7mm Pencarrow - Cornish BR(S)

[Pencarrow]

If the Wills sheet will not hold the curve, and I think the smaller the piece you have, the harder it is to make it retain the bend, could you reform it, either by the gentle application of heat when it is held against a former?

The old fashioned method is to tape it to a bit of pre shaped timber and then pouring boiling water over it, but I should imagine a hot air gun (Used carefully) could do an equally useful job.

Hi Richard, the Wills sheets can easily be curved by either thinning down the material for smaller parts or by scoring the rear with a Tamiya scriber - a very useful tool. With both methods the key to it retaining the curve is to fix it to a curved structural shell.

The plane it, and any sheet material, doesn't curve well in is vertically along brick or stone courses. The trick here is the use of narrow strips of material. I did this on the arch ring from SEF brick sheets, and the Wills course stonework on the abutment.

Curved brickwork for a an arch would be easier using a laser etcher/cutter. I don't however have one!

Part of the enjoyment I get from making stuff is finding ways around not having certain bits of kit. I also find I get more joy from hands-on making with tools than using computers to draw stuff and machines to cut bits out. I'm quite happy, however, to place orders to get bits cut if accuracy and/or the number of parts needed is high...

 

[Pencarrow]

I've had a question off thread about cutting the Wills stone sheet and it being difficult.

The key is investing in one of these:

Mark up and cut the flat rear of the sheet, don't try and get a straight line on the front! Use the scriber to start with, then finish off the cut with a craft knife.

Always over cut parts, and undercut openings, then trim to size using a coarse file. Don't be scared to use solvent to melt joints and reshape later. Also, don't be concerned by gaps or bits that don't look right - filler and reshaping works well in those situations.

 

[Osgood]

I see you have the laser level set on ABS, not HIP (plasticard)?

 

[Pencarrow]

I see you have the laser level set on ABS, not HIP (plasticard)?

I see what you did there, very good.

 

[simond]

I had to look…