I apologize in advance for flooding the Scratbuilding forum with posts, but I think it needs to get more use, and its a great resource for someone making a diorama. Well I’m making a 1/35modern urban African diorama–lossely based off Mogadishu, Somalia in the film Black Hawk Down. Anyways, I’m going to have a cloethesline strung between two building across the road from each other. I’ll use tiny string for the line itself, pretty much anywthing could simulate clothespins since their so tiny, but any suggestions are appreciated. The clothes will be made using the Tissue paper and diluted glue method, unles anyone has better ideas…I might experiment with some thin fabrics to simulate some of the traditional intricate patterns worn in africa. I’m not sure how I will have it attached to the buildings however. If anyone has suggestions towards any of the ideas, I would love to hear. Thanks, Ian
Ian
wayyyyyyyy yback when in the early days of FSM there was a fantastic series of articles (boy I miss those article series!!!) abotu scratchbuilding figures, buildings and thier surroundings. The author, an award winning figure scratchbuilder and painter used plastic baggies from the store and made patterns for his clothing, just as it was before it was sewn together. He mixed his own glue using Testors liquid in the bottle and added sprue, making three thickness/grades of glue: Glop for roughing in the shape and getting the thin plastic to hold and cement TO the figure, medium for general smoothing and shaping and thin for final shaping. You could do the same here using the plastic to make your shapes (shirts, socks, pants) and thickening them up with thickened glue from sprue.
HTH
David’
goto a fly shop (forget your local bait & tackle shop), and get a spool of 8/0 or 12/0 fly tying thread (unwaxed). 8/0 is pretty fine, but 12/0 is really really fine stuff, and you can get it in white (just like Mom’s). If you can’t find it you can even order it from Cabalas, or if you think 8/0 will work I probably have a spool of white setting over on my tying bench that I’d be willing to let you have a few feet of it (you can buy it for $2 a spool).
gary
Along the line of fishing supplies I bet you could find your wall anchors. Not a fly fisherman but I know they have REALLY tiny parts to em. I bet the eyelet off one would make a decent scale wall anchor for the line.
i use fishhooks for trout fishing (size 0?0 for that.
Just cut the hook off the Eagle Claw brand hooks and leave the shank with the barbs to insert into the wall. The eyelet has the proper shape for a wall hook and they are dirt cheap. Also good for hanging models and spacecraft from the ceiling.
David
Just remember when dealing with fish hooks the larger the number the smaller the hook. Try looking at some of the size 18 or 20 Gamakatsu single egg hooks for the wall anchors. Gamakatsu hooks are a little pricey as they are topnotch in quality, but to get what you are looking for I think these will be your best bet. Just be careful with these things. They are designed that as soon as the point touches fish flesh, just a bit of pressure and they will sink right in. YIKES!
For the clothesline I would just fishing line. Again get quality trout stuff. Avoid Maxima. White Maxima is strong and good for area’s with lots of rocks and fast moving water, it has alot of memory to it, and won’t realisitcally sag. I would recommend Berkely Ultra Thin, or Extra Limp, from the Trilene series. Just a small spool of this, or spool of leader will work fine.
If you need something that looks like fine braided cord or rope, check into Spiderwire. It is multifilament braided kevlar line. Strong and cool looking. Has a definate scale appearance for many things.
As a fisherman who has gotten pretty heavy into it(I used to spend 9 hours a day 7 days a week for 5 months out of the year fishing for trout, and then more time fishing for salmon and steelhead), I’ve gotten pretty intimate with what the advantages and disadvantages are of different equipment and what will work for scale modeling. I hope this information helps you in your endeavers. You can also take this info to a tackle shop a REAL tackle shop, and see if they have any extra lying around. Like maybe the last 3 or 4 feet from a spool, that sort of thing. Explain you don’t need much and what you need it for. They might just be willing to give you the leftovers, or some used stuff that would still work for your purposes. Remember any good fisherman changes out his line fairly often. If looking at the used stuff or the disposal bin, just be sure to check how thin AND how limp the line is, you need it to be limp with very little memory. Again hope this helps.
Michael
Well I don’t see well enough anymore to be fooling around with #24 and smaller hooks, and even if I did figure out a way to tie a misquito with a #26 or #28 hook, I’d never be able to tie the fly onto the leader! Guess that’s why Orvis came out with those “big eye hooks” a few years back.
Seriously we do use lead wire all the way down to .01", and you can also get copper wire as well. Never thought about using the eye of a hook for anything other than a bug. Myself, I never use anything smaller than 8/0 tying thread as I’m a little too heavy handed, and the stuff is pretty danged thin. We also use Loctite Black Max for securing metal parts to just about anything (including my fingers). Fly head cement will flow right into the thread and you have about ten minutes to do whatever you want with it (have seriously considered using it on the front winch of a halftrack more than once). Tying flies is just another form of modeling that gets somewhat destructive after a few strikes.
gary
STEELHEAD!!! YES!!! I just started working with a 14 1/5 foot Spey rod that I picked up in an estate sale last year. So far i can cast it almost into the backing, but the thing is also a beast to handle. May just stick with my eight weight Winston as it’s a known quantity.
gary
1lb fishing line for line with black magic marker or paint?
Clothing could be made with small bits of fabric, I’d cut too sides of a 2d shirt out and wrap each piece on each side of a roun/oval object…secure with rubber bands and glue\
just a thought
Also remember when attaching things and building things, this is a primitive part of the world with simple and primitive people. Primitive in their politics, and thinking, as well as developement. Most things they have are imported from outside the country, alot from Russia. Just about everything from that region is primitive. combine that primitive with some ingenuity of the locals for what a primitive society has on hand, and I think you’ll have it made.