I have some 1/48 diorama ideas in mind, and really need a bridge. I have found the Verlinden bridge #2408, it is perfect for what I have in mind....the draw back is the shipping for...it is ~$25.00 which is a pretty good price in my mind...BUT, shipping is $41...I can't justify something that has a shipping cost nearly double of the item.

Any ideas on scratch building?? If I do scratch build it, I will most likely leave it as an intact bridge....

I am really new to scratch building, so any and all advice is welcomed and appreciated.

Thanks.

The best thing your probably looking at to use is construction insulation foam, you can buy it from eBay or any DIY/home depot store in the UK its blue or pink. It'll be lightweight and there are several articles on here about how to use it...

Thanks so much for that! I will find the articles and read up...

I would go about it in a different way.

I would use air-dry clay as it is sturdy when dry and you can fashion it in any way imaginable. Super Skulpy is another route. It isn't quite as rigid as clay, but would still hold up to anything you would put on it and it works in exactly the same way as clay.

That bridge could be made with clay? That sounds like it would be quite difficult.

Not at all! About as hard as anything else... I'll see if I can whip some pictures together for you. It is hard to explain...

That would be great, Thanks!

I thought I had some Super Sculpey I could use to show what I mean. But I don't, unfortunately...

What I would have done is rolled out SS in different thicknesses and used them to make up the bridge in the way that I wanted, thinking beforehand about what I was going to put on it. If it was meant to have any heavier object on it then I would have made the structure sturdier...

The main advantage with SS or clay is the fact that you can bend the sheets in any way possible and have them dry that way. Before I would have let the sheets dry, I would have scribed in each stone and brick that I want to have shown. After they dry it is just to assemble the bridge and paint it. The difference between SS and clay is SS need to be cured in the oven for a while.

I don't know if this makes any sense... But I wouldn't carve out a bridge out of one slab of SS. I would make thin sheets and bend and cut them to the desired shapes, and either put them together wet to dry together or dry them in separate pieces and then put them together.

Wait... I did have some SS. Havn't used it in ages and I was looking in the wrong place! So I'll see what I can do with making something simple to show what I was meaning!!!

Thanks Brian,

I hadn't heard of that product before so I looked it up....I was envisioning starting with a big lump of clay....I am looking forward to seeing what you have....

A significant problem with any of the air dry clays is shrinkage. As they dry, the water comes out & the shrink. They all do and there' not much you can do about it. It can be enough that in large volumes you get sink-holes or cracks.

There are a number of ways to go about scratchbuilding a bridge and if you want to build one like the image, that is to say a well constructed, relatviely new stone bridge, then you can actually do pretty much all of it from styrene.

Here's a few suggestions:

You first need drawings and I don't care what method you use, if you don't make a reasonable set of drawings and try to "wing it" you'll end up with a piece of crap for all your work.

When making your drawings, try not to draw more than you are willing to scratchbuild. It's really easy to draw all kinds of details that are more work than you really want to make for a diroama.

It may be easier to make a simpler mid-30's style "concrete" bridge without all the stone details.

Just some things to consider.

Paul

Time is limited, don't know how that happened! Here is a quick idea of how to use SS. I mean quick!











After that last pic all you have to do is bake this 15 minutes at 130 C (266 F). Prime it and paint is as you like. You make the other parts in the same way and put it together like any other model.

Sorry I didn't make a whole bridge, but don't have the time at the moment. I hope you have gotten a feeling for how to use SS.

Cheers!!

Greg - it may not matter (anymore), but I did a pseudo-purchase (from Toronto) at Scale Hobbyist (best prices in US) and their priority shipping is $23. Cross-border shipping is always a lot more, so look for a supplier in Canada if you really want the VP bridge. Charles

P.S. I'd make the gap ends a bit more uneven - it just looks a little too neat and squared-off.

Another thought - if you do go with scratch, I'd recommend making a foam or balsa base, partly because I think it will be easier to get the basic form - dimensions - squarenes right, and just use the clay for the top layer. Might also mean less shrinkage problems. DAS is another clay with lots of online help. Durhams water putty might be another option, but you have less working time than with the clay.

Here's a link that might help:
http://oscalemag.com/wordpress/making-large-stone-walls/

That is why I like SS. Put it in the refrigerator a little while and it is like any wood, just easier to cut. Anything you can do with balsa etc., you can du with SS. No shrinkage when you cure it!

Thanks for the replies, I really appreciate it...

One thing i have used many times to make bridges or walls is plaster of paris .
I make a mold using balsa wood and bass wood ,,using very thin bass i bend it to shape to form the shape of the arch and sanded smooth balsa for the rest ,,pin it to some plastic sheet ,,wont move at all ..then make up a mix of very thinned out plaster of paris so it will level itself and fill all or any gaps .
I let it dry until the next day and then just unpin it ..it lifts of the plastic with ease and then you can start carving it,when its totally dry its easy to make it look very real and it chips very nicely ,,making it look even more realistic.
The same technique i used to make these.



Oh they aint finished yet
Phill

Very nice work, thanks.... if you happen to have any pics of the forms that you make up I would really appreciate seeing them....

I have to say that the input from people here is great....

Greg

Cheers for that Greg mate but its not that hard to do to be honest .. since showing you the mold right now is impossible i can at least tell you a very easy way for you to be able to make your own molds .
First off i use a piece of printer paper ( depending on the size of course of what your building ) ,,draw what ever you want to make on said piece of paper and use that as your template ,cut it out and lay it on a good size piece of plastic sheet ..i staple this to wood so it wont move..then just lay the template on there and lay your wood around it..pin it down ..a little jewelers hammer is brilliant here ,,instead of pushing the pins down and sticking them into your fingers ,,hit the buggers
Now the thickness of the wood all depends on how thick your build will be ,,i normally use 10x15mm balsa and 1x10mm base wood for bending,,if you want thicker just use thicker wood,,easy and cheap and reusable.
Once you have layed out the wood around the template mix up some extra thinned plaster of paris and pour it in and let it dry..the dryer the better.
A pencil is perfect for drawing on it once dry,,if you want real easy let the plaster day until its like chalk,then its super easy to draw on and then carve out your bricks .
When you have to build the supports for the bridge you can use Lego bricks to make a big block of plaster and work it once dry..easy as hell mate and once other thing if the bricks dont look perfect dont worry ,,just makes them look more realistic or battle damaged .,,easy

Phill

Thanks for that Phill....I will give it a go, besides I am always looking for a new reason to play with my lego blocks again!

Cheers,