. I can feel another project coming on

[Steve Bennett]

BUT It's on the Barrel sign George

Yes there were quite a few interim designs of Gerry's logo, far too many to post here .

As to the trough, I want to do a smoother one, for a more granite look to it, but yes they do come in all sorts of different stones and textures, even reproduction ones in concrete these days. A tap or pump to go with it is already on my mind, need to figure a way of doing it, so if anyone else has any ideas.....

Glad to see the positive comments, it encourages more thought, you might regret that in time .

[David Nix]

This is a great idea Steve, looking forwards to future developments.
For me, the trough is about right, though it will soon need some green colouring, particularly on the north facing side or where water drains over the top edge - that green stuff seems to appear at a much faster rate than it used to, even some growing on my car, but then I ought to wash more often.
On seeing the opening photo of this thread I read HONEY as HORNBY, you can't help some people.

[SOUTHPASS]

G,day....Not really a pizza person myself, more fish & chips .
Good idea Steve, I will be watching close for hints to add to my .001% of knowledge .

[Gerry Bullock]

A tap or pump to go with it is already on my mind, need to figure a way of doing it, so if anyone else has any ideas.....

Glad to see the positive comments, it encourages more thought, you might regret that in time .

If it's a straightforward Tap Steve the one I bought for £2.70 with the hose is worth considering. Not worth even trying to make one at that price

[Steve Bennett]

If it's a straightforward Tap Steve the one I bought for £2.70 with the hose is worth considering. Not worth even trying to make one at that price

Yes, I think you are right Gerry. There are also several hand pumps on the market which are not expensive which would go well with a stone trough aswell. A pump would be more appropriate for an earlier period of course and a tap for a more modern era.

[Steve Bennett]

I tried a few experiments with the painting of the troughs last night and here are the results.



1. The original as described earlier

2. Using the Greenscene textured paint again, but applied with plastic toothpic instead of a brush. As I had hoped, this gives a slightly smoother finish, but still enough texture to create a few shadows.

3. Done the same as 2 above and then a wash of green poster paint to represent algae/moss growing on it. I tried green weathering powder first, but this didnt work very well, I think the surface was too rough for it to stick to properly. This one is mounted on some bricks from http://www.richardstacey.com/

4. Again using the greenscene paint, but this time diluted with water and the courser particles allowed to settle. Not really happy with this one, it has lost some of the solid look to it and although not important, is nowhere near as tough. The surface is smoother, which I was after, but I think more care is needed to get the structual shape right first, before applying the paint, which all takes time, I'm not sure the end result is worth the extra time.

5. Finally, a different finish on this one. I made up a slurry of papier mache, white glue and latex/emulsion paint. This was then applied with a toothpic and pushed and prodded into place. This one took ages to do and getting a reasonably even coverage without any gaps took a bit of practise. The end result though is pretty good. I think using plaster instead of the papier mache, might have been a better mix, might try that later, or maybe not .

I think that probably wraps up this little project, until I start planting or adding other details. I hope someone might be encouraged to give something similar a try. Whats next good question, I have no idea

[More_Cats_Than_Sense]

Thanks for taking the time and effort to try out the different techniques Steve, much appreciated

[andrew milner]

Hi Steve, thanks for taking the time to make the mistakes for us . While I agree it is probably not worth making a pump cost wise, it would be of interest to see how YOU would go about it

[dr5euss]

I agree with Andrew, it'd be interesting to see a tap made

[DCRfan]

Whats up? I go away for a few days and another pizza is delivered with lots of comments how good it is but I can't see any of the photos

[Gerry Bullock]

Whats up? I go away for a few days and another pizza is delivered with lots of comments how good it is but I can't see any of the photos

That's easy Paul you must have emerged in the Antipodean Timewarp, well known in Dr Who Circles - he's about to surface once more on the TV.
You can take our word for it they look great

[Steve Bennett]

Whats up? I go away for a few days and another pizza is delivered with lots of comments how good it is but I can't see any of the photos

I guess there might have been a problem with Photobucket when you looked Paul, all seems ok now. You havent missed much, the pizza is a long way from going in the oven yet .

[DCRfan]

Ah now I can see the photos. Magic.

It might not be in the oven yet but the topping is certainly stacking up nicely for a super supreme

[Steve Bennett]

It might not be in the oven yet but the topping is certainly stacking up nicely for a super supreme

Thanks.

[MOG]

How many different modelling tips/techniques are you planning on covering here Steve??

Those sleepers btw - any chance of longer ones for points/turnouts/switches?
Still got a couple of packs I bought from you a while back.