Radiused corners

Hi Charles,

What an interesting idea! I had thought WSF was largely useless to us in models, but the texture does sort of feel like scale concrete.

However, one thing that may betray your model is the edges in WSF seem to have a slight radius, not sharp like concrete typically has.  By the time concrete edges are radiused, there ar lots of other cracks and chips as well.

By the way, this material is really hard to work with sandpaper or files.  So, you may want to build in any defects and wear, rather than thinking you're going to file them in after.

Thanks

Rene'

Corners

The bridge I'm doing has beveled corners for most edges, the beveled part being about 1.68" across.

That being said, I was not aware of the lack of sanding options. This brings up another point. Are both materials difficult to sand/file? What about drilling small holes? I have an area that needs a 2" O.D. pipe drain.

Charles

Concrete Corners

Concrete usually doesn't have sharp corners. Chamfer strips are nailed into the corners of the concrete formwork to avoid damage when stripping the formwork. Sharp edges are the absolute exception when an architect insists for creative reasons. Mostly you have to fix the damages afterwards.

Regards, Volker

Concrete edges

Holes and corners

Hi Charles,

I've not tried all materials, but I think what makes WSF hard to sand is the flexibility. Think about trying to sand a rubber band. WSF is not like a rubber band, but it just fails to sand in the same way. You can, however, cut it. So, if your drill bit is sharp enough, you should be able to drill a hole; or you could design the hole in. 

Hi Volker, I suppose I should really have said "edges" then. The edges in WSF have a slightly out of focus feel to them. Having said that it should be very interesting to see how this project turns out. Rene

Bevels on this bridge

No curves. Each face of the abutments look like this where they meet.

The bridge dates to pre-WWII.

Most people when I hand them the abutment to look at can't even see the beveled off corner. Once installed in the layout, you'll never see it. But I know it's there!

Charles

P.S. Added Edit: That angled "edge" on this PRR bridge is about 1.5" long. It's easy in some areas to add but gets complex where angled edges meet that are not 90 degrees. Those craftsmen back then knew how to do it though!

Quote: Hi Volker, I suppose I

Quote: Hi Volker, I suppose I should really have said "edges" then.

You are right. Not writing in my mother language (being German) leads to odd wording sometimes. But I see you understood what I meant. The sketch in Charles' post shows what I tried to describe. It hasn't changed since WWII. I have worked with this material the last 40 years as civil engineer.

Regards, Volker

Not my mother tongue

Hi Volker,

The mistake was really mine in that I was being imprecise.  Your English, if anything, was too good.

All the same, thanks for sharing your knowledge!

Rene'

Here are some pics

The remaining abutment is not done yet. It's the same as the other abutment without the wing. The wing is on the side with the water flow. For sizing, the abutment is 4.91" wide.

Charles