PaperBrick

[lab-dad]

the basswood bricks look pretty good!
I'd like to see some larger images.
-Marty

[BKLN]

Very interesting! This is the first time I have seen anybody offer this commercially. I have tried Rusty Stumps brick sheets, but I was not happy with them at all! I think I might have to give these a try.

The first time I have seen this brick engraving into wood was by good old Dave Krakow in his CSS09 in his Stanton Street diorama.


http://vectorcut.com/Diorama

[BKLN]

But we are drifting off topic anyway since a laser and a printer are hardly the same.

Until color pigment 3D printers become available, of course! 

[DaKra]

Christian is so damn modest he shows off my tired old stuff, and hides his own new stuff under a bushel.  But yeh this is an apples to oranges comparison.  Though I do wonder what would happen if 3d lasered card brick was run through a color printer with some sort of brick colored graphic.    I mean, besides jamming up the printer.     

   

[RichD]

BKLN...that is an interesting comment.  I don't have a Makebot Thing-O-Matic... but this would be an interesting experiment.  3D printers are usually thought of or used for a full 3D item... but what if someone used a 3D printer to 'only' lay down a thin layer of bricks on a substrate of somekind.  Like a brick facade, only a few thousands thick (a raised surface).  The mortar lines would 'NOT' be printed, they would be in the same plane as the substrate.

And to take this even further, the 3D print (object) could actually be the master for a brick impression mold. 

So depending on the resolution of the 3D printer, the brick could be very very scale with texture also.

Any additional thoughts/comments?

RichD

[Malachi Constant]

Though I do wonder what would happen if 3d lasered card brick was run through a color printer with some sort of brick colored graphic.    I mean, besides jamming up the printer.     

[BKLN]

I would think this might be one of the cases where the laser would beat the 3D printer due to resolution. But that's a guess.

But let's get back to paper bricks. Obviously, the ideal solution would be to laser engrave printed paper. To a certain degree this works. But the alignment of print and "laser pattern" is very delicate. Right now there is no easy solution.

[finescalerr]

Well, the topic is actually a comparison of paper brick against other methods, right? If so, that means a printed photo of a brick wall must be competitive with Jimmy's or Dave's laser bricks ... or Marc's individual chipboard bricks ... and ultimately Nick's individual plaster/clay bricks.

Jimmy has promised me a sample of his bricks. When it arrives I'll shoot a close up. He plans to offer them in all scales.

So the idea of using any kind of device to add texture, depth, and variety to printed bricks is spot on ... but how the heck would you accomplish it?

As I see it, paper currently wins on color and realistic photo appearance but, depending on the kind of wall, loses on texture. And remember the corners!

Russ

[DaKra]

I'd say paper is the winner regarding corners.  Simple score and fold.  If you wanted to be fussy, adjust the graphic for proper appearance either side of the fold.   

[BKLN]

The following comments only apply to HO and maybe O scale. Larger scale needs individual brick pieces.

There are a couple of of embossed printed papers. Germany's "Faller" comes to mind, a weirdly colored brick that has been around for at least 30 years. The concept is good, but the problem is that the texture is embossed rather than cut. And the alignment between printed brick and stamped brick is the other big problem. And then there is the problem of material thickness. In order to stamp the paper, you need a certain paperweight, but that prohibits folding around corners.

Another possible option would be professional printing with a raised ink. This is ink is heat activated and has a slightly bubbly texture. (often found on business cards of used car dealers, stripers or cheap lawyers) A really good printer could run a high res 4color print and add a clear texture ink. The problem here is obviously the investment into a full print run.

I am not sure if Thom of Clever Models is still hanging out here, but I am sure he has some experiences to share about this.

[eTraxx]

How about silk screening the way decals are made (sometimes) but over laser engraved brick?

[DaKra]

Actually the laser engraving would be unnecessary, if the silk screen pigment were thick enough.   Just a silk screen brick pattern on grey, lightly textured, mortar colored paper would work. 

[finescalerr]

I have seen the raised ink stuff. Generally dreadful.

What would be the advantage of silk screening over hand embossing an inkjet printed matte photo? Time? The photo would look better and hand embossing goes much more quickly than laying individual bricks.

Having tried and seen the results of shortcut methods (like embossing), I might be inclined to lay individual bricks, whether printed or painted paper/card/chipboard, even in 1:48. In HO I would emboss (if my mind, hand, and eyes could withstand the torture).

The ideal would be to combine a photo with Dave's laser bricks.

Russ

[JohnP]

Press type printers line up color layers all the time. I wonder if there is a desk-top press type machine that could carry a critical alignment.

One thinks an old Gutenburg style press (non-roller path) could handle Dave's lasered brick sheets because of the vertical-only path and the opportunity for precise alignment.

John

[mrboyjrs]

So many options... Paper can be amazing.... especially when modeling board on board with strips of paper... Frederick Testard is amazing with paper.