Gabions

[berryr99]

Good evening,

On the WHR use has been made of Gabions (retaining walls) - the industry standard size is 1m cubed and I have (hopefully) attach an outline picture.

I was wondering if anyone had ideas about what material I could use for the mesh that goes round the outside of the stones.

Ratio use a fine white nylon-ish mesh in their Security Fencing product but it is not stiff enough to retain its shape around the stones inside. I think if I tried to stiffen it with PVA it would probably lose its transparency.

I have small tea-strainer (used for ballasting) that has a fine metal mesh but I am reluctant to cut it up becuase it took ages to find and it is curved.

I would be grateful for any ideas !

many thanks

Bob Berry

[Tigger]

Try this, Bob.

http://www.metalmesh.com.au/brass-wire-mesh

I haven't downloaded the catalogue so I don't know what sizes the woven mesh goes down to - however, when I was conducting tear tests on polysulphides back in the mid-1970s we were using brass gauze so fine it looked like cloth.  I seem to remember the off-cuts were useful for loco radiator grilles...

This site might be a start and you should also find some model engineering suppliers will sell gauze for straining water feeds to boilers, which may be suitable.

You might also find some in stainless steel which would be more expensive but would save hours of painting.

[berryr99]

Thanks David, this is most useful and has started some thoughts off in the direction of a source of mesh from within the modelling community.

Since posting I have gone through my spares box and found one brass mesh piece that might just suffice. I know I bought it at the GRIM exhibition in Yorkshire last year but can't remember who the trader was, only that it was a stand on the stage of the hall.

I will do some further research !

Bob

[invercloy]

Have a look on the Scale Link website, they might have something of use that's etched.
http://www.scalelink.co.uk/acatalog/Etched_Brass_Frets___Photo_decoupe.html

What sort of material are you going to use for the fill? How about O gauge ballast?

[berryr99]

Tom,

Thanks for the link - I would never have thought of looking here and looks good for what I want.

Yes I would use O gauge ballast or I have a lot of small hand-crushed slate pieces which would suit.

Bob

[JulienW]

Just a thought - is it something to get etched?  I can see that they may have applications elsewhere, i.e. anyone modelling 'modern image' so there may be some commercial interest...

[Hugh Norwood]

That's an idea - Nickel-silver would probably not need to be painted, too

[tedp]

Plastic mosquito screen gauze?

[Hobby]

Rather than fill the thing with rock why not make a box a little smaller than the required size out of plasticard or polystyrene and then glue the rock to the box and glue the mesh to the outside... It'll make it lighter as well!

[invercloy]

Just a thought - is it something to get etched?  I can see that they may have applications elsewhere, i.e. anyone modelling 'modern image' so there may be some commercial interest...

I'd have thought that a neat solution.

[Graeme Dunbar]

Rather than fill the thing with rock why not make a box a little smaller than the required size out of plasticard or polystyrene and then glue the rock to the box and glue the mesh to the outside... It'll make it lighter as well!

I'm in the middle of making a easily portable LGB back-and-forth shuttle demonstration and after a few goes at trying aquarium gravel and decorative chips from the local garden centre I decided that apart from not looking like ballast the added weight would be too much. I've settled on cork granules that I've sprayed black and then various grey shades.

As a variation on Blair's suggestion above, how about putting the stones (or whatever you use) inside a suitably shaped box/mould, doing the ballast-gluing trick and when dry, ejecting the stone cubes/cuboids and finally gluing fine mesh on the visible faces.

One thing I've noticed about gabions is how neatly the stones inside seem to fit. Of course the mesh holds them in place but rather more flat surfaces of the stones seem to line up with the mesh that randomness would seem to suggest. I wonder if there is some cunning method of shaking them into place?

I also wonder if it is possible to etch brass fine enough to look convincing? Since only one or two surfaces are likely to be seen, how about winding fine thread, suitably separated and cross-hatched around the block?

[JulienW]

<snipped>

One thing I've noticed about gabions is how neatly the stones inside seem to fit. Of course the mesh holds them in place but rather more flat surfaces of the stones seem to line up with the mesh that randomness would seem to suggest. I wonder if there is some cunning method of shaking them into place?

I have noticed that myself and I wonder if in some cases - where the gabions form a feature - they are not filled by hand, at least in part (the 'show' faces), to get a neater look.  Equally though if they are filled and some sort of vibration applied then I suspect that any flat faces on the stones would tend to line up with the vertical sides of the cage.

[berryr99]

All, many thanks for your thoughts on this subject which all very helpful to a sixty year old (very) inexperienced modeller who has lots of time to model but precious little know how yet !!!

I have decided to go with trying out the Scale Link etched brass approach as I think this will be within my skills set.

I'll make the minumum number of mesh sides needed (which will be mesh front and sides, plasticard floor and back). For fill I already have some hand crushed slate and I will face all the "seen" sides in alignment as much of the crushed slated can be "faced". I will try a plasticard "inner" box although weight is not an issue for my layout which isn't designed to leave home.

I didn't have the wit to take any pictures of gabions when I was on the WHR last year so have found an internet picture as attached. This is the sort of effect I would like to achieve and I cannot help but think the stones must have been hand-placed to obtain this regularity.

Bob

[Darren Hedges]

I know I bought it at the GRIM exhibition in Yorkshire last year but can't remember who the trader was, only that it was a stand on the stage of the hall.

A1 Models were on the stage.

I know John does some very good etched grille and mesh packs, so i bet that's who you got it from.

Darren.

[berryr99]

Thanks Darren - I have found their website and will put in an order.

I should learn to write useful stands etc down at the time I find them !

Bob