a street track project

[michael mott]

Volker thanks for you further thoughts.

I always asked myself when the polished appearance of the cobblestones commenced. I think this is a rather newer phenomenon resulting from car tires, but the steel tires of horse drawn carriages and horseshoes may have caused the wear at the stones' surface, but back then the stones might have looked rather a bit dulled from the remaining dust.

This is a very interesting analysis, I have been wondering about this issue, the abrasion from the horse shoes and steel wheels would most likely account for a good deal of the polish on the old cobbles.

For the uniform rust colours you may use rust powder from fresh rusted steel to give it a final touch after burnishing.

I shall do some experiment with real rust on some test pieces of rail to see how this works.

Bill
Thank you very much for those links, I particularly like the wooden one and the one under the bridge.

the stones themselves still have a very uniform overall shape compared to photos.

I agree with you, I noticed that some of the pictures show a randomness that is produced by the stones being of different physical dimensions creating gaps between them of different widths, and others that are from what appear to be from different quarries.

but the individual stones themselves are a bit more irregular in shape along all sides.

Initially I was trying to avoid most of this irregularity and attempting to make them more equal in size, in retrospect these cobbles would most likely have been subject to a fair bit of hand work by the stonemasons who prepared them. Add to that the process of the batches from the natural stone in the quarries, it really makes sense that they would not have the same sort of uniformity as the pressed ceramic or concrete type cobbles or pavers which for the most part are produced in molds and by machines.

From a purely aesthetic point of view they each produce a different sense one being a more orderly harmony and the other a more poetic one.
Striking the right balance is the name of the game it seems. The one shot of the wood setts is super I shall have to add a few of those shrinkage splits into a few of my blocks.

Michael 

[Peter_T1958]

From a purely aesthetic point of view they each produce a different sense one being a more orderly harmony and the other a more poetic one.
Striking the right balance is the name of the game it seems. The one shot of the wood setts is super I shall have to add a few of those shrinkage splits into a few of my blocks.

This picture with the bridge in the background stands symbolically for the two possible approaches: On the left side a renewed orderly area - between the rails the more poetic part, with varying distances, settlements and even splis.



I myself would go into the direction of the more poetic one to make it even more exciting, BUT... You are pointing here on an important aspect of our hobby - the right balance! Both the more orderly aspect and the poetic one are right, it's just a question of personal preferences (In this context I still remember well the debate on Rogers Russian battleship - whether realistic or not... )

I'm looking forward to your next update!
Cheers, Peter

[mad gerald]

... eventually these kinda "bricks", used as paving stones on the former Feldbahn circuit at TUEV Norderstedt, could offer a modeling alternative ... instead of modeling "common" cobblestones? Because IMHO it's very difficult, to create really convincing cobblestones modelingwise ...





Cheers

[Peter_T1958]

.. just found this link:

http://www.dioramadebris.co.uk/124-scale-4-wide-setts-cobblestones-mould-1240074-70-p.asp

Cheers, Peter

[michael mott]

Because IMHO it's very difficult, to create really convincing cobblestones modelingwise ...

Gerald I understand completely the point you make, and if I were to take the easy way out and make all the setts look like the ones you show then they would not be the type of cobbles that I want. to use a different example I could also build a wooden structure and use Northeastern scale lumber ans just paint it with barn red with no weathering because it is really difficult to make it look weathered IMHO

Peter
thanks for the link, I have considered making a mould of a couple of dozen individual setts but practically I run into the same issue as the German bread only they are scattered around a bit. I have the painful affliction of being able to spot the repeating patterns in "random" pattern" wallpaper, fake stone in modern full size buildings, printed laminate flooring etc.

Once I have found a really simple way to make the setts individually with that touch of human randomness ( like these see picture at the end of this post) that only comes from doing something by hand by trying to make them the same I will have accomplished my goal and will be able to move on to some other crazy endeavor.

For you Russ

Mike   

[Hydrostat]

That's tasty - very nice results! Only those longitudinal scratches at some stones look a bit artificial. Unfortunately I don't find anything else for nitpicking.

Volker

[mad gerald]

Because IMHO it's very difficult, to create really convincing cobblestones modelingwise ...

Gerald I understand completely the point you make, and if I were to take the easy way out and make all the setts look like the ones you show then they would not be the type of cobbles that I want. to use a different example I could also build a wooden structure and use Northeastern scale lumber ans just paint it with barn red with no weathering because it is really difficult to make it look weathered IMHO

... your project, your rules, sisyphus ...   ... (no offense) ... I just wanted to point out, that the cobblestones have to be phenomenally good to match your excellent craftmanship (on other parts of your diorama). Cobblestones are kinda individuals (size, shape, surface), I guess you'd probably have to manufacture every single cobblestone separately to achieve the look of your favored prototype. At this stage, your cobblestones already look the part, but they appear (at least to me) still too homogeneously ...  

Cheers

[michael mott]

At this stage, your cobblestones already look the part, but they appear (at least to me) still too homogeneously ..

Love the Greek reference it feels that way sometimes.

Gerald you are absolutely correct, they do look reasonably ok but they still don't look right yet.
Once I cal get them looking the way I want without any coloring Vis a Vis the size and shape then I will get on with the colouring and fill textures. For me much of the challenge is stepping into new waters and solving the puzzles, I feel that I am heading down the right track (or hill) but there are still a lot of obstacles. "homogeneity" being one of them.

regards Michael

[Bill Gill]

Michael, your latest experiment is progressing. You are getting closer to the mix of random-uniformity displayed by the prototype. Some prototype stones also had cracks and grooves in them, so that's a detail that can be included. However,right now yours appear to all be very close to the same angle relative to the long axis of the stones. Persist! you are gaining on it

[michael mott]

Bill thank you for your critique it is great to get the feedback from the members who are not so close to the project.
The latest tests feel as though there is some progress. I have added a little debris and some growth. The strange thing is that by being a little less picky regarding the size selection it is getting closer to the look I am after.

Michael

[Ray Dunakin]

Looks good to me.

[lab-dad]

Add a little dust, may be a stain or two and some wet spots and I think your there!
Really looks great to me also!
Marty

[finescalerr]

Ditto. -- Russ

[Bill Gill]

Michael, sent you a PM.

[mad gerald]

Michael,

A huge progress, your efforts were worth it ... BUT ... I think your cobblestones still look too homogeneous, especially the corners (of almost each single stone) seem to be too rectangluar and too sharp-edged in comparison with your prototype. If you're gonna manage to fix that (with an additional "randomness"), the cobblestones or the whole scene respectively would be perfect ...

Cheers