I am not particularly good at making things (as I haven't got the patience and my eyesight is not what it was), but I am quite adept at thinking of ways to use things you normally throw away, especially on my railway layout.
Posted below are just 10 of the things I have made from left over bits & pieces in the last 12 months. O.K. they are a bit rough & ready but they look all right on the layout - better than they appear in the enclosed pictures (the camera does lie!). The pictures feature :-
#Chimney from the cardboard on the inside of a kitchen roll
#Tunnel from pieces of cork and odds & ends
#Oil refinery storage tanks from un-needed car tappet buckets
#Walls and bridges from the form padding found in n gauge locomotive boxes
#Flag pole from a chinese chopstick
#Troughs from dedo trunking
#Columns from wood dowels
#Logs of wood on flat top also from wood dowels
#Station name boards from un-needed Peco side point motor raisers
#Industrial towers from spare expanding metal rawplugs
Do you think I might be in line for a Blue Peter badge for innovative model construction, or am I too old and should I stick to the day job?.
(http://i379.photobucket.com/albums/oo231/Tdmak/Model%20Railway/BP1.jpg) (http://s379.photobucket.com/user/Tdmak/media/Model%20Railway/BP1.jpg.html)
(http://i379.photobucket.com/albums/oo231/Tdmak/Model%20Railway/BP2.jpg) (http://s379.photobucket.com/user/Tdmak/media/Model%20Railway/BP2.jpg.html)
(http://i379.photobucket.com/albums/oo231/Tdmak/Model%20Railway/BP3.jpg) (http://s379.photobucket.com/user/Tdmak/media/Model%20Railway/BP3.jpg.html)
(http://i379.photobucket.com/albums/oo231/Tdmak/Model%20Railway/BP4.jpg) (http://s379.photobucket.com/user/Tdmak/media/Model%20Railway/BP4.jpg.html)
(http://i379.photobucket.com/albums/oo231/Tdmak/Model%20Railway/BP5.jpg) (http://s379.photobucket.com/user/Tdmak/media/Model%20Railway/BP5.jpg.html)
Tdm
No, no Blue Peter Badge I'm afraid, but you DO get the applause and plaudits of your fellow modeller's. Well done Sir.
Dunno about the badge but can you help me out with 'dedo trunking'.
What the heck is that? :dunce:
No,......close but no Blue Peter Badge I'm afraid. :no:
To even be considered for one of the coveted badges the project has to include using" stickleback plastic" in its construction.
Better luck next time.
Regards,
Rheingold.
You could make yourself a blue peter badge with the skills you have :NGaugersRule:
Quote from: newportnobby on December 08, 2014, 07:46:30 PM
Dunno about the badge but can you help me out with 'dedo trunking'.
What the heck is that? :dunce:
Dear me - I thought everyone had some dedo trunking in their home - it's what covers your electrical wires and can be bought at any DIY shop or ironmongers. It has a sticky back for sticking to the wall, then you put your wires in, then you put the snap on cover on.
Whenever you want to get at the wires again you just pull back the snap on cover - simples.
Comes in various sizes according to how many wires you want to fit in, and one size is perfect for fitting n gauge track in.
Well here's my "Blue Peter" anyway...
[smg id=19347]
Would a Crackerjack pencil do ?
Quote from: joe cassidy on December 08, 2014, 08:31:31 PM
Would a Crackerjack pencil do ?
....."C R A C K E R J A C K !!!!!" :D
I was all ready to award one, on the basis of creative recycling, but unfortunately could not because of safety concerns... the bogie bolster wagon carrying the dowels has become derailed ;)
Where is the obligatory loo roll used? No double-sided sticky tape? :hmmm:
Quote from: railsquid on December 08, 2014, 10:56:29 PM
Where is the obligatory loo roll used? No double-sided sticky tape? :hmmm:
Do you really want me to tell you what I use a loo role for!?
As regards double-sided sticky tape - I use it underneath the baseboard to hold the wiring in place.
Currently wondering what I can use discarded banana skins for, as we have lots of bananas in Tenerife. 8)
How about slippers
Quote from: Tdm on December 08, 2014, 07:59:14 PM
Quote from: newportnobby on December 08, 2014, 07:46:30 PM
Dunno about the badge but can you help me out with 'dedo trunking'.
What the heck is that? :dunce:
Dear me - I thought everyone had some dedo trunking in their home - it's what covers your electrical wires and can be bought at any DIY shop or ironmongers.
Thanks, Terry.
Oddly, I have a full length of the stuff in my garage - just didn't know it was called dedo :-[
That truck's wheels are still off the track :D ;)
I thought it was dado ...
In Tenerife it may very well be called dedo but in the colder climes of the UK its called dado trunking, and very useful too !!
Rob.
I'm getting even more confused as I always thought 'dado' was the ornamental stuff you put round walls to separate different wallpapers/colours :confused2:
This is worse than when I was offered 2 shovels and told to take my pick :hmmm:
And before anyone tries to baffle me, I know that Dido is/was a singer (or was that 'Pearl'?) :-\
Ah that well known brother and sister act, Pearls a singer, Earls a winger !!
the coats on .....
Rob.
Thought it was called conduit trunking, don't follow all this dedo, lido
ludo, dido, fido stuff . ;D
I use it under the baseboard to stop wires dangling, nothing
worse than a lot of dangling.
Quote from: Rob H on December 09, 2014, 10:21:13 AM
the coats on .....
Rob.
As they say in Glasgow, pick a windae, ye're leavin'.
There was a young TV compere here in Aus called Cameron Daddo but thankfully he has moved to a music channel and at the same time got old.
Anyway I'm bowing out before the off topic stuff comes flooding in.
Thought that was a limerick for a moment
There was a young compere called Daddo
Who was a bit of a laddo
Ok... I'll go along with this, even with the possibility of encouraging members' wrath....
He's N gauge now after tryin' double O....
But at his age, the track is too narrow! :sick2:
No,......close but no Blue Peter Badge I'm afraid. :no:
To even be considered for one of the coveted badges the project has to include using" stickleback plastic" in its construction.
Better luck next time.
Regards,
Rheingold.
Hi All
On Another point what is 'Stickleback plastic' sound's a bit fishy to me!
Tony
Quote from: Bealman on December 09, 2014, 11:16:51 AM
Ok... I'll go along with this, even with the possibility of encouraging members' wrath....
He's N gauge now after tryin' double O....
But he's still a bit of a Saddo!
I think the brandy soaked NGF mince pies have arrived in certain areas :uneasy:
And that's just for starters ! :pint: :pint: :pint:
Quote from: Bealman on December 09, 2014, 10:07:24 AM
That truck's wheels are still off the track :D ;)
Yes - I had just hand lowered it onto the track in order to take the photo, and only noticed later I hadn't placed it on properly. Really must start using the new railer I have just purchased.
Quote from: newportnobby on December 09, 2014, 01:43:47 PM
I think the brandy soaked NGF mince pies have arrived in certain areas :uneasy:
Much prefer adding Advocaat to my mince pies, and the chrimbo pud, better than messing about making brandy sauce and more flavour than custard
Stickleback Plastic,
To answer Tony's question about "stickleback plastic" which I missed;.............whenever they were making something,("and here's one I made earlier"...oh yeah !) it always seemed to involve using a metal coat-hanger,some empty toilet roll tubes,an empty plastic washing up bottle and a roll or sheet of "stickleback plastic." :hmmm: :confused2:
Think you will find it was "Sticky back plastic", think it has the trade name of "Fablon" at the time.
Caz,
Re "Stickleback Plastic"
Do you take me for a complete fool? :laughabovepost:
Humf... "sticky back plastic" indeed,.....my backs*de !
As for Fablon I think you're referring to John Gotti who was of course famously known as The Fablon Don.
Sort yourself out young man or you'll end up bemused,befuddled and confumbled....er in fact... just like me. :doh:
What amused me about Blue Peter was the lengths they would go to to avoid being accused of advertising.
The washing up liquid bottle had to be sanded down to remove all traces of "Fairy Liquid".
I hope the same bottle was reused several times.
Quote from: RHEINGOLD on December 09, 2014, 07:13:48 PM
Sort yourself out young man or you'll end up bemused,befuddled and confumbled....er in fact... just like me. :doh:
Just to further correct you - Caz is a young lady :D
Quote from: newportnobby on December 09, 2014, 09:41:02 PM
Quote from: RHEINGOLD on December 09, 2014, 07:13:48 PM
Sort yourself out young man or you'll end up bemused,befuddled and confumbled....er in fact... just like me. :doh:
Just to further correct you - Caz is a young lady :D
Oops. I hope you don't make a habit of confusing hims and hers!!
I never could find a shop which sold stickleback plastic, now I know why.
By the way, the smaller trunking is usually called mini trunking and the larger compartmented trunking is dado trunking. I should know as I've fitted a few miles of it (horrible though it is) in my time as a hairy arsed sparky. :o
Quote from: newportnobby on December 09, 2014, 09:41:02 PM
Just to further correct you - Caz is a young lady :D
I like the young bit Mick, where do I send the cheque? :)
Dedo, Dado, Dodo - at least one of those is dead, and the other has possibly had a name change. Many many years ago when I was an I.T. Manager in Conwy (and that is the correct Welsh spelling of Conwy by the way) I am sure I signed a contract for a new Computer Room and the whole of the building where I worked to be equipped with new "dedo" trunking so a computer terminal could be plugged in anywhere within the building (except the "Loo").
Maybe the sub-contractor who got the job got the spelling wrong on the contract, or I have just remembered it wrong - it doesn't really matter as you know what I was talking about.
Maybe I will soon be going the way of the Dodo - it's my birthday tomorrow and I will be 27 (I'm dyslexic by the way!).
Quote from: Caz on December 10, 2014, 08:37:35 AM
Quote from: newportnobby on December 09, 2014, 09:41:02 PM
Just to further correct you - Caz is a young lady :D
I like the young bit Mick, where do I send the cheque? :)
I believe you have the details of my Swiss bank account, Caz :angel: :thumbsup:
Quote from: newportnobby on December 10, 2014, 10:36:16 AM
I believe you have the details of my Swiss bank account, Caz :angel: :thumbsup:
:laughabovepost: :laughabovepost: :laughabovepost:
Think the trunking takes its name from the rail that used to run around rooms at about waist height and was called a dado rail, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dado_rail (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dado_rail) ;)
I thought Dido was some English blond singer,but she must have come down in the world if she's having to carry wires around a room or building to earn an "honest crust".
Still I suppose someone's got to do it and a job's a job nowadays. :confused2:
How about "duct tape". Does Anyone Know what that is ? Apparently it exists in America.
Joe
Yes it's really stickleback plastic but comes as rolls of tape in strips of various widths rather than sheets of plastic.
It's called Duck Tape in America (a lot of American's refer to it as Duct Tape but we know what they're like when it comes to spelling) and is used for fixing things,wrapping/packing things and just about everything else you can think of.
Quote from: RHEINGOLD on December 12, 2014, 02:19:02 PM
Yes it's really stickleback plastic but comes as rolls of tape in strips of various widths rather than sheets of plastic.
It's called Duck Tape in America (a lot of American's refer to it as Duct Tape but we know what they're like when it comes to spelling) and is used for fixing things,wrapping/packing things and just about everything else you can think of.
Not quite sticky back plastic as it is a woven fabric with plastic coating one side and strong adhesive the other.
DUCK tape is not a mis spelling but refers back to the tapes origin as a "cotton duck" material used as a strengthener. DUCK Tape is also a Brand name. It is known by an assortment of names the other most popular being GAFFER TAPE which is actually a different product. (different glue). DUCT Tape is again a similar product but was originally developed ( I believe) for heating and ventilation system joints - it's glue being resistant to heat.
Duck/t tape is still used in the air conditioning business for sealing joints between metal duct sections. Gaffer or Camera tale is similar to Duct tape, but is only about 1" wide and generally, but not always, does not have a plasticised layer. It leaves a bit of a mess behind if you leave it on for a long while.