The Cromwellian Barn - part 1

The approach I am taking on this project is to fabricate a huge kit of parts, then stain, colour or decorate them as soon as they are formed. This is easier (and neater)  to do now, rather than attempting to paint components after they are assembled. At the end of all this, there will be a big assembly process where it all comes together.

It is very easy to get bogged down with fine detail on just one aspect of the model. With half of the project period over, I need to get a wider view of how the whole scheme is going, so last week I started on the office. I require further archival input on that, so having put that away, on Monday I started on the Cromwellian  Barn.

Modelling of the barn began with the brick floor, by engraving the impression of the brick pattern into a very thin layer of foam mounted on a 1.5mm thick obeche panel.

Around the perimeter I built 2 courses of brick foundation. For this I cut individual bricks from strips of 3 x 4.5mm Limewood.

Before progressing further, the textured floor was treated to a wash of black woodstain to give depth to the joints and crevices.

Once dried, a coat of white acrylic primer was dry-brushed over the raised surfaces. Then the main timber support members could be fixed in place with Cyanoacrylate adhesive.

One end of the barn in built on a 9" solid wall. This, as all other brick walls on the model, was replicated in 9mm thick lightweight foam with an embossed brickwork pattern.

When all the superstructure was fabricated and assembled, it was all treated to a coat of Antique Pine, wood stain. Once dry the elaborate arrangement of aged and sagging wood wall cladding was added.

The cladding was cut from 0.8mm  Birch ply that had previously been treated to a coat of Antique pine wood stain. The sheet of ply was then cut into planks of varying width and fixed to the superstructure in an overlapping pattern. When this was complete, the whole of the exterior was coated with Indian Rosewood wood stain to resemble the Creosote/Tarmac finish of the original.

Where the exterior stain bled into the the interior surface a rather authentic variegated pattern started to emerge. The sections a wall that appear unfinished are intentionally left to allow views of the interior of the working space.

From beginning to this stage has taken five fairly full days. In the next episode the roof timbers will emerge. In the meantime I need to research how to replicate the rather rare "herringbone" thatch pattern that exists on the roof of this wonderful old barn.