Working Lift Bridge Diorama

[Gorby]

1 hour ago, Getunderit said:

her husband suddenly became a health nut.

There's no chance of her thinking that.

 

1 hour ago, Getunderit said:

Then she would simply think you're a nut.

She has already thinks that. 

 

1 hour ago, Getunderit said:

The things we do for more fiber in the diet.

The only way I could eat more fibre, is if I start eating gravel. 

[Getunderit]

22 minutes ago, Gorby said:

The only way I could eat more fibre, is if I start eating gravel. 

We can't have that, or we'll have to call the vet to treat your colic.

There's a reason why they carry a rifle with them. 

[Getunderit]

A while ago I bought an an ionizer, the type you can plug into a USB port. It's quite nifty. It converts 5 volts DC from the computer into an AC signal, then stepped up to a few thousand volts, creating an electrostatic charge. There is a YouTube documentary on how to alter the ionizer into an electrostatic toy. Anyway, I basically did the same alteration for a static grass applicator.

 

Also bought plastic grass. Not the advertised (expensive) static grass, which is the same thing, for it is simply plastic slithers. I bought light green grass at 2 mm, and dark green at 4 mm.

 

Here is what I discovered it can do.

It is only good for small dioramas. This large diorama caused a lot of leakage, even when I placed the display table on rubber tyres for insulation from earth (it helped but not to my satisfaction). Will use this DIY applicator for the average sized dioramas I often see modellers make.

 

 

 

[Gorby]

That looks great.

Being a Brit, I'm under the impression that every Aussie river, creek, stream and puddle is infested with crocodiles (as well as squids of course), so is there going to be any Crocs?

[Getunderit]

No mate. No crocs here. One was seen in 1967 near Lismore, but that was it. They are across the top of Australia.

If I added a croc I would be boohooed as a Queenslander. . . which is worse than being judged as not the full quid for the squid.

Edited March 24, 2018 by Getunderit

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

2 hours ago, Gorby said:

so is there going to be any Crocs?

What do you think the squid is supposed to be eating ? 

[James B]

7 hours ago, Getunderit said:

No mate. No crocs here. One was seen in 1967 near Lismore, but that was it. They are across the top of Australia.

If I added a croc I would be boohooed as a Queenslander. . . which is worse than being judged as not the full quid for the squid.

How about a drop bear under one of the bridge sections? Food for the squid, and found all over Australia! 

[Getunderit]

[Getunderit]

The shire council, in the past year, has upgraded their land at both sides of the bridge. Part of that upgrade includes wooden barrier posts.

 

 

Edited March 24, 2018 by Getunderit

[James B]

You continue to amaze me. Those fences and barrier posts look fantastic, and again such an elegantly simple solution.

 

p.. 

That 'local' photo above gave me a much needed chuckle for a Monday morning!

[Getunderit]

Thank you fellow modellers @James B, @Gorby, @Corsairfoxfouruncle, @Jo NZ, and @LotusArenco for recent reactions.

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Have been experimenting with various ways to create the appearance of water (at a resonable price). These experiments were mostly unsatisfactory, until I was referred to a YouTube clip about using toilet paper, 50-50 PVA-water mix, acrylic paints, and varnish.

 

TEST STRIP #1

Glued crumpled aluminium foil on board. Used High Gloss enamel paint over the foil.

(A) The paint started to smooth out the not so-rounded-edges of the foil; giving somewhat of a watery appearance.

(B) Tested paint's transparency over various shades of white to black. Hopeing to simulate various depths of water. Result: paint is too opaque.

 

 

TEST STRIP #2

Diluted enamel paint with turpentine to use as a wash. Applied up to three glazes onto the white to black shades.

Paint pigment migrated to the bottom and edges of the foil. Foil creases remained too sharp for moderate swells.

 

I discovered that glue does not dry easily under the foil.

 

TEST STRIP #3

Applied 50-50 PVA-water between 4 layers of toilet paper. With a brush I tapped and pushed the paper around until I got smaller ripples among larger ripples. Let this dry for a few days.

First test colour was with the enamel paint. Above (C) I used a wash. The pigments pooled more so. It was the opposite result from what I wanted. (C) is one coat enamel. (D) 2 coats of enamel.

Then used acrulic artist paint to create various shades of water depth (E) and (G). 

When dried I applied a strip of 100% PVA covering, quite thickly. It dried hard, clear and shiny. (F) and (H).

 

 

I just bought the varnish today (clear enamel ultra gloss), and applied one coat on the test strip (#3). It looks wetter than plain 100% PVA top coat.

 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

These are some good experiments you have done. The most realistic looking water to my old mark one’s would be “F” & “H”. Im obviously not familiar with the area you are re-creating. Anything i say would only be a guess, as to depth and tonal differences in the color of the locations water.   

 

Dennis

[Gorby]

'F' & 'H' look good to me as well, but I'm just struggling to get my head around the fact that in other parts of the world, water can be colours other than grey. 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

40 minutes ago, Gorby said:

'F' & 'H' look good to me as well, but I'm just struggling to get my head around the fact that in other parts of the world, water can be colours other than grey. 

Here in Chicago for St. Patrick’s day they dye the Chicago river a very bright yellow green (think chartreuse). It looks like they use Shark repellent dye the type you’d see used by a military pilot thats ejected at sea. Most people in Chicago ask the same question every year ? “Why dye the river” its already green ? 

Edited March 26, 2018 by Corsairfoxfouruncle

[Getunderit]

F and H is what I plan to do, but somewhere in between.

 

The colour of the Richmond River, in Ballina, changes a lot. It is at the river mouth, and tidal. So it varies in colour from chocolate milk, to pea soup, to Teal colour, to deep blue, to transparent blue. Largely depends on the rainfall in the area. The waters at Wardell Bridge has less varients due to being 20 km upstream (though still tidal).

 

The good thing about dioramas is that they do not have to be exactly how it is. Most of the time the river colour at Wardell is pea (and lentils) soup colour, with little transparency. However, I wish to convey an educational point as to why the bridge is located near the north bank. It is the deepest portion of the river. If it water was more transparent it would show the darkest colour. So, there will be varience in colour tone in this diorama.

Edited March 26, 2018 by Getunderit

[Kallisti]

When I do water I used bathroom sealant silicone over a blue/green base. This is what I did for a Dambuster display

 

 

 

Then again you can also get some quite dramatic effects with the silicone as its quite viscous and malleable

 

 

 

 

 

[Getunderit]

Thank you @Kallisti. 

 

I've seen this before, but could not use it for this diorama. It looks too cold and windy, and there will be nothing dramatic to upset the water. This diorama is to be more focussed on the bridge than the water. At first I was only going to apply a few coats of high gloss paint on a flat surface, mainly to allow the boat to traverse smoothly under the bridge. So the water effects, and the medium, suggested above is the opposite of what I am looking for. Since the boat has a few millimetres of gap between water and its base, I allowed myself to get talked into doing something in between flat and choppy. At least the paper mache will also be hard and smooth coated - easier to clean.

[Getunderit]

Thank you @Corsairfoxfouruncle, @Gorby, @James B, @Derek, and @Kallisti for your reactions.

@Kallisti, I forgot to mention that I did like both dioramas you showed above. Shows great ingenuity and artistic talent.

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I forgot to photo-collage the wood debri on other parts of the diorama. So here they are now:

 

 

 

Here, I am still marking the parking area. Did a grass test strip, and glued a clump of experimental grass-debri section.

[Getunderit]

@Kallisti, @Gorby, @Corsairfoxfouruncle, and @James B, thank you for your 

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[Gorby]

Wow, that groundwork is looking good!

[Kallisti]

Love the fire pit! Its small details like that which bring a diorama to life!

[Mancunian airman]

Excellent progress and I too love the two toned grassed areas but surely the 'timbers' on the rive bank look to be excessive ??

[Jo NZ]

39 minutes ago, Mancunian airman said:

Excellent progress and I too love the two toned grassed areas but surely the 'timbers' on the rive bank look to be excessive ??

I'm not so sure: riverbanks in NZ can be piled 2ft high with driftwood  after a lot of rain. I'd say that's pretty light.

[Getunderit]

26 minutes ago, Mancunian airman said:

... surely the 'timbers' on the rive bank look to be excessive ??

Yes, in normal circumstances.

 

However the council laid down many tons of wood chip all along the North side of the river. For instance...

 

 

Like other aspects of this diorama, such as railings, posts, and wood debris, I tried to be universal. Using the same theme throughout.

There is no fresh wood chips on the south side, But they got put in to balance the aesthetics of the diorama.

I guess it's an artisans privilege when the patron has not asked for exact replication.

 

Perhaps if I had a pile of wood chips, as if dumped by a truck, on the south side. That would at least provide some explanation. What do you think?

[Jo NZ]

Well, all the tree waste gets chipped, and they have to put those chips somewhere. Why not? Last time I was in Oz (Perth), I couldn't believe just how much chip is used. In the NZ climate it would rot , get smelly, and support weed growth, but Oz is a bit drier, so it's pretty benign, and just stays as it's put. (Btw "bit" was classic gigantic understatement)