Gern's D-day

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\ said:
Ron, it's a complete mystery to me too. I figured that even if the PVA didn't work, then the water I diluted it with would react with the plaster and cause it to set. I also thought the emulsion I first used would have provided an adequate seal for the polystyrene.Anyway, I'll try one more time with neat PVA. If you hear a loud scream tomorrow, you'll know it didn't work!

Richi - I've got a couple of spare spray bottles and I had thought of mixing up some PVA in water to use as a spray adhesive. How do you stop the glue setting in the nozzle after using it?

Gern
I use clean water to clean the nozzle just spray true it a couple of times, that works fine. If it dries up use a needle to get it back open again.
 

spanner570

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Dave, I'm clutching at straws a bit but, when you mention 'plaster' do you mean Plasterer's plaster i.e. the pink stuff or do you mean polyfilla?

I ask 'cos plaster has a short shelf life, and I'm wondering whether it's out of date?.....if it is then it might not play ball...If you have tried polyfilla powder then I'm up a gum tree 'fraid......
 

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Dave have you tried ready made filler out of a tube ?

I use this to get a natural look on my bases for my dios , just squirt it on and smooth over with small trouel and if you get some pointy bits. Just let it go off and smooth it ver with your fingers

I get mine from poundland and you can get a cheep grease gun from B&Q for £3
 

Gern

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You may just have cracked part of the mystery Ron. It is indeed the 'pink' plaster and it's been opened for at least 6 months. I'd forgotten that it has quite a short shelf life. Still doesn't explain why the PVA didn't grip it though.

Alan, I'll try that poundland stuff.

Gern
 

spanner570

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\ said:
You may just have cracked part of the mystery Ron. It is indeed the 'pink' plaster and it's been opened for at least 6 months. I'd forgotten that it has quite a short shelf life. Still doesn't explain why the PVA didn't grip it though.Alan, I'll try that poundland stuff.

Gern
Could well be a factor....When I was 'On the tools' I well remember the foul and prolonged language from 'The spreads' when they found out the sell by date on the bags of plaster....Even they couldn't get it to behave properly!

I agree with Alan, time to get the diddy trowel out and get spreading......
 

Gern

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Still cogitatin' over my pillbox, but I don't think the day has been totally wasted.

I got hold of 6 metres of wire off ebay (32SWG - about 0.27mm diameter) as I wasn't happy with the stuff I'd managed to strip from electrical cable and I've ended up with about 15" (about 380mm) of four-strand barbed wire.

I used a piece of plastic tubing about 15mm dia and a solid rod about 7mm diameter. They should both be the same length and there should be a reasonable difference between the diameters.

Wind a length of wire clockwise along the tube as tightly as you can keeping the spaces about 1/4". Fix both ends with tape and take another piece of wire and wrap it over the first piece - this time though, wrap it anti-clockwise. Remove the tape and gently start to slide the coils off the tube. When you have 4-5 coils free, use a cocktail stick and dab a spot of glue on the wires wherever they touch. This will hold both coils together and create a single, multi-strand coil.

Do exactly the same, using two pieces of wire wound in opposite directions around the smaller rod. Again, gently slide the coils free from the rod and glue wherever they touch.

Slide the larger coils back over the tube, and slide the smaller coils inside the tube. If you gently grab one end of both sets of coils, you should be able to slide the tube away and leave one set of coils inside the other.

I ended up with this ....

View attachment 76120

View attachment 76121


.... a single coil of 4-strand barbed wire.

Gern

Wire1.JPG

Wire2.JPG
 

spanner570

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Excellent result Dave, couldn't have turned out better....It's a dead ringer for the barbed wire picture you posted!

Perseverance will win the day.....
 

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That looks much better Dave I do think you've cracks it :smiling3:
 

Gern

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Got a bit more done.

I gave up trying to cover up the brush marks on my pillbox. I eventually sanded them off and started painting again. Three coats later and I'm happy. I'll put some reinforcing wires in the damaged bit later. I was originally going to show it with a bomb hole in the roof but realised I'd have to do the interior if I did this so I changed my mind.

Looking at the image I found showing a cross-section of the beach, I decided I'd add a sea wall in the gap and put my barbed wire on top as it shows in the diagram.

The rocks are cast using the same moulds as I used in my Bug build - I'll paint them using washes as before once I've got them joined and sanded ready to fit.

View attachment 76358

View attachment 76359

View attachment 76360


Gern

Rock1.JPG

Seawall.JPG

Final1.JPG
 

Gern

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I started on the beach.

I used a baking tray to create shallow dents over half the surface to represent the limits of the water - I don't think they will show when the sand has dried, so I've lost the ripples I wanted to create.

The other half I distressed using a variety of things (spoon and brush handles mainly) to create dents in the surface and random splodges of plaster to create bumps - I think it looks OK.

A good coating of cheap emulsion; then, while it's still wet, a sprinkling of sand through a seive to cover it. I've an idea how to cover up the fact the grain size is a bit big for this scale.

I also changed my mind about showing a sea wall. I'll just use dunes to fill the gap between the pillbox and the cliff.

View attachment 76561

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Gern

Beach1.JPG

Beach2.JPG

Beach3.JPG
 

eddiesolo

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If you have managed to sort the bunker covering, I used on my jetty dio http://www.scale-models.co.uk/threads/little-soldiers-dunkirk-dio-with-a-twist-under-construction-updates-page-2-3-4-5.24641/, that too is polystyrene, is I mixed the PVA with grey brick dust and then used a lollipop stick to apply it, once dry you just paint it.

Si:smiling3:
 

Gern

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I tried using powder sprinkled onto PVA glue but it didn't take for some reason. Next time I'll try mixing it in with the PVA as you say Si. I was just trying to be lazy and get away with just painting the polystyrene and hoping to keep it's texture showing to represent concrete.

Gern
 

eddiesolo

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\ said:
I tried using powder sprinkled onto PVA glue but it didn't take for some reason. Next time I'll try mixing it in with the PVA as you say Si. I was just trying to be lazy and get away with just painting the polystyrene and hoping to keep it's texture showing to represent concrete.Gern
Well it worked for me Dave so should work okay. I didn't dilute the PVA just added the dust direct and gave it a really good mixing. Only issue was getting a really smooth finish, in my case that didn't matter as I wanted that rough look, but you could work it more I suppose.

Looking good, the dio board is really starting to come together.

Si:smiling3:
 

spanner570

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All quiet on the Invasion Beaches...........?
 

Gern

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All quiet on the Invasion Beaches...........?
Not quite Ron. I've divided my time with my BV 222 and done some bits of both builds over the last few days. I'll have some progress pics for both this weekend.

Gern
 

eddiesolo

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Nice touches to the chalk cliffs, echo what has been said before-coming along very nice indeed.

Si:smiling3:
 
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