scratch - building with BB

[Beano Boy]

Beat to Quarters! The island is finally spotted.




118 Guns

As this appeared so appealing over the horizon i thought why not do two conversions.





https://youtu.be/lA8dxvmZ6HI

Ships present at the Battle of the Nile 3rd of August 1798 BB

[Beano Boy]

As i wait to be able to work on sailing ships of the Line, it is...

BACK TO MY SCRATCH - BUILT TREE'S
i began making them in October of 2019, before the whole world went mad.



So i found myself making up a batch of wet water.
All water is wet and cannot get any wetter. Declared WingNut.
Very true,but that is what it's called.
this is bb's own cheap brand. Costing all of 3p.
You can laugh now. said the well read Book Worm.



This will make a waterproof colour wash up for a few Pennies.



The small sized part of the yogurt pot was filled with tap water, and then tipped into the larger size and three dip fulls of waterproof glue was added by the brush and stirred in. Three small drops of washing up soap was also added. It does break the surface tension allowing the wash to stay on and not just run off leaving it white.



Into my small paint brush tub it went sailing in.



And adding more volume to the dirty water mix ,where i usually stand all my used brushes saving time by not having to clean them. A quick wipe on kitchen paper then they are ready again to dip into the paint and use again.



The homemade wash for my trees is ready to use.



The silhouette in the garden.



I brushed it onto the tree....



then onto four more. The old TV Guide from four months ago came in handy.
We ain't bought one since either, so i'm down to the last few pages. Hey! I was a reading that!
No WingNut, you were looking at the pictures.
i think it's time to go? It sure is Pards.

Do pop in again to see the results of casting up their bases,
then dressing each one up. So hopefully i'll see you again.BB

[Beano Boy]

i have over a hundred trees to dress up in their own highly
distinctive canopy of coats and wide brimmed hats.



i would like to finish this collection by October of this year 2020.



Next: Pouring the base,then planting the tree in the wet mixture.
The paper card not cheap to buy or expensive either,
stops the damp casting from bending and cracking upon removal.
i have five of these and hopefully i'll be painting each base soon. BB

[Kekso]

i have over a hundred trees to dress up

Busy, busy man... work, work

[Beano Boy]

This Desert Sand will go Silicate Stone hard.

This is my daily hobby style fun a vocation of dusty fun.
A very minor part today with two trees planted.
i have known the harsh staves of real work and this cannot even come close in comparison. BB

[Dad's Army]

Building a forrest now, you keep suprising me Paul.
I hope your house is big enough for all these projects!
And Ms. B doesn't want to clean up whole day, lol.

Those ships from Black seas I have seen with Benno.
He is making a Dutch fleet of them now, also impressive!

Keep up the good work my friend!

[Beano Boy]

Thank you Remco,
the five tree's are special made for a photo shoot as a back drop of something big later.
Yes running out of space here that is for sure. BB

[Beano Boy]

............................................ PART ONE


The cheapest brushes suite my hobby style life just right, as i use them mainly for mixing up Plaster of Paris ,but as they wear down i keep the handles in a very large make due bundle in an old dusty glass jar.i often think that the jar looks much older than myself at odd times. Upon later reflection of course i am much more tattered and torn than that dusty worn out Pickle of a thing that now holds gleeful childish things.
Ya!
bb, never throws out good reusable stuff.
Yes look at me i'm still here.
Yip! We sure are saddled with WingNut.
Entry in the journal,' We few, We happy few,...'

Lets get on with the WHY. of it all. Asked Winky!


OK! Here goes.



Nothing will ever dare try eating these wire things.
Not even a well read Bookworm like me.
They had to be twisted upon a stick all stretched out , so i thought why take them off ? i'll use the stick as a base.
This does look like a second helping of a once upon a time adventure!
It does? yes,and with more pictures to peer a deep eyeball upon.



The Hawthorn Hedge Row sure enough needs a high bank of earth ,
and flint stone beneath its boundry line .
Above in the picture it would seem to fit in nicely.
i bet poor Robin. could get lost in there Pards.



The base now made of stick and glue and kiln dried sand is handy having
the brush handle sticking out of one side.
That base is now hard as rock candy!
Boy, do i wish i had some of that sucking sweet stuff.



And so it was i piled up topsy turvy-like globs of PVA Glue that
i'd left in a glass jar to dehydrate over a few days with the lid off
After all i needed it to be globby,.. Thick and Lumpy!
That appears to be a sticky type tip for a playful smiling day?





Normandy bocage,showing the bank and Hawthorn hedgerow , with the well worn cart track meandering its way through between the two. Of course i could never end up with a picture like this.However i want something that will not fall to bits every time i handle and move it.



For now i'll let it dry out into a clear look through resin before continuing on with another layer.
I wonder what it will look like in the end?
A toy like look is OK with me.

................................... PART TWO



Three glue glob and sanding's later...



It is all silica and hard as rock!



As it is free-standing this could be painted and simply dry brushed!
no that is by far to simple for bb.

This and others will be painted making it a good sound base for my homemade foliage to stick to. So designed that not one branch will spring sending out showers of canopy stuff all over the show.
i make far to much mess now without extra showers
landing me in it with my Dearest Mrs B.

To play each day can be an awfully big messy adventure. BB

[Beano Boy]

............................................... BEANO FUN TIME... O', No not again!
Why not? join in?
Ya! Never mind about the WingNuts of this world Pards!
It might get crazy? After all who wants normal?
i was normal once it was the worst 15 seconds of me life.
So while i sip my tea, Just follow along.

Peter, hates tea. Yuck! So he might well throw up!
It will certainly make all the daily papers. i guess so?

OK ,Guys settle down.

A silent hush! Fell upon this open page.

i have long thought with the passing of time even torn up paper could have a use in a day of display,
and that certain somethings could also be left for others to use their own imaginations upon.



The word had spread far and wide concerning a certain cabbage patch.



That some of the little people just had to come see it on opening day.



And even have a closer look.
No cabbage white butterfly caterpillars were seen munching away here.
Well they had no taste for it, it seemed.
it being paper soaked in watered down glue.

So lots of little people from all walks of life came.
They like the cabbage patch are very rare indeed.



They even took a tour around the local landmarks.
and posed while their photographs were taken.



At long last they were showing colour like none before.



Eh the book! Shock! Shock! i'm not shocked at all.

i'm very glad to say that i never have looked in that great big book.
Why on earth should i when i've already got a head full up with paper ideas ? BB

[MABO]

I love the figures, Paul!!

[Beano Boy]

The twisted tree area was lots of prolonged fun
to design and make last year. They await their
top hats but first the Hawthorn Hedges need
making up into long stretches that will flank
each side of the sunken dirt track and the
hard wearing wooded area.

Of course one gets to play with soldiers
placing them motivates and delivers fresh ideas.
And as the troopers trot down the sunken way
as always out come the camera's .



The 20mm Rifleman.



A French Dragon.



This was the first scratch built sample i made.



This is a large batch of wet water and paint!



It can get messy so BB, dipped them in after a good stir.
then they were all placed in the oblong drip tub to dry before
dipping the other ends.



Each hedgerow strip being hard as rock certainly have large contact areas now.



i am drinking coffee as i finish this plonked on part.BB

[Peter]

i am drinking coffee as i finish this plonked on part.BB

Finally you drink something with taste in it!

Nice hedges!

[Beano Boy]

Sample One with slopping sides,
and endings for new butt up close beginnings..
i trimmed the base into a mound on both sides.
These will form part of the ditches alongside both a wooded area
and a well worn sunken cart track. It,s a medieval Gothic thing.



LEGO BRICK MOLDING BOX



State of The Art Tools are a must for anyone to use.



Sample two,
Thick wire feet was wired into supportive place.



They raised the hedge up to the correct height that was needed,
and would provide good deep set anchorage points.
There is no great need for a floppy folly! Gee! i like floppy!
That's Tough!



Yes this system would work well,
however i did remove it to make it very simple indeed.



And so it was number two sample was cast up with the use of
Cold Tap Water,
Plaster of Paris,
plus Gerbil Sand,
fresh from the desert of YEMEN,
and OMAN in The Persian Gulf.



Having cast up thousand of molds there was no need to be concerned
about bubbles.They pop themselves when this stuff heats up.



This leaves three more samples to do,
but i`ll show all when they are stood a standing in place. BB

Entry in the journal,BB, drinks coffee.
There is a true story that goes along with that event and why?
A comic book though would only ever do it the full justice it deserves. BB

[Beano Boy]

A fast track way of cheap and cheerful 28mm Fencing is ongoing.

So with hedgerow drying out, now some simple cut outs will fill
a little piece of my time.



There are two post sizes to this 24 foot fence.









The cut out sections will be used too.



Posts are longer because they'll be set into a base making them free standing.



Building up the thickness of each post either side will create the fence. BB

[Beano Boy]

What an explosive day i've had.
The fence got trashed while i played around with it so a plan B later will certainly apply. What!
And i broke the very hot Tea Pot Lid,sending it crashing down scattering sharp showers as it hit the stone floor. It shattered into fine flying china pieces within a sharp sounding second.

Bella,shot out of her basket where she had been taking a cool doggy style snooze ,
and disappeared from sight in a flash!

Now i put it to you,' am i to blame if it by burning my finger tips,cause little me to drop the darn thing?
Mrs B,while laughing along with me declared,
'That's four you've smashed now. That's four Tea Pots without lids Paul'
As number four took its place alongside 1,2 and 3 on the top shelf of the wall cabinet in the kitchen,
i suggested ,"Well we could plant them up with something in the garden?"

i think BB,ought to order them by the dozen?
Well that's certainly the way to save money
by getting combined postage. BB_________ ! ! i ain't shocked!

[Beano Boy]

THE MAKING OF MY FRUIT TREE

The plastic coating helps fill out any tree,so why remove it?

24 Cut lengths were twisted on a stick. That was done by folding the wire over at its middle point,then after gripping it with pliers
the stick was turned and not the wire. This made for a good start and is a good tip to pass on to others,and perhaps they then can pass that information onto others.



With that done the wire was split into four sections of 6.
Of course it could be split into 2 or even 3 parts.
Each in turn were twisted into branches a short way up.



Then they were split again into two with 3 either side.



It was then time to cut sorter lengths of thin garden wire.



No measuring was required just a rough gauge set by my scissors. 24 Pieces were cut off the spool.



i needed three lengths of wire.
I'm lost already.
Don't worry WingNut BB,will find you.



By laying them across the 2 split sections the middle defined each direction to be taken,so three pieces would help add up to...



6 again on each jutting out branch. very simple,
said the little Button.



Two extra lengths of wire were then folded over and under each middle section and twisted tight . So 4 more had been added.



So there are the 10 now formed.
Four in the middle. with two either side of it.



It soon took on its finished shape of 80.
What! Eighty?
Yip!







All pulled through in such a hand some way
developed the tree top.



Attention was then applied to form the four large roots by unwinding them from the wire that had been wind tightly around the wooden stick.



This is another tree made the self same way, but that has three branches atop the main trunk of this tree.
the tiny fellows seem very content with the outcome.

I'mmmmm!



After trimming the tree was painted with thick set PVA Glue.



i always decant my white water proof glue in a small jam jar then leave it be for a few days with the top lid off,so it dehydrates thus becoming thicker. This avoids the glue from running off and making a puddle of a newspaper mess. Logic applied beforehand certainly helps.

All the trees were painted with very cheap acrylic paints that come in very large size plastic tubes. And soon after were plonked into their bases that were filled with a good sound light homespun resin.
That again was a LEGO molding box moment.

Well that's it for now guys.
It's time to go type a few brand new pages elsewhere.BB

[Beano Boy]

it is 3 either side said WingNut!

[Beano Boy]

MORE WORK ON THE HEDGEROW



Last time saw the bases cast up and the sloop trimmed.

Now i was to use the rubble and sandy plaster clay to put an overcoat layer on each base, for such rubble is fancy free, with no more extra cost. It was mixed up and crumbled on by rubbing between finger and thumb on a wishy-wash of watered down white glue.






Why bin it when you can reuse it?
There's no need to paint this.





i left these all to dry overnight.

THEN THIS HAPPENED
SOAKING WITH WET WATER



One full small measure full of PVA Glue!
Plus one small measure full of cold tap water.
And a good squirt of washing up soap.



Soap was mixed in well.



Then glob, glob, glob the white glue was tipped in.



All mixed together.



Another small cup measure of cold water was added
and well stirred in.



Dabbed into place dribble at a time.



It soaked in pretty cool and each base will go rock hard in a day or two.

Must Dash Now! BB

[Beano Boy]

i forgot to add,that the included soap breaks the surface area of dry kiln dried sand,and then the glue just soaks its way in and down. Apply this type of glue without the soap,and it will just roll off the dry sand. i formulated this system modeling stuff on my railway many years ago. It is the cheapest and is one of the most reliable ways to get a good solid base that will last for Donkeys Years.

OK,a word about what others might well do. You Tube is full up with them. They might spray neat tap water over the entire loose laid into place material be it stone ballast or sand,then squeeze out from a bottle lots of watered down white glue all over it, but it will use lots more water and glue than is really needed,and will take many days to dry out.Water usually does unless you live in a hot arid spot upon this spinning planet in time and space.
i have been there sloshing on glue and have done just that as described. And i decided... not to anymore.

My wet water method dried hard over night,which was not bad for
a high humidity and a rather wet period of heavy downpour outside.

and so it was bb,soldiered on pressing the keyboard buttons.

............ ENHANCED MOCK UP SAMPLE
Which is of course is cheating on a grande scale. Eh?



i think it will do? Said the little button.






The 95th and the 60th Rifles defend the wooded area.

Of course flocking the treeline and ground will need doing to bring
Wire,Plaster,Paint and Glue into full view.

It always feel good to lend a hand to
others especially at this heart felt time.

From the evergreen gardens of Fiddle Wood UK.
Stay Safe.Stay Well. BB

[Beano Boy]

1961 HONEYWELL
A young lad is walking to the City with his older Brother Ron,
both have Half a Crown in their pockets earned from fruit picking
during the summer holidays.
It was a long walk to the City,and a very long time ago.
Today Ron,is no longer with his younger brother,
but always he is dearly remembered by the old man,
who once was that little boy.

2 B a Scratch Builder,
is 2 B a Busy ,Busy B !
do u, C me ? BB