This is a little project i've been working on for a few days now. Although the commercially available sheets of cobblestones etc, are excellent, you don't always get what you want. Also, in my case, the cost of these items can get quite expensive when postage is added in...

Eventually, i'll be working this up into a full feature piece, in the meantime, I want to share some of the techniques and tools i've used and i'm developing...

I'm using air-drying modeling clay for these 'test' pieces. The particular brand i'm using, I won't bother naming, as everyone should be able to find what they need in any half-decent arts supply store.

As to tools, to get a degree of uniformity, i've made a few 'stamps' using strips of metal wound round any suitable handle. The round ones are for cobblestones, the rectangular, for rectangular cobblestones or bricks:



When working with clay, I find two items invaluable - rollers (normally sold for screen-printing) and a cheap (non-perfumed) talc - this stops the clay sticking to the rollers...





I begin with a ball of clay and roll it out to around 2-3mm thick. I use an old neoprene chopping board which I picked up for next to nothing but it's solid and easy to clean afterwards. If i'm working with epoxy putty, I normally use a sheet of thick glass.

When you've got the clay to the thickness required, transfer it to a sheet of cellophane (freezer bags are ideal) or even grease-proof paper. Drying will take a good 24 hours...

Work then begins on stamping the clay with your 'tools' to get the effect you want.Drying will take a good 24 hours...
Here are some sheets i've been working on. The first two are stamped with oval bricks :





The next sheet has the usual 'round' cobblestones. The circle in the middle was cut using a compass and will eventually have a manhole cover:





As you can see, there's a bit of overlapping with some of the cobblestones - that'll be repaired with putty or even plaster...

Questions?

Not bad. I've used dried split peas for the round cobbles stones, then brushed on and removed colored grout. Probably yields the same result, except that the slight variation in the size of the peas adds a bit to it.

when I did a streetfight diorama, I poured a plaster base, and just etched the bricks into the plaster after it was dry.

Jim,

Just a thought, but could you use a lego base plate and do a big section at one time and then turn it over, as the lego would be inverse and make dimples on one side and look like cobblestones on the other.

Interesting technique Jim, a really speedy way to make cobblesI have a suggestion for modifying the stamps. If you fill the metal tips with clay and press the handle of a paintbrush into it the when dry the stamp will give the cobbles that concave curve, or should that be convex? anyway you know what I mean.

I'm going to be trying that in a few days time - i've got an idea to lay a thick base of Gesso and then add the split peas to that. Thanks though




The only problem I can see, is removing the clay from the lego parts. However, with the scale it might be useful for 48th scale (which i'm also thinking of)...

Next 'test' is going to be a basic building 'shell' covered with clay in the areas I want brickwork and I'm going to scribe in brickwork. Curiously enough, the easiest part is the horizontal - the vertical scribing requires some careful use of the correct width tape to act as a guideline. I may actually try metal DYMO tape though..

I'm still doing a bit with thin cork although it's incredibly time consuming and difficult to get a consistent size of the bricks (easy with square blocks or even timber planks for half-timbered houses)...

Keep the suggestions coming!

Hey Jim

Engin did quite a nice SBS for HF a while back: Basemaking for Beginners: Urban Road

The technique describes creating the road from plaster. Having used this technique for bases for minis, I can attest that it really is easy to use...

Rudi

All great ideas and it's building a nice discussion.
One thing I like and would like to bring note to is that Jim has used old sprue as the handle or a coffee stir stick. Creativity and inginutiy are the key to great tips.

Steve - The lego base as a mold idea will also leave the Lego name on each cobble=lots of sanding.

Jim, with split peas there is a feature where the peas are glued then the gesso is put on over the them more as filler from the top vs. a base/adhesive.
I agree on your points about cork. Consistency is tough. When I have done my projects with cork, the 'odd' sized ones became the debris pile so I didn't waste them.

Watch the storage of dioramas with split pea roads. I left one in the basement and critters ate my road. white glue, acrylic paint and all.
Just a heads up.
Shaun

Nice Jim thanks for sharing, hope the cobbles you made don't fall aârt once dry, I had mine crumble, must have been the wrong brand of clay

greetz
Tha Pit

Jim,

For the cork use a balsa striper to cut strips of cork that are the same size. then use a choping block to cut them all to the same size. I do it this way and get consistant size brick and cobble stone every time. You can get the balsa stripper and the choper from micro mark.

Well Chris, i've just checked the Micromark site and found it - exactly what I think i'm going to need! My grateful thanks...

You may have seen on my blog on "Clervaux-village" that i am using cork for the streets.


i finished it with some 5000 pieces layed down for a meter of Steet in 1/35
i cut the cork lenghtwise with my Proxxon table saw and also use a chopper like instrument (in my case the Amati-cutter) to make individual pieces and not caring really if i don't get it exactly right.
Because you need to smooth the edges of the individual stones it is essential (time saving) to do the long sides while they are still in entire stripes and later only need to sand the head sides on the individual stones.
I will fill the joints with Acrylic paste.

cheers
claude

Hey Jim, glad you found it! It works really well and fairly cheap too.

Here is a link to an article I did some years ago when I was using an alias name of Adam Benshoof....back in the day when I trusted no one one the internet....I trust you all now...lol

Heres the link:
https://armorama.kitmaker.net//features/397

Hope it helps!!

Claude,
Looking nice! I know it takes what seems like forever to finish using the cork method! I have done several things with cork and even the smallest projects take alot of pieces. I remember a small display base for a figure and it took 75 cobbles to finish it!

Cheers!

Wow, these are all very impressive techniques, but I would also say "time consuming." I figure I could put 23 kits together in the time it would take me to make cobblestones or carve them from cork. Is there are simpler way to make a tool for imprinting cobbletones in clay?

I have the Verlinden damaged cobblestone street section, and was thinking of using it with their cobblestones + trolly tracks, but am concerned the shapes of the stones won't match. Not to mention that would be $30 for the two sections of cobblestone, and I don't even know if they would be enough.

What i started doing for large projects was I made a mold of 75 of the cork cobble stones I cut and shaped and then made a mold from them. Just fill with plaster and you got 75 more! I started doing this and just poured more when i had the spare time, ended up with a 5 gallon bucket of cobbles waiting to be used on a diorama.....never did use them all, oh well at least I had them right .

Here's the latest update - a gable end. The former is made from thick plastic card (as used in architectural models). The brickwork is modeling clay which is laid onto the plasticard and trimmed off. The clay is rolled out to be around 2mm thick:





Now, the problem is to get 'uniform' brick sizes. For this, i've used a pair of dividers set at 3mm for the horizontal. Now, the trick here, is to 'lock' them. What I do, is to put a small piece of plastic card between them and then tape them tightly (checking the size). This gives you a tool for doing the engraving. Next thing is to butt the side of the gable end against something which is completely straight ( a few sheets of thick plastic card are sufficient) these are then taped down and the gable end is put against it (with double-sided tape underneath). You then start making horizontal 'sweeps' with the dividers with the edge of a steel rule butted against the side. Horizontally, just do the reverse - NOT forgetting to overlap alternate rows of bricks...

More to come this weekend when i'll be tackling the fromt of the building...