The Aero Squadron Lounge – tower roof

Continuing from the tower construction part 3 for The Aero Squadron Lounge.

The tower roof was my second major foray into math after the spiral stairs. I found this forum thread on conical roof framing, which had exactly the reference photo I needed to help it click for me.

I started with a piece of octagonal trim wood from a sample pack from Manchester Woodworks. They include these packs when you order trim wood from them, and I always find uses for it. I cut two pieces of foam core board to figure out the exact length and angle for the initial support beams.

I used these as patterns to cut beams from balsa wood.

I used Aleene’s Quick Dry supplemented with super glue gel to attach the beams to the octagonal support.

I then cut cross supports for the upper portion, again gluing in place as I went. Nothing in this support structure is completely uniform or strictly measured. I kept measuring the pieces against the top of the tower, and it ended up being somewhat organic in nature.

Next came the lower beams that ran from the center cross supports to the top of the tower.

After these beams were in place, I added cross supports at the base where the roof meets the tower. These were measured individually and glued as I went along. Around this time, I discovered the best fit for the tower and drew an arrow to keep track of the direction.

Here’s how it stood for quite some time while I procrastinated…er…thought about how to finish the structure to achieve a conical surface.

After about a month, I decided to go on a leap of faith and added thin sheets of balsa to the support structure. I used balsa because it was easy to bend as well as to break for the holes I planned to include.

There’s one hole in the front and two larger holes in the back.

Here’s a fun view. :D As you can see, it’s not completely circular but it does follow the contour of the tower.

I gave the structure a quick wash of brown and black paint before shingling. It didn’t look any more rounded to me, but I forged ahead!

Shingling a conical roof is a test of not only patience but also the strength of super glue. :D I used the same Greenleaf speed shingles I used on the main building, but I cut and applied them one at a time before staining. I used super glue gel to supplement the Aleene’s Quick Dry glue.

The first row was relatively painless.

As you work up the tower, you have to cut and shape the shingles more. Covering the shingles below in a uniform manner also becomes more challenging. When you add holes in a roof, that challenge is amplified.

Surprisingly, though, applying the shingles to this relatively flat surface still amounted to the conical shape I had hoped to achieve.

The topmost row is cut to follow the pointed tip as well as the row beneath it.

With all the layers, the roof ended up being very stable, so I’ve left it removable. I painted it with several washes of brown and black, trying to match the main roof as much as possible.

For the cone cap, I used heavy black paper cut to fit.

I had used a scrap of paper to make a template first. When I cut my final, I added a little flap to glue under the opposite edge.

After gluing the cone into shape, I applied spackling to disguise the seam.

I then painted the paper brown to match the roof. The windsock is a glued tube of orange cotton held in place with a head pin. Yes, it rotates, though it pretty much always falls back into the same place.

And, that’s the tower!  :D

A close-up of the holes in the back.

Categories: The Aero Squadron Lounge
September 13, 2012 | 0 comments

The Aero Squadron Lounge – tower, part 3

Continuing from the tower construction part 2 for The Aero Squadron Lounge.

I went ahead and cut off the bamboo skewer support at the top of the spiral stairs, which was scary but ended up being okay. I added stucco to the window and arched opening edges. I also glued the foam ring and beam assembly to the top of the tower, added the stucco and painted the final finish. This sealed off access to the inside of the tower from the top opening, but I needed it in place to install the tower light. Yes, the tower was still removable at this point. 

The most challenging light to wire in this build was this one in the tower. Even if I hadn’t made the tower roof removable in the end, I wanted exposed rafters and holes in the roof. That meant you would be able to see the wire, even if I cut a channel into the balsa beam and painted it.

I opted to hide the wire in plain sight with conduit made from 3/32″ aluminum tubing from my local hobby shop Ad-Venture Hobbies. Remember the tubing bender I posted about awhile back? This is why I bought it. Now, bending aluminum tubing didn’t work out to be as easy as bending brass tubing. The aluminum was softer and more prone to tearing. I had to make a few attempts before getting it to work properly. I ended up making 3 or 4 small bends right next to one another to stretch it out a little before doing the final bend. It’s not as clean as the brass, but it does work.

I eliminated the chain on this light and made it a ceiling fixture. This is a much later photo from when I started working on the tower roof, but it’s the best shot I have of the shortened light.

The wire goes up through the beam, through the conduit and out the side of the tower.

The wire exits the wall through the end of the tubing.

The end wire runs between the tower and side wall, eventually to be covered with stucco.

To disguise the end of the wire inside, I used a round wooden bead.

I painted the conduit on the beam brown to match the wood. I painted the conduit along the wall and the wooden bead warm white to make it blend in with the wall color. I have seen conduit done like this in real life many times.

I added a metal doorbell from Sussex Crafts to act as a vintage light switch. :D Now the illusion is complete.

With the tower wiring finished, I got ahead of myself, glued the tower in place and finished the stucco application between the tower and the main building, shown here before painting.

I had forgotten to add one important element before doing all this. Once you have a balcony, you have to keep people from tumbling over its edges. Luckily, there was good enough access through the upper arched opening so I could reach the top of the balcony. Whew!

At the edge of the staircase, I used a portion of pre-assembled wood railing and a Houseworks narrow newel post. I opted to paint it Warm White to blend in with the tower wall. It’s a small space and too much contrast wouldn’t have worked.

For the portion overlooking the main room, I bent a piece of plastic railing from The Dolls House Emporium. I also cut off the finials from the upper edge. It wasn’t easy to bend and I did snap one of the small connections which had to be super glued, but overall it worked well. The curve isn’t that severe. I later sprayed it with flat black to tone down the plastic sheen and glued it in place.

In this photo, both railings are shown as works in progress.

And, here is what they look like finished.

I added lengths cut from an 1/8″ diameter dowel to make the window bars. These were painted Bittersweet Chocolate by Americana with a wash of black to age them. I like that you can see the light switch through the window here.

Continued here. I thought the tower roof deserved its own post. :D

Categories: The Aero Squadron Lounge
September 12, 2012 | 0 comments

The Aero Squadron Lounge – tower, part 2

Continuing from the tower construction part 1 for The Aero Squadron Lounge.

I will detail the main room build in another post, but I do need to mention a few things I did before the next steps in the tower construction. I glued the main room floor to the landscaping base, which was a layer of builders foam over a 24″ square plywood board. I glued the side walls in place and glued the spiral stairs base adjacent to the main floor.

The slight gaps between the two pieces didn’t matter since I would be covering the whole surface with egg carton stone. I didn’t tile that tiny space behind the bottom steps.

I painted, sealed and grouted the stone floor before proceeding with the tower. I also painted the lower portion of the tower interior Warm White by Americana, the same color used inside and out on the stucco surface.

I didn’t paint all the way up since I still needed to finish the window openings and I was still thinking about what I wanted to do. I considered actual windows but ended up with bars to keep wayward tourists from tumbling out of the tower. More about that in part 3 (link at the bottom).

I wanted a light in the tower and needed cross beams to hold it. I also needed something to finish off the top of the tower. I cut a rough circle from builders foam (primed with gesso) and made beams from balsa. I like balsa for old beams and rafters because it is easy to dent and score, and it has a nice grain to it when paint washes are used.

Since gluing this ring in place would effectively seal off the tower access from the top, I put it aside and worked on the handrail instead. I used thin black tape to mark where I wanted the railing. It was here that I discovered my “greater than half” balcony would not work. While I could fool your eye into thinking there was enough room for someone to walk up the stairs beforehand, the railing would run right into the balcony’s back edge and ruin the illusion. 

Cut, cut, cut, and problem is solved!

I scored lines in the top and bottom with an awl.

I used an absinthe bottle to bend 1/16″ aluminum tubing (from Hobby Lobby) into the right curve to fit inside the tower and tested it against the black tape guide. The balcony is painted a blend of Bittersweet Chocolate by Americana and black, then sanded for a bit of wear. As for why I used an absinthe bottle, it was slightly wider than any other bottle I had on hand, and it made for a looser curve.

I made the railing brackets from eyelet headpins, bead caps and beads. Even with holes punched into the tower, I knew gluing only the end of the eyelet headpin into the wall would not hold the railing. So, I added the plastic bead inside the bead cap to increase the gluing surface. Glue holds the bead cap and bead together, and glue holds that assembly to the wall. Somewhat. I used super glue gel to supplement the Aleene’s Fast Grab glue.

Following the tape guide, I used an awl to punch evenly spaced holes in the tower where the five railing brackets would be.

I left the tape in place throughout the process to make sure I didn’t lose the proper alignment.

I cut the bracket assemblies down so there was only a small bit of wire left.

I glued the bracket assemblies onto each of these spots, trying to get them as flush against the stucco surface as possible.

I then fed the tube through the eyelets, and it worked perfectly!!! No, it didn’t. Two of those brackets popped right off the wall. So, I glued them again, tweaked the arc of the tubing and waited for the glue to dry. There was one stubborn bracket that popped again, but I just let it hang there and glued it back in place after I had the tubing fed through all five eyelets. I held it by hand, even with the super glue, for about 15 minutes just to be sure. Success! :D

I painted the railing with black acrylic after it was on the wall.  I knew painting it beforehand would be useless for a couple of reasons. First, threading it through the eyelets would scrape the paint off, and second, the paint flecks would gum up my fingers and get all over the place, namely the lovely white stucco. With the tower still being removable, I was able to paint from the bottom and top openings, a relatively easy task.

I then added fancy headpins to either end of the railing for finishing. From above…

And a close up. I have to say it turned out even better than I had hoped. This gives me ideas for freestanding spiral staircase railings now, too.

Time for the balcony, but first prayers that we don’t knock the railing brackets out of place while we work on said balcony. :D

On the underside, I added floor supports from scrap wood as well as laser cut brackets to hold the balcony level on the wall. I also added a riser piece needed to bridge the gap between the top stone step and the balcony. This is a shot never to be seen again, but do I love the way it looks.

And, you can see a little of my efforts — the brackets — when you look into the archway. :D It was worth it to me, because I know the added details are there.

Continued in part 3.

Categories: The Aero Squadron Lounge
September 11, 2012 | 0 comments

The Aero Squadron Lounge – tower, part 1

One of the aspects I liked most about the French farmhouses I found in reference photos was the tower. I thought it would be wonderful to add one to The Aero Squadron Lounge since the main kit building was a single room and lent itself well to the addition. The first tower I attempted was made from a large oatmeal container. Boy, did I ever eat a lot of oatmeal! :P No, I just transferred the contents into another container. :D

With a 5″ diameter, it was the perfect size, but it was too short. I attempted to add some cardboard to the top, but it was too flimsy. I was able to obtain a 31″ tall, 5″ diameter Uline mailing tube from Freecycle, and it was exactly twice the height I needed. I cut the tube into two 15.5″ lengths which gave me two attempts to get it right. I still have the second one left over.

With my model on the balcony at the top of spiral stairs in the mockup tower, I was able to mark where the window overlooking the Sopwith Camel should be.

I measured and marked a line 1.5″ from the edge all the way around the top of the tube. This ring would stay intact and serve to hold the roundness of the tower in shape.

I cut the smaller 1.5″ x 3″ window openings before cutting the arched openings, because I had to press the utility blade into the thick cardboard with significant pressure and I thought having the large openings already cut would make the tube more likely to buckle as I pressed.

The arched openings join the side walls of the main room.

I drew the arched tops freehand, leaving another full band intact in the middle for stability.

Here you can see the three windows I cut.

I covered the exterior of the tower with Cellfoam 88. It’s white foam sheeting approximately 1/8″ thick. I bought a two-pack at Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon. The sheets measure 12″ wide by roughly 4ft long. I measured the amount needed to cover the surface of the tower, and then marked my stone lines 5/16″ apart on the sheet while it was flat and unattached to the tube.

I used a special adjustable X-Acto knife that allows you to cut into a surface at a controlled depth. You turn the knob to allow more or less of the blade to sink into the material. This kept the back of the sheet whole while allowing me to carve the stonework on the front.

After scoring the lines with the blade, I used a dull wooden pencil to indent the lines. It’s a small step that makes all the difference.

I used a carving tool from a set bought at Michael’s to press and cut the vertical lines forming the individual stone blocks. I thought I had a photo of it, but apparently not. Here’s the tool with the builders foam stone started (I’ll detail this portion in a later post). I just lined the blade up between the horizontal lines and pressed until it broke the front surface without cutting through the back. The bricks measure 3/4″ wide.

I used Weldbond glue to attach the carved stone sheet to the bottom of the tower tube, applying the glue to the tube and then pressing the sheet onto it. My measurement was a little off, so I had a gap over the arched opening, but this would be filled in with stucco besides.

The Weldbond glue held the sheet well enough to allow me cut the arched openings after the foam was attached. I then taped down the edges.

Since there was no way to press the foam flat on the tube, I wrapped it tightly with cling wrap and let it set.

In the meantime, I prepared the next sheet of foam needed to cover the remaining exposed tube in the same manner as the bottom sheet. I made sure the stone pattern continued seamlessly between the two sheets.

Here it is in place with the main room.

And, from the inside. Now you can see why I keep my kits in dry fit so long. I build parts, check the fit, and so on until I am ready to assemble all the pieces. Even when I am ready, I still usually wait a day to make sure I haven’t missed something. :D

I primed the tower inside and out with gesso to seal it.

I covered the interior surface of the tower with stucco patch from Home Depot. Since the spiral stair base was a snug fit in the mailing tube, I made sure there was no stucco on that portion at the bottom. Once painted, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference even if you could see that far into the tower.

Checking the fit of the spiral stairs after stucco application.

I painted portions of the tower Desert Sand by Americana. Once dry, I grouted with spackling compound.

I layered on washes of browns and a little black to stain the grout and give the stone a natural mottled appearance. I then covered the exterior with stucco, leaving the painted stone areas untouched.

I also left the edges of the windows, the attachment points where the tower meets the main room and the arched openings uncovered. The stucco would be added later to those areas. Here the tower is still not glued in place.

Continued in part 2.

Categories: The Aero Squadron Lounge
September 10, 2012 | 0 comments

Watercolor paintings from 1916, wartime

One of the drawbacks of working on a project in secret is that others can’t pipe in and say, “I have just the thing for your mini scene!” Now that The Aero Squadron Lounge has been revealed, a friend and fellow miniaturist was able to do just that.

Elga inherited two small paintings from a collection belonging to her late Mother-in-Law and offered to send me scans so that I might add these little paintings to The Aero Squadron Lounge. I was overjoyed at the thought, and I fell in love with them when I saw them.

The watercolor paintings measure 10″ x 7″ and are signed by F. E. Glazier. One is titled St. Gent, JE and dated April 24, 1916. The inscription on the back reads, “D. Companies first billet in France.”

The other is titled La Bizet and dated May 12, 1916. The inscription on the back reads, “Le Bizet canal at back of Le Bizet Trench.”

Elga wrote, “I always wonder if it was a soldier that painted them and send them home to the family as they are quite small, wanting to show them the farm he lived on and the place where he was fighting in the trenches.”

We both did a little bit of sleuthing on the internet to see if we could make a connection to anything more recent. Even though one painting’s inscription states this was in France, Elga wondered if it was actually Ghent, Belgium. I’m not sure what the “JE” stands for on the front, either. Le Bizet seems like it also might be in Belgium based on a limited google search, though Elga found that it is right on the border with France. She also found a few online references to Le Bizet in WWI related links.

Elga was able to find an F. E. Glazier listed in the 1940 U.S. Census, working under the assumption that D Company was from America. However, Elga lives in South Africa along with the paintings, as did her Mother-in-Law.

I found a listing for Private F. E. Glazier on a July 14, 1916 roll call page from the South African Infantry, stating that he was injured July 19th.

Elga looked in her phone book and found two listings for people with the surname Glazier in the Cape Province. Her Mother-in-Law lived in Cape Town for over 20 years, and Elga surmises she bought the paintings at a fair or market. She’s not sure her Mother-in-Law even knew what they were, their age or the fact that they are original watercolor paintings of historical significance. She thinks they were purchased simply because they are beautiful landscapes.

That they are, so I’ve printed the scans in miniature and made matchstick frames for them. Since the Lounge is dark, I’ve set up a vignette to show their detail and color.

Even in miniature, they look like real paintings.

I moved some things around to make room for them in the Lounge.

Adds a bit of authenticity, don’t you think?  Thanks so much, Elga!

So, there’s our clever little mystery. Maybe someone will stumble upon this blog post and have something to add. Elga and I would love to know the rest of the story. :D

——

Someone reached out to me from this post and emailed more information about Mr. Glazier (edited to remove identifying information). Thank you for adding to the story.

“Fred Glazier was a veteran of WWI. He served with the South African army and was injured at the battle of Delville Wood (15 July – 21 July, 1916). In fact, he lost a leg during that skirmish. At some point after the end of WWI, Fred moved to live in the little town of Port St Johns, on the east coast of South Africa. My dad … vividly remembers Fred Glazier, whom he called ‘Old Man Glazier’ in the years after WWII. Fred was an artist who painted a number of pictures of the landscapes around Port St Johns. My uncle … owns a painting done by Fred Glazier depicting the mountains and river mouth around Port St Johns. Fred Glazier was a great fan of cricket, obviously not as a player because he was an amputee, but as a supporter, and was the first President of the Port St Johns Cricket Club.”

Categories: The Aero Squadron Lounge
September 9, 2012 | 0 comments