Friday 25 February 2011

Problem Solved......Thanks Michelle.

 Put out and SOS yesterday regarding the join in the roof and Michelle came to my aid with lots of ideas. The ridge tiles were completely the wrong angle so Michelle suggested cutting them in half and laying them at the correct angle.
 I tried this but the two halves were a different size and too difficult to glue together. So then I tried the same idea but with two roof tiles but turned up a different side to that used on the main roof. These glued together much better.
 I then sanded them down to roughen them up a bit and grouted with the same basic powder grout I used with the brick slips but instead of water I used the PVA/water mix in order to firm up their gluing and prevent them from moving around or slipping. 
The grout was rather clean so I washed with the same grey mixture I have been using on the roof. 
The roof tiles have been weathering well and have lost that new look thank goodness. 
As I want The Cauldron to have a Tudor look I have boxed in the moulding around the edge of the roof with distressed and stained balsa. 
 This will also add a little edge for any extras I might want to add a later date to liven up the roof! I know its a street scene but I am sure Diagon Alley post "He Who Must Not Be Named", would have lots of cheery flowers! Plus, Kate you are so right, vines and greenery hide a multitude of bad things!
 The photographs make it look a bit top heavy but it looks better in real life, honest!
 I have also toned down all the wood work again to make it all seem a bit more weathered and worn. 
Plus a little finishing to the top edge of the roof. This stuff is great, Pewter Medium Foil Sheet, from Bromley Craft Products, very easy to cut and lay. Plus the colour is good, not too shiny. It seems quite expensive but the roll is quite wide so you can cut it into much thinner strips.
Cutting is not a problem, I used a very basic craft knife, so you can be as creative as you want with it.
Hoping to have a go at the top roof panel tomorrow and then play with the items I have set aside for The Cauldron.


14 comments:

  1. Janice, a great resolution! I was so curious , had to get here to read it. Yours is my 1st post for the morning :).

    ReplyDelete
  2. Looks great! I really like the pewter foil you put around the top and the trim pulls it all together.

    Victoria ♥

    ReplyDelete
  3. It´s perfect! Great details. Thank you for sharing everything with us!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Das Häuschen gefällt mir sehr gut und das Dach ist wirklich klasse geworden... sehr realistisch.

    Liebe Grüße

    PuNo/Monika

    ReplyDelete
  5. The roof looks amazing. I love the way you have aged the balsa wood. I have never used balsa in the past but am tempted to try it now having seen your great work.

    ReplyDelete
  6. looks like a perfect solution! :o)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I keep forgetting to comment on how great your LC is looking!!! The roof is amazing!!! Looking forward to seeing more pics of your progress.

    Jenn

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ahhh the perfect soloution! I love the balsa addition it makes SuCh a difference to it all. Looking forward to seeing what you add to the roof, I think it will look fantastic! xxx

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love the look you are creating. The pewter/lead strip looks very decorative and pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks ladies,
    I have changed the look of the kit quite a lot as you can see. What's really interesting is that Michelle's newest project also uses this kit so I am really curious as to how her shop turns out.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Natalie, using balsa is very easy. Not a lot of effort to cut, now I have my razor saw, very easy to sand and it takes paint very well.
    It is quite delicate though in thinner thicknesses. At the moment I am using a lot of 1/16th of an inch thickness and you do have to take a bit of care to stop it splitting or snapping - not too heavy handed.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Sans, hope I started your day well! Michelle was really helpful as usual and it has all come together quite well.

    ReplyDelete
  13. You are most welcome Janice and so glad that one of the solutions worked! lol I keep trying with my own projects and often plan E works! lol

    The aging on your roof is just fab and perfect!

    My witches roof has masses of moss on it, one to emulate the fact it's in a damp wood, but also to hide hideous gaps where I couldn't cut the Richard Stacey roof tiles in the most awkward shapes! So you can easy add this to any gaps. ;o))

    I will be having how to fill in gaps in paperclay on my next post (it was expected) and tonight I started on the interior walls in Slug and Jiggers...at last some work done on it! :o))

    Michelle xxx

    ReplyDelete

I really appreciate all comments that readers take the time to leave. I try to reply to all of them.