SCRATCH-BUILD A BRIDGE - PART THREE - THE BASES - Having completed both sides of the bridge and having "wrapped" all four piers/pillars it was time to construct the bases. This was to be a simple rectangular base with semi-circle insets cut into the side to allow the piers/pillars to be securely inset and glued to for a good solid fixture for the bridge. Having completed the bases, a dry fit of the piers/pillars was carried out and I found that if I were to securely glue the piers/pillars directly to the base there would be no "wriggle room" in the event of any discrepancies ( my models are all hand drawn and hand cut), so it was back to the drawing board! The simplest way around this was to cut four 25mm pieces of the card tubing (used for the piers/pillars) and glue them directly into the base. It was then a matter of creating inserts which would fit inside the tubing. This was created by using four pieces of electrical conduit wrapped with card to create a tight fitting inset. The inserts were 50mm, 25mm to fit inside the base with 25mm protruding, over which the bridge piers/pillars would be pushed down securely. This provided both a little wriggle room and a very secure fitting for the main structure of the bridge! The next stage is joining the two sides of the bridge and painting them. The "floor" of the bridge will be glued to the sides and the fronts fitted.

Posted by Ken at 2024-12-07 12:31:31 UTC