RMweb Gold Popular Post Mikkel Posted March 28, 2015 RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted March 28, 2015 (edited) Please note: This thread is still occasionally active but was affected by the Great Image Loss that occurred across RMweb in 2022. Some pages are therefore missing images. However, all the builds in the thread can be found illustrated, summarized and completed in the companion blog here on RMweb: ***************************************************************** I thought I’d start a workbench thread on the things I build for my 4mm “Farthing” layouts. Past builds and the layouts themselves are described and illustrated elsewhere, see the link in my signature. I’m currently experimenting with printable veneer as a way of making lettered crates. I especially like the smallish wooden crates that could be seen in goods depots before cardbox boxes became common. So I’ve designed a few of these. The top one below is photoshopped from a pic of an original Nestlé crate. The rest are tongue in cheek I wanted to capture that light wooden look of a new crate, and wasn’t quite happy with the texture of ordinary paper. After searching the web I came across these veneer sheets intended for creative photo printing. I bought mine from Crafty Computer Paper (no connection). It’s important to note that these sheets only work with top loaded ink-jet printers. They will jam if you use a printer where the paper bends over on itself. I have a cheap top loaded Canon IP2850 printer, which cost about 30£ a year ago (colour cartridge included). It does take the sheets, although each sheet needs to be pressed down gently when the rollers try to “grab” it. I would be weary to do this on a high-end printer! Test prints suggest that the wood effect is pretty much as I had hoped (it’s better in real life than the photo suggests). The lettering comes out OK I think, although I’m sure a more expensive printer could give an even better result. Edited December 27, 2023 by Mikkel 22 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold gwrrob Posted March 28, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 28, 2015 Really nice product by the look of it. How thick are the sheets of veneer Mikkel ? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Mikkel Posted March 28, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 28, 2015 (edited) Hi Rob, they are about 0.5 mms thick, maybe a tad more. The backing is paper, which you could in principle remove to get an even thinner sheet, but I've tried and it's hard to do that neatly - the layers are glued together. At 10.75 for 3 sheets it's not that cheap, although you can "re-use" a sheet by printing, say, the top third, and then cut that off and use the rest of the sheet again. Edited March 28, 2015 by Mikkel Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted March 28, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 28, 2015 Look good Mikkel. I think the lettering isn't always that well painted or printed on the full size ones. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Mikkel Posted March 28, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 28, 2015 I agree Don, looking at early ones especially it's clear that the lettering was quite simple - even primitive - at first. In fact the ones I've designed myself are probably a little too elaborate, but I couldn't resist 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold nickwood Posted March 28, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 28, 2015 Excellent Mikkel. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished result and perhaps nicking your idea for Much Murkle. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Mikkel Posted March 28, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 28, 2015 You're more than welcome Nick, it was your boxes on Much Murkle that started my interest in these things anyway! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post Mikkel Posted March 28, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted March 28, 2015 Done some more work on these. The veneer sheets can be cut fairly easily with a normal scalpel. I've previously made paper-based crates by folding them around a block of styrene, which helps give a square and unifom look. I tried that with the veneer sheets too, but it doesn't work so well: The sheets are too thick, so the joins at the corners don't look good. So I've decided to just cut out each side separately, and glue them on independently as seen below. 29 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post Mikkel Posted April 1, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted April 1, 2015 Well, I've finished my Nestlé crates. The pic below shows the texture of the veneer, and how the different shades of the sheets can be used to add subtle variety: The ones on the left are from one sheet, the ones on the right from another. I've made rows of stacked crates by glueing individual sides to the front of a long block of laminated styrene strips, as seen below. Saves time, and can't be seen once completed. Us railway modellers are really just a bunch of glorified con-men Farthing wasn’t far from Britain’s first Nestlé factory, built at Chippenham in 1873 for the manufacture of condensed milk. So I reckon I can justify a number of these crates in the goods depot at Farthing, waiting in store for distribution as per demand, or for forwarding to other stations. 31 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgman Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 (edited) Once again, just as we all sit back on our laurels you come up with such a simple, but highly effective idea Mikkel ! You've set my juices flowing now, and just after I purchased this ! It's by Messrs Brawa and took some finding. I was orginally thinking of using some ply which I have used in the past to make the hulls of sailing boats ( Thames barge) but didn't fancy the lettering of the sides and now look what you've come up with !!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Guess what my next project will be ? Oh yeah! If you don't want the contents of the crates I'll happily have the chocolate Kind regards Grahame Edited out spillin mistak! Edited April 2, 2015 by bgman 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgman Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Just a quick hijack if you don't mind? It's to highlight my use of "bendy 1mm ply" , although I did steam it to get the curvature of the hull. I started making a 4mm model of a Severn Trow, which was a vessel used to transport all manner of goods in shallow waters around the south west coast, although it did venture quite a bit further. It was to go on a Broad Gauge layout I started named Avonside. Very useful material basically, and now you've had success with yours well........ Happy inventive modelling ! Grahame 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
N15class Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Done some more work on these. The veneer sheets can be cut fairly easily with a normal scalpel. I've previously made paper-based crates by folding them around a block of styrene, which helps give a square and unifom look. I tried that with the veneer sheets too, but it doesn't work so well: The sheets are too thick, so the joins at the corners don't look good. So I've decided to just cut out each side separately, and glue them on independently as seen below. A wonderful idea that looks great/ Just a thought would it be possible to use a square file and make a v grove in the back, and then fold them. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrushType4 Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Well, I've finished my Nestlé crates. The pic below shows the texture of the veneer, and how the different shades of the sheets can be used to add subtle variety: The ones on the left are from one sheet, the ones on the right from another. I've made rows of stacked crates by glueing individual sides to the front of a long block of laminated styrene strips, as seen below. Saves time, and can't be seen once completed. Us railway modellers are really just a bunch of glorified con-men Farthing wasn’t far from Britain’s first Nestlé factory, built at Chippenham in 1873 for the manufacture of condensed milk. So I reckon I can justify a number of these crates in the goods depot at Farthing, waiting in store for distribution as per demand, or for forwarding to other stations. This is brilliant. I hope you don't mind but I'm going to burn the design on some veneer and cut out on the laser to see how that works. I'll post some pictures after the weekend but I'm off to have a relaxing weekend in the caravan. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devo63 Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Hi Mikkel The crates look very effective and convincing - I do like some of your ficticious company names. Have you thought about standard tea chests along the same lines. Very common item seen in goods depots (worldwide) for about a century. I made some tea chests a few years ago in thin balsa and glued thin strips of kitchen foil along each edge to represent the metal corner strapping. They looked the part until I squashed the lot by dropping a transformer on them! Dave 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Mikkel Posted April 2, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 2, 2015 Once again, just as we all sit back on our laurels you come up with such a simple, but highly effective idea Mikkel ! You've set my juices flowing now, and just after I purchased this ! image.jpg It's by Messrs Brawa and took some finding. I was orginally thinking of using some ply which I have used in the past to make the hulls of sailing boats ( Thames barge) but didn't fancy the lettering of the sides and now look what you've come up with !!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Guess what my next project will be ? Oh yeah! If you don't want the contents of the crates I'll happily have the chocolate Kind regards Grahame Edited out spillin mistak! Hi Grahame, glad if this is of use. It would be very interesting to see these sheets used for large crates like that. I think they'd need to be laminated to something thicker after printing, but that shouldn't be too hard. There's no way back now, you'll have to do it! That ship is outstanding! Apart from the craftsmanship I eally like the smooth woodlike texture. I can just imagine a dockside railway scene in the BG era! hope you haven't abandoned that Avonside layout? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Mikkel Posted April 2, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 2, 2015 A wonderful idea that looks great/ Just a thought would it be possible to use a square file and make a v grove in the back, and then fold them. Hi Peter, I did try something like that but the veneer "broke" when I folded it. But now that you mention it I should try it again with a different tool - will report back! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold gwrrob Posted April 2, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 2, 2015 Superb work Mikkel and I could just see a couple of crates stacked outside Joseph Auld's corner shop on ANTB ! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Mikkel Posted April 2, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 2, 2015 This is brilliant. I hope you don't mind but I'm going to burn the design on some veneer and cut out on the laser to see how that works. I'll post some pictures after the weekend but I'm off to have a relaxing weekend in the caravan. Not at all, go right ahead. Note though that Nestlé box is probably over-scale. I took the design off a close-up image on the web, so am not sure of the exact size but I made them a little larger than I think they would have been in order to make the lettering readable. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Mikkel Posted April 2, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 2, 2015 Hi Mikkel The crates look very effective and convincing - I do like some of your ficticious company names. Have you thought about standard tea chests along the same lines. Very common item seen in goods depots (worldwide) for about a century. I made some tea chests a few years ago in thin balsa and glued thin strips of kitchen foil along each edge to represent the metal corner strapping. They looked the part until I squashed the lot by dropping a transformer on them! Dave Hi Dave, thanks - and funny you should mention the tea crates, as I have some on the workbench as we speak. Don of this parish also suggested it some time ago and it's been stuck in my mind ever since. A pity yours got squashed! The kitchen foil is a good idea, I will try that. So far I have just printed the metal edges on but it would be nice to get a better metal effect. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sp1 Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 What a deceptively brilliant, yet simple idea! Yet again a brilliant bit of modelling. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Mikkel Posted April 2, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 2, 2015 Superb work Mikkel and I could just see a couple of crates stacked outside Joseph Auld's corner shop on ANTB ! Well I did do this one, but it's a bit hard to read when printed so I'll do a simpler design and try again Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Mikkel Posted April 2, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 2, 2015 What a deceptively brilliant, yet simple idea! Yet again a brilliant bit of modelling. Thanks, there are some compromises though. Eg strictly speaking the lid and bottom should be above and below the sides. But that looks odd because of the thickness of the material, so I've compromised on that. I'm trying with mitred edges on some tea chests though. I could see this work in 7mm too, I think? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightengine Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Well, I've finished my Nestlé crates. The pic below shows the texture of the veneer, and how the different shades of the sheets can be used to add subtle variety: The ones on the left are from one sheet, the ones on the right from another. I've made rows of stacked crates by glueing individual sides to the front of a long block of laminated styrene strips, as seen below. Saves time, and can't be seen once completed. Us railway modellers are really just a bunch of glorified con-men Farthing wasn’t far from Britain’s first Nestlé factory, built at Chippenham in 1873 for the manufacture of condensed milk. So I reckon I can justify a number of these crates in the goods depot at Farthing, waiting in store for distribution as per demand, or for forwarding to other stations. After cutting and putting a group together to make a long line of stacked boxes did you think about printing six or 7 boxes end to end and just cutting that strip out. Thereby just needing 2 ends and 1 long top and having the same appearance. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Brinkly Posted April 2, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 2, 2015 Cracking work Mikkel! Kind regards, Nick. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgman Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Hi Grahame, glad if this is of use. It would be very interesting to see these sheets used for large crates like that. I think they'd need to be laminated to something thicker after printing, but that shouldn't be too hard. There's no way back now, you'll have to do it! That ship is outstanding! Apart from the craftsmanship I eally like the smooth woodlike texture. I can just imagine a dockside railway scene in the BG era! hope you haven't abandoned that Avonside layout? Hi Mikkel, You're correct about the laminating, as its a large case there will have to be some support. The Trow took my eye when I first discovered them (as you do!) and had to attempt a model of one as it would historically suit my plans for the Broad Gauge scene I'd planned. Unfortunately Avonside was abandoned (although I've kept most of the models etc for future use) as it was growing too big ! And yes, you're right, no turning back now Keep going eh! Happy Easter modelling as always ........ 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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