Malifaux Tin roofing

[GreenRiveter]

I've been looking for a better solution to doing roofing for my Malifaux shacks. Online I ran across the brilliant idea of using a paint tube wringer to make corrugated tin roofs. Here's how mine turned out. I used a pack of aluminum cooking pans from the dollar store, and a $6.00 paint wringer bought from Utrecht in Portland. I got enough roofing pieces to do an entire city of shacks, or make entire shacks from tin! The aluminum is strong enough to hold the shape with moderate handling. I'm pretty careful with my minis anyway, so there shouldn't be a problem with denting.

If enough people are interested, I would love to sell packs of these for a few bucks.

Edited July 14, 2010 by GreenRiveter

[Peterdita]

Very cool and creative!

[macgowan]

Yup, those work really well. You can also find tools like these in the scrapbooking section of most craft stores.

It's better to do several smaller pieces and glue them together, because larger sections start to twist and warp more.

Beer cans work great, too!

[senji]

great idea!

[Nathan Caroland]

Idea of just cutting up beer cans and the cuts you get off those ... eeewwh.

Well done though, if you don't flay yourself while doing it!

[Ciaran]

Remember boys and girls, buzzed painting IS drunk painting!

[Monkey]

Idea of just cutting up beer cans and the cuts you get off those ... eeewwh.

Well done though, if you don't flay yourself while doing it!

I dont think its wise to cut them up right after you have been emptying them :bounce:

[GreenRiveter]

I've put together one shack so far as an experiment, and I can tell you, don't use super glue! I'm going to try liquid nails, I've heard it works well with aluminum, and having the extra body of the glue will help hold more of the panels to the frame(built out of foam core).

Future shacks will be built with balsa used for texture around the walls, only using the tin for the roof.

Update:

This is a test piece more than anything. Will be building shacks with interiors and windows soon.

Still need to base coat with spray paint, then add rust, and moss to cover the parts of foam core frame and glue still showing.

Edited July 15, 2010 by GreenRiveter

[AmishLuvah]

I like this.

[Omenbringer]

add some dull coat and an few ink washes of badab black and scab red and it should look suitably aged.

[Peterdita]

You could prime it a krylon rutty brown, and then paint whatever color you want and then just scrape the paint off to reveal the rust underneath. Pretty realistic and fast in my experiences.

[enderwiggin]

You might want to sand the edges before painting. Sharp edges due to metal thinness are annoying enough with metal, but your paint is likely to come off as well.

For my part, tearing off a side off of cardboard boxes will get a nice rippled medium to work with as well. Soaked in PVA with some paint on top and you have a suitable version of tin.

[Omenbringer]

You could prime it a krylon rutty brown, and then paint whatever color you want and then just scrape the paint off to reveal the rust underneath. Pretty realistic and fast in my experiences.

I think this technique is going to require a stiffer material then the aluminum foil he is using. The beer cans might work though.

[WookieeGunner]

Instead of painting then scraping, you can use a liquid mask. The "real" ones are waterred down latex that you then rub off, but in prop making I've used mustard (will leave a yellow stain so I suggest only using it if you want that "couldn't make it to the outhouse" look on your walls) and toothpaste. Once everything is dry then just wash it off.

[tenabrae]

Have you though about using stiff card instead ? I'd be very worried about constant terrain-related injury.

[GreenRiveter]

Have you though about using stiff card instead ? I'd be very worried about constant terrain-related injury.

I've been handling the buildings for a couple days now(will have pics up later today), and so far I haven't felt any hard edges. I use scissors to cut the aluminum pans down into strips before crimping, and it doesn't leave a sharp edge. The aluminum is just stiff enough(thanks to the crimps) to hold it's shape, if your finger caught an edge, it would most likely bend before cutting you.

[tenabrae]

Sweet.

Also... if you want to cut down the shine pre-build hit the pans with a scourer and or some sand-paper before you crimp them.

[JoeB]

Nice shed, you might also want to look into corrugated fasteners they are small corrugated nails made to strengthen joints and look a lot like what you made. You can also get standard corrugated cardboard box and carefully peel off the flat layer from one side and use the corrugated piece underneath in your model.

[GreenRiveter]

I finally got these to a playable level of detail. They still need a few things to make them look lived in, but that will have to wait until I get a few other projects done first. I love the way the wash on the balsa turned out, just watered down Golden Acrylics burnt sienna. The tin roofing was a mix of stippled brown/orange over craft color aluminum, then a wash of the same brown/orange. A light dry brush of the aluminum over the raised edges, and they're done. I tried to make a few of them less rusty, by dragging the brush down the recesses.

I'm not sure what to add to finish them, but they're looking a bit plain.

I like the look, and will probably make more, along with fences and junk piles to go around them.

I thought of using cardboard, but the scale of the ridges didn't look right. They looked huge next to Malifaux models.

Here’s a scale shot to show how big they are next to my Ramos crew.

Edited July 20, 2010 by GreenRiveter

[Omenbringer]

Those came out very good.