Thanks to being in lockdown I was unable to repeat last year’s French DIY holiday at my daughter’s newly purchased Mill & Barn complex which had been standing empty for over four years.
Le Moulin de Chene Cutte ( the mill of the oak cutter) is situated outside a small village. The barn (pre 1900) is built out of stone from the surrounding quarry. The water from the trout river fills the mill race under the mill and the mill pond next to the barn. The old machinery and water driven generator is still in situ and protrudes up through their proposed lounge!!
I’m having a rest this year !
Barn Construction. 63 L x 26W x 34H. cams.
The barn was constructed from photographs and visual memory.
I made 10 resin slabs. for the walls ( 36.5 x 14 x 3 mm ) using 2 part polyurethane resin PU3670 from Alchmemix and 6 slabs for the roof. All were squared up using a disc sander. All slabs were cut, the size being determined from the photos. All adjoining corners were accurately sanded to 45 deg.
The doors and windows were marked on the appropriate pieces and cut out using a jig saw. They were cast in my moulds using the same resin mix.
Using metal blocks for support I glued the main body together. To get the roof apex I cut wedge shaped pieces and glued them to the top, end, and centre walls. Glue used 2part epoxy 4min setting Speedo AD 65.
To construct the removable roof, the roof sections were cut to length. Additional pieces were cut to provide the depth of the roof. These were butt jointed and placed faced down on a flat polyurethane covered surface to set. Triangular shaped roof supports were cut using scrap wood. The main body was laid on its side, the triangular pieces clamped to the inner walls, then one roof panel glued into position. When this was set I turned the whole and repeated with the second panel. The roof capping was cut from a piece of u shaped plastic section and glued in place with “No more Nails”.
Windows and doors were filed to fit , painted, glazed and glued into place.
All mitred corners were filed to show stonework. The whole building was sprayed with primer and top coat. A base was cut to size from scrap acrylic sheet and glued in place.
All outside stonework has yet to be painted. A job for the winter.
All my models are weatherproofed with Acrylic clear matt varnish.
