Easy Step`s

[Beano Boy]

Candy Floss stick`s and Lolly Pop stick`s. P V A glue and brush.Also sharp Craft- knife
( Feel free to ask for help and advice from a young child )

Please don`t cut your finger`s off,and don`t cut on Mother`s best table.Use a cutting board.



















Have a go it`s easy and fun,and very cheaply done. Leaving lot`s of money over for buying the more important thing`s like your model`s. BB

[Susofrick]

"like"

[Ben90]

Cool!

[vellek]

"like"

Me too!

[Kekso]

I like your likes guys.... I also like Paul's little tutorial

[Peter]

Thanks for sharing!

[Beano Boy]

Well I thought to do this just to justify buying all those stick`s. When this project ,or two, wait it`s three,yes that's right .When all is finished, I`ll show you all"How to make complete stick`s out of the pieces." BB

[Beano Boy]

Yes ,Candy Floss & Lolly Pop sticks. A line is scored with a craft knife on one flat side of the lolly stick and then snapped in two. The Candy Floss stick is scored on each side and like the other stick snapped in two.
So here are another few step`s to view, and this part will show how I keep these things square,using the cutting board and a big metal clip,and my old plastic Set Square.
Please follow along if you wish too.This is a small part of a Roman Fortification for 28mm,and larger Asterix figures,and normal 28mm figures too like the ones below.





The loose pieces



Two ends are stuck like so,and this helps to keep the project square




These are stuck at each end forming a frame.





The first boards are stuck in place at each end like so.



Above the clip is just clipped onto the table top.It is not attached to the work at all.The cutting board is simply slid toward the work piece and the work piece is held in place by the edge of the clip. All now held straight and true ,and now the real easy work begins simply by applying PVA glue,and checking with the Set Square as one proceeds to lay the boards along this frame.



This is my own little system to hold the piece in place and it takes out any spring in the Candy Foss stick as well.



Just checking it is quite square before other board`s are placed onto the glue.



No need to check every board,or hold them in place .Applying light pressure onto each board laid is all that is required. Each board will hold the one previously layed before it in place. Doing a few and then checking for square again.



The support`s are laid and stuck into the frame as one work`s laying and sticking the boards. This way you don`t have make the frames up first and then waste time waiting for the glue to dry.Then only find out after that frames are not straight or square. This system means you are always working to straight and square all the while. Simple and quick!







Job done,and gosh ! These Romans are keen to show you all what this is. "Come on lad`s get off I need to show the other side now."



Well yes,I made two,and in quick time too.That is after all the pieces were cut and snapped off. My mistake one support angle not stuck as planned,however it`s in place and works just fine. The underside is not going to be seen anyway. You may have noticed that the boards are jutting out on one side of the frame this is an intentional design, because the overlap is needed.

Below a book is placed on top like so for a few minutes until the glue dry`s.





Do you remember the first Easy Step`s?





Above the Asterix Romans,and behind them a guide frame showing where the double gate way will be front and back.

I`ll need another section of what you have just seen made,then two Tower`s .One at each end.This will form the front of this Fortification. Oh! The wall`s you may well ask? Well I`ll show you them ,and How To,later,I Promise! Thank you for following along,and I hope you will visit again.BB

[Dad's Army]

And another "like"...
This is going well Paul, looks suberb already!

[Beano Boy]

I need to make some Wattle Hurdles ( Fences ! ) Model ones that is.So I decided to use cheap cocktail stick`s and string. This method works quite well because there is no marking out to do.



This is another easy step to make. Using a piece of cardboard like this.





The last one is simply tied off,and a dab of PVA glue applied to the knot and all along the top section so as to fix it well to the stick`s.The bottom section needs doing in the very same way.When dried hard the sticks are cut off for this project.



The first of many is made in a few minutes. Another is already set up for the top section to be woven. Thank`s for looking. BB

[Beano Boy]

The first and second corner tower`s are almost ready to be completed,so I simply did this mock up which shows where the floors will be laid. Outlining the area with archers hopefully will give a better impression as to what it is I intend to build.The wall`s have just been placed to define a corner and are not part of this build.

I`m way behind in my work,because of a broken wrist,but thankfully not mine. Mrs B`s Mother had a fall and broke her wrist ,so we decided that she comes to stay with us rather then going into care while it mends.( 6 to 8 week`s,If it mends! ) The poor Dear is deaf,and having the TV up full volumne and subtitles too,has affected the calm relaxed laidback lifestyle we usually lead.I will be working throughout the night again doing things that I must,and scratchbuilding has somewhat been pushed aside as rather a less important activity.
Sometimes needs dictate what action we must take. Perhaps like blucher I could work in the attic!

However I do a tiny something when I can like those simple Wattle Screens that will eventually be fixed on the tower`s.


MAKING GABIANS!











Gabians are so easy to make by simply making the strip into a figure of 8 and gluing the ends.If you want Fantasy ones leave a few lower points on top.Give them a bit of colour and fill them,and they`ll blend in nice.
Much finer smaller scale ones can be made with metal dress making pins and woven using coppor wire stripped from an electric cable. ( OOOOO ) Circles made with the pins stuck through several pieces of cardboard or cork ,and touching each other make it possible to weave a row of them all at the same time. Avoid a perfectly straight line though. Very Fiddley Diddley,and not at all quick,or easy to do.




Above another Mock up this time of the Double Gate simply set up 3D style to check for minor adjustments,and below the result of a slight change that needed doing. .



So this is the adjusted size,of the Double Gate. The wall`s are not part of this build.They have been laid just to show where the real wall`s will be. A battery of Scorpians will be placed on this and other tower`s. I found it interesting that each Roman Legion had 60 . Thanks for looking BB

[Beano Boy]

Above prefabricated frames,to construct a tower,made by myself,but what are the half filled plastic cases with stones for?



The frames had been stuck together,and the side walls clad in board`s,then left overnight for the glue to dry out.

The very next day.
Each piece of cladding is a hand scribed lolly pop stick,and because this scribing process causes the wood to curl up at the edges,the plastic case weighted with shingle will keep the boards flat as the glue dries hard. There are no pins used in my construction.



Both the first and second floor`s can be laid at the same time like this,and later the other two parts of the flooring can likewise be finished. The P V A glue is applied thickly and left to dry out until tacky,and a small amount of glue is brushed on lightly, and the boards laid in place.Then when the boards are weighted down both the wet glue and the tacky stuff acts to create a much stronger bond.




Easy step`s,true.
It takes me about 10 hours work to complete each tower,but I took these shots so you can see in part the design process and work involved. In this tiny scale Pins are not an option the wood would just split.However certain part`s have been simply half jointed using a sharp craft knife mainly in supporting the floors.
I can highly recommend this type of wood for Arts & Craft projects.
It is very cheap ,easy to cut,smooth and without splinters,and strong stuff too.If this type model can take the extra added weight involved in its construction it proves how tuff it really is.



Above Just a mere glimmer,and another use for those tiny stones. BB

[Wheeling Turn]

Great instructions. very useful. THX

[SamSagace]

No button so : "I like" !!!

[Susofrick]

I think that the loss of the like-button can be a good thing. If we want to say something we must make a comment. Looking forward to see all these painted! Phew, hard job!

[Beano Boy]

Thanks guys. Comments are nice to receive. Lots of prefabricated parts to make yet,and clad,but a slight cut in the wood and it snaps off easy like.So not really hard work Gunnar,but working with PVA glue means it takes time to dry,but when dried hard it is tuff and strong.

I guess Easy Steps could apply to anything really.



In long ago happy days I would make Compound Long Bows in my spare time using that P V A stuff .You know the real ones that shoot 36 inch arrows? I always made the arrows ,longer because it takes time to make a complete arrow from scratch ,where as if the pointed end of an arrow broke or got imbedded into a tree,one could simply cut that part of the shaft off the arrow and refit another point.Saving time and money.



I used a weighted pulley system similar to this to test my bows strength over night if they snapped and many did,I made another until I got the results that I wanted.I remember getting 3 good bows from 11 that I had made. Two out of Ash and Elm,and one from Yew and Oak. Not wasted time just good all round quality control.




Above the Nock`s are made from cow horn,but I used hardwood such as Yew to make mine.




Above Goose feather flights 3 fixed well into slits,and finished off tight with fishing line and varnish.This creates spin and this helps keeps them straight and level in flight.




The pointed end of the arrows and crossbow bolts I made from mild steel rods cut to size and drilled out on my old faithful bench drill,and then heated them up and shaped the point with a hammer.My crossbow flights I must admit were plastic,and not leather,but they worked out fine. I should have used my old leather belt to make the flights,but it was holding up my pants at the time.



Yes, I also made wooden 15th century style Crossbow`s too.All the pictures shown above are not my work, but mine are similar, I am far to lazy to fudge mine out from storage,well they are in a cluttered carage on top of rather a lot of builders ladders,that are fixed to the wall,and the one cross bow I still have needs a new bow placed into it.Sad to say I have Bows stored up that I can no longer pull because of my impediment.

Sorry for my Waffle!

However why am I bothering to mention all this? Well there are plans a foot to make working model war machines from wood and string on this topic . I bought some plastic ones and to be quite frank about them they are Naff Awful thing`s,but the figures are fine. The plastic Scorpions I bought are fine,but the larger sizes need to be scratch built with real wood so by having to make them it makes sense to create ones that actually work.Mrs B fully agreed with my thinking. 35 foot range was the last one I made as a child however the steell ball bearing did hit a wall. Ancient Greek String Power!

At this point I would like to mention, that none of these weapons were used for hunting or to take life,they were used on targets only. Thank for looking guys, I hope some found interest. No I`m not making orders. I used to make Musket`s too,but that's an all together, another building storey. BB
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[Beano Boy]

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[Beano Boy]

Working in this 28mm scale there is no special need for costly clamps to hold work in place. Blu tac is all that I use. Very cheap.Wonderful stuff that holds all my work in place.

Above on the table top

Timber beams made by sticking two pieces together. Yes, lots of them all lined up under tension which is simply provided by the blu tack being pushed down onto each side ,just enough to make them all straight and level.Then odd sticks pressed down on top to keep them from flipping up. When the glue hardens all these will remain straight and true and ready for the next timber frame build. On the table two V shaped objects you will see what these are for later.

I must mention this table, it has a plastic type top,which means nothing sticks to it so I pencil mark out my work pattern I wish to work by,and start working without making detailed ten plates needed for multiple frame work. Each piece as seen in other pictures within this topic simply held in place by the blu tack and glued up ,or just wooden pegged! This system is so quick and reliable,and when the work is finished,a good soapy wipe down makes the table top ready for the next uncomplicated job.

The table is was really bought for Jig Saw Puzzels.................................Boring!










"BB,has knocked up the first part of a timber framed medieval building for my little village.I think he has this one half jointed and pegged! I can`t wait to move in. "

I`ve been on light duty`s today.Yes, I badly cut my right hand on a raiser sharp craft knife blade. I gess it is one of the hazids of this scratch-building hobby. Perhaps I`ll try painting some Asterix figures tomorrow. Thanks for looking. See Ya Soon! BB

[Beano Boy]

All the Thingamajigs are made that make up the 8 tower`s. My own design Flat-Pack! Unlike the usual flat-packs these will eventually fit together I promise. Righty O, I`m off out to the tool shed to get the biggest hammer and some six inch nails,just in case that they don`t.
If need be ,( idiomatically! ) ,directions on how to use the hammer and six inch nails will follow shortly.BB