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Author Topic: Doors, doors, doors!  (Read 5603 times)

Offline Furt

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Doors, doors, doors!
« on: August 18, 2008, 04:04:22 AM »
Just finishing some adobe buildings and was wondering what people do about doors? Do u always use doors and do you make them operable or fixed? I'd love to know how to make a working door - I've considered tiny hinges but thought of the expense.

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Offline archangel1

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Re: Doors, doors, doors!
« Reply #1 on: August 18, 2008, 05:21:15 AM »
I've never quite seen the sense in a working door for a gaming model.  Maybe if you're trying to give an impression in a photo, perhaps, but I don't think I'd want to be bothered opening doors in a model when you can probably just set the mini inside the building (if it has an interior!).
As for making doors...in my case, if there's no interior, I just glue basswood (lime, to any furriners!) strips on to a backing of thin foamcore and glue it slightly recessed into the opening.  If the door is open, I'd just make it out of thicker wood, if it's in one piece, or glue strips on to a paper core, with 'metal' or wood bracing, if it's planked.  I'm afraid I'm not one of those who simply scribes lines into a slab of wood.
You can see a sample, here, from my Blacksmith shop, in progress.

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Offline white knight

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Re: Doors, doors, doors!
« Reply #2 on: August 18, 2008, 07:30:31 AM »
If you really want to make working doors, you can make small hinges yourself using a thin tube and wire that fits into it (a loose fit is required, but not too loose, you don't want your door to slide open by itself). Glue two sections of the tube to the back of the dooropening where you would place the hinges. Cut two ends of the wire. Bend the wires at a right angle, glue the horizontal part to the back side of the door, slightly higher than the tube height. Slide the vertical section of the wires into the tubes, which completes your hinge. You can now open and close the door.

I hope this is somewhat clear, it's a bit hard to describe it without pictures.
« Last Edit: August 18, 2008, 11:46:11 AM by white knight »

Offline Argonor

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Re: Doors, doors, doors!
« Reply #3 on: August 18, 2008, 11:10:15 AM »
I hope this is somewhat clear, it's a bit hard to describe it without pictures.

I can understand it and envisage it (I actually think I could do it) - and if a person with my modelling skills can, I think your explanation works fine  ;)
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Offline Furt

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Re: Doors, doors, doors!
« Reply #4 on: August 18, 2008, 11:50:16 AM »
Archangel1 - that door is simply beautiful!  :)

That is a really great idea white knight - I wonder could I pull it off?

Maybe I'll just have the doors removable so figures can stand in the doorway if they need to.

Offline Rhoderic

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Re: Doors, doors, doors!
« Reply #5 on: August 18, 2008, 12:37:09 PM »
My technique for making operable doors is a bit more rudimentary than White Knight's. It probably doesn't look as nice, but I'm happy so long as the doors work. I just get a piece of 3mm balsa, scribe it with lines, and drill a hole in the bottom of it, near one edge (about 1-2 mm in). It's not as hard as it sounds. Then I treat the door with watered-down PVA glue to make it a bit harder, and finally I make a threshold, drill a hole in it too, and glue a piece of wire in it. A "poor man's hinge", you might call it :D

I've never quite seen the sense in a working door for a gaming model.  Maybe if you're trying to give an impression in a photo, perhaps, but I don't think I'd want to be bothered opening doors in a model when you can probably just set the mini inside the building (if it has an interior!).

It makes sense if you're into "adventure" skirmish gaming like I am. You can visually represent whether a door is left open or closed, which aside from looking nice, keeps you from having to make mental notes about it during a game, or having to assume that all doors get closed again they've been passed through, which is boring. I do quite a lot of stuff like this, aimed to make gaming boards more "interactive". For instance, when making tables, shelves, market stalls and stuff like that, I don't glue items directly on them, for the eventuality that said pieces of furniture get overturned during a scuffle. It's not that far from the kind of minutiae you're into when building dioramas, only aimed for a different application.
« Last Edit: August 18, 2008, 01:13:04 PM by Rhoderic »
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Offline white knight

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Re: Doors, doors, doors!
« Reply #6 on: August 18, 2008, 01:50:28 PM »
That is a really great idea white knight - I wonder could I pull it off?

Thanks, but I can't take credit for it as I read it somewhere myself (I think it may have been in one of the GW terrain building supplements).

My technique for making operable doors is a bit more rudimentary than White Knight's. It probably doesn't look as nice, but I'm happy so long as the doors work. I just get a piece of 3mm balsa, scribe it with lines, and drill a hole in the bottom of it, near one edge (about 1-2 mm in). It's not as hard as it sounds. Then I treat the door with watered-down PVA glue to make it a bit harder, and finally I make a threshold, drill a hole in it too, and glue a piece of wire in it. A "poor man's hinge", you might call it :D

That does sound a lot less work and less risk of glueing fingers together!

Online Malamute

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Re: Doors, doors, doors!
« Reply #7 on: August 18, 2008, 01:58:03 PM »
Just in the middle of making some adobe stuff myself.
I add doors and windows as I think the models look empty without them, but they are all fixed and not hinged.Personally I don't feel the need to do so for my games as I don't use interiors.
They are all made of balsa wood, either scored to represent planks or individually panelled with thin balsa strips.
I add small details like handles and indentations to represent nails etc.

For examples of my adobe stuff look at the Old West and workbench boards for photos.Here are a couple of examples.





Can we have photos of yours please. :)
« Last Edit: August 18, 2008, 02:04:11 PM by Malamute »
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Offline Furt

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Re: Doors, doors, doors!
« Reply #8 on: August 18, 2008, 09:44:41 PM »
Quote
Can we have photos of yours please.
Malamute are u serious! I would be very reluctant to post any pictures of my work next to any of yours!  lol

Your buildings are what inspired me to try an adobe set for my Tangier pirate game in the first place. When they are finished - if they look any good I will post.

Offline Rhoderic

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Re: Doors, doors, doors!
« Reply #9 on: August 18, 2008, 09:49:18 PM »
A Tangiers pirate game? I demand to see photos of that!

Online Malamute

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Re: Doors, doors, doors!
« Reply #10 on: August 19, 2008, 07:42:52 AM »
A Tangiers pirate game? I demand to see photos of that!

Agreed,Photos are essential.

Online Malamute

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Re: Doors, doors, doors!
« Reply #11 on: August 19, 2008, 07:45:16 AM »
Quote
Can we have photos of yours please.
Malamute are u serious! I would be very reluctant to post any pictures of my work next to any of yours!  lol

Your buildings are what inspired me to try an adobe set for my Tangier pirate game in the first place. When they are finished - if they look any good I will post.

Thanks, I am flattered to think I inspired you. Please post some pics, I love to see how other people model things.I am sure they look better than you think. Everybody is always over critcial of their own work.

Offline Furt

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Re: Doors, doors, doors!
« Reply #12 on: August 19, 2008, 09:58:59 AM »
I am yet to "spackle" and paint them yet and still very unsure on the exact necessary techniques. I'm seriously not sure they are worth putting up at the moment - they're just glorified foamboard boxes at present!

Rhoderic, I don't plan on really playing in building interiors like yourself, just allowing models to gain a bit of cover - do you think I need operable doors or maybe just removable ones?

A little off topic, but Malamute, while I have your attention could I please ask a few questions about your adobe buildings? Anyone else PLEASE feel free to add your opinions.

Firstly I want my adobe buildings to serve in a variety of theaters, namely the Barbary Coast and probably the Sudan. I was tempted to paint them vibrant white, but have opted against that - I really like Malamute's job. What color combination would achieve a "neutral" looking adobe building, I could use in a number of periods/places?

Secondly, when u base buildings, how much overhang do you leave on the base. I am finishing mine fairly flush, with the intent they can butt up nice and close to other buildings. Is there a disadvantage to this?

Lastly, I assume those flagstones are individually cut pieces of card? Do u cut a heap of similiar shapes and jigsaw them together or (God help me) cut them out to suite?

Thanks everyone for the great advice on this forum - you are all so helpful!  :D

Offline Rhoderic

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Re: Doors, doors, doors!
« Reply #13 on: August 19, 2008, 11:35:54 AM »
Rhoderic, I don't plan on really playing in building interiors like yourself, just allowing models to gain a bit of cover - do you think I need operable doors or maybe just removable ones?

I'm afraid I'm hardly an authority on this matter, so maybe you're better off asking for a general consensus instead :)

But in my opinion, as you're not making interiors for your buildings, operable doors might be a bit redundant.

Regarding "overhanging" bases for buildings, I try to skip having those altogether whenever I can.

Offline Argonor

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Re: Doors, doors, doors!
« Reply #14 on: August 19, 2008, 11:40:12 AM »
Regarding colour, I've seen a lot of adobe houses used for Asian and Sudan theaters painted what seems like a blueish gray drybrushed with white/very pale gray...

My own ones are painted with an earth colour, overbrushed with bone/white, as I recall... I think both solutions are viable, as I've seen both sandy-coloured and white buildings on film....

 

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