Building Materials

I use these paper products from everything from sub-walls to the building themselves. I did a mini-series on business card structures and have used cardstock for shingles, clapboards and individual boards.

Outside of a few index cards and Strathmore board, the majority of materials were fished out of the recycling bucket. Most of it is from mailers, stiffeners, and packaging materials. The supply is practically endless.

Outside of the index cards most of these materials measure about 1mm thick and are pretty sturdy in their own right. However, even when using glue sparingly the structures components have a tendency to warp and must be weighted when waiting for them dry and braced from the inside when assembling.

As with the business card structures I sometimes choose a particular sized material, just to see what is possible.

Slow but Surely

I have one more section to complete and then I will start on the windows and another door. After that the foundation and roofs. It is coming along slowly but surely.

There is another shed I would like to build using cardstock and paper. After that I believe I will build a couple sheds out of wood; Basswood or Balsa? And I cannot forget those Shacks of Rowland Emett.

Building A Realistic Imaginary N-Gauge Model Railroad

It took the author 3 months to build this whimsical n-gauge model railroad.

The Secret Agent

The Secret Agent was three part British mini series around a story by Joseph Conrad by the same name. I have read quite a bit of Conrad's work. Although I don't remember where I first learned of Conrad's work; I am guessing that it must had been while at university.

Unfortunately a couple of innocent people had to lose their lives.

All screenshots are from The Secret Agent.

A New Utility Knife

Prior to my learning about these utilities knifes with their disposable blades my favorite blade for cutting materials was a heavy-duty X-Acto knife with a # 11 blade. However, these blades, although I found that you could sharpen these blades a few times, needed to be changed quite often and they are not all that economical when you are making dozens of cuts at a time.

I recently found this knife at Harbor Freight. It cost approximately one US dollar. It has a great feel it and it balances well in my hand. It contains a set of break-off blades and there’s even a second set of blades under the handle.

The Building of the Main Structure

The main section of the shack is underway. I used nine-inch boards for the walls that are glued to Strathmore sub walls. The bolards were cut from left over bits of bass wood that were found in my “junk” box. The large bare section on the right awaits the addition of the clapboard section.

I cut shingles from index cards. Next time I will cut them a bit narrower. These will be added to gables on both ends of the shack.

Time for an Update

It has been a while since I posted an update for this project. I completed the addition some time ago. I added a stone foundation using the material from an egg carton and glued the bits to a piece of Strathmore board. I probably have enough left-over Strathmore board to complete the roof for the addition and for the sub-walls of the main structure.

The floor piece was cut from that same piece of Strathmore board. I scribed boards into it, painted it tan and added a black wash. I believe it looks pretty convincing.

The Shacks of Rowland Emett

Like the inspiration for Goods Shed these Rowland Emett shacks are inspirational. I can see another project coming from this illustration.

Although I have had these thoughts before, I am seriously considering adding these types of elements to a model train layout. Does everything have to be picture perfect or true to some prototype? Why not add the odd or whimical to ones layout?

Taedium Vitae

Life was so oppressive that even Oberon the King of the Faeries
become weary of life

Taedium vitae

A Quiet Afternoon in the Cloud Cuckoo Valley by Rowland Emett

I have just been introduced to the work of Rowland Emett on the 30 Squares of Ontario blog. A Quiet Afternoon in the Cloud Cuckoo Valley, Oh how very lovely.

The Avengers

	The Avengers ’65 Set 1	The Avengers ’66 Set 1
Disk 1	1. The Town of no Return 2. The Gravediggers 3. The Cybernauts	1. Silent Dust 2. Room Without a View 3. Small Game for Big Hunters
Disk 2	1. Death at Bargain Prices 2. Castle DE’ATH 3. The Master Minds	1. The Girl from Auntie 2. The 13th Hole 3. Quick-Quick-Slow Death
	Avengers ‘65 Set 2	Avengers ‘66 Set 2
Disk 3	1. The Murder Market 2. Surfeit of H 2 0 3. The Hour that Never Was	1. The Danger Makers 2. A Touch of Brimstone 3. What the Butler Saw
Disk 4	1. Dial a Deadly Number 2. Man-Eater of Surrey Green 3. Two’s a Crowd Bonus Episode 4. Too Many Christmas Trees	1. The House that Jack Built 2. A Sense of History 3. How to Succeed …At Murder Bonus Episode 4. Honey for the Prince

The Avengers ran from 1961 through 1969. There two things a remember about my watching the Avengers, one was Mrs. Peal and two: that show had a certain quirkiness to it that I enjoyed. I would have been 10 years old when the show went off the air, so I probably remember being infatuated with Diana Rigg while watching reruns.

Mazulem the Night Owl

“The woman from the Manhattan Women’s Red Pantomime Troup performed Mazulem the Night Owl In White Castle last night. According to the pantomime’s program, the pantomime was written by no other than “Helen America”. The dramas characters: The clown, Freedman Bureau Bell, a black boy, Levy Stickemall, a merchant offering two “segars” for five cents, A Yankee Peddler, a Lady shoplifter, a roast turkey, and the eponymous “Mazulem”.

The whole cast were played by woman, but you could hardly tell by looking at any of the characters for their costumes and makeup hid this fact and transformed them into the characters they were to perform.

The clown is known as “Jackdaw Jaculation”, was ornate with frills in elaborately spangled satin, boasted an egg-bald shaven pate and the sinister white-face of the Pierrot, touched by color in the outlined lips.

The Pantomime opened in what was supposed to be a hotel dining room with the peripatetic Roast Turkey, apparently played by a dwarf, attacking the diners with a carving knife.

The audience was howling rowdily, though less in response to the substance of the pantomime, whatever that might be, than to the whirling, curiously formless dances of the Communard woman, their bare shines and ankles plainly visible beneath the ragged hems of their flowing garments.”

The Difference Engine, William Gibson and Bruce Sterling

The Works of Helen America

Helen America was a mid-seventeen century socialist, social leader and author from Manhattan, New York. She is said to have written the following three works (from what I gather, these are plays):

1. Mazulem the Night Owl
2. Harleqin Panattahah
3. Genii of hte Algonquins