Laser Cut Stone Surface

[marc_reusser]

Found this on Rob's, "Modelers Social Club Forum".....thought it might be of interest.

Fellow there from the UK playing around with making laser cut paving stone surface.

[David Emery]

Jimmy Simmons is getting some great laser-engraved 3D results on brick (multiple scales N to 1/35!):  http://monstermodelworks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15&products_id=28   He's working on stone sheets, I believe, but they're not ready yet. 

dave

[Malachi Constant]

Am I just having some sort of "moment" or is this reversed?  I think I'm seeing raised mortar lines and empty spaces where the stones would go ... whatzit?  -- Dallas

[marc_reusser]

Just a senior moment Dallas.

[finescalerr]

Moi, aussi, Dallas. Is it an optical illusion or a mold? Stay tuned for our next exciting adventure! -- Russ

[Malachi Constant]

Yeah, I'm getting older by the minute ... but that still looks reversed to me.  I seem to see a shadow on the downhill side of every (horizontal-ish) mortar line, which seems to tell me that THOSE are raised ... I searched out the forum Marc mentioned, and there's only the one photo ... so, we shall see ... perhaps.

I suppose at some point, laser technology will be able to reproduce MC Escher stuff in 3-D ... somehow .... maybe we'll have to add a few more dimensions to our reality before that can happen ... but I digress ... 

[Ray Dunakin]

I too am having trouble seeing the lines as cuts. They look raised to me.

BTW, what size is it?

[shropshire lad]

It also looks reversed to me as well .

 What it looks like to me is stonework that has been built with lime mortar ( softer than stone) and at a later date has been repointed with a cement mortar ( harder than stone ) . The lime mortar was the sacrificial element of the wall and would therefore weather sooner than the stone and if repointed in lime would restore the wall to perfect health . The introduction of cement means that the stone becomes the sacrificial element and therefore begins to wear away from the action of frost and rain . Not good news for the wall as it will eventually need complete refacing , or worse , knocking down . When the stone has weathered to the depth of the new cement mortar the mortar will start falling out . This will make what was once a perfectly stable wall become unsightly and possibly dangerous .

 I hope you are all following me as I will be testing you on it later . If you are all still awake ,

   Nick

[Gordon Ferguson]

Thanks Nick.

Maybe that corner you are always going on about is not as exciting as you are always making out  


p.s. the mortar lines look inset to me

[shropshire lad]

Thanks Nick.

Maybe that corner you are always going on about is not as exciting as you are always making out  


p.s. the mortar lines look inset to me

  You shoulda gone to SpecSavers !

[BKLN]

I don't understand the need of anything like this.

I do understand the need to lasercut things that are either too small or too repetitive to be made by hand. Rough stone tiles don't fall into that category. Small brick patterns, (O-scale and smaller), small detail parts - yes, totally! But anything larger will look better if done piece by piece, as many here have proven.

The laser has become a wonderful tool in the repertoire of today's model builder, but just like any tool it needs to be used in the right way.

[gin sot]

I'm mostly with BKLN on this one.  I've gotten some laser kits with "stones" cut into wood that looked absolutely terrible, for two reasons: 1) the wood surface is too flat to represent the randomish texture of stone walls, and 2) the random mortar lines with an almost complete lack of resemblance to the way I see stone laid in full scale.

But for the stated application and what it's supposed to represent (paving stone), that stuff looks alright.

[NE Brownstone]

I don't understand the need of anything like this.

I do understand the need to lasercut things that are either too small or too repetitive to be made by hand. Rough stone tiles don't fall into that category. Small brick patterns, (O-scale and smaller), small detail parts - yes, totally! But anything larger will look better if done piece by piece, as many here have proven.

The laser has become a wonderful tool in the repertoire of today's model builder, but just like any tool it needs to be used in the right way.

When you have a new hammer, everything looks like a nail.

It sure does look reversed.  The pattern looks good.  I'll agree that the larger you go you're better off hand stacking, but as most who have done it will attest it's time consuming and at times nerve racking and one of the reasons some modelers keep me in business.   I'm not to hip on using wood for stone work either.  I'm a bit biased, but for a good reason because I think plaster works better as a base material when simulating stone.  In fact, I haven't seen a really good laser cut stone on any material that does a decent job at looking like real stone.  However, in all fairness I use a CNC router for milling out my patterns, but I wouldn't use if to cut out wood parts for a kit.

[marc_reusser]

p.s. the mortar lines look inset to me [/size]

Thank god....a normal person.


...all very true what Nick said.....common on paving surfaces the use low fire brick and limestone type materials.

BTW.....the example is of paving stones not a wall.

[Wesleybeks]

I came across the following picture while browsing the topic on the web. Sorry for the tiny picture, but to me the mortar seems to be raised above the stones.