Andrew Belsey
A Fixture
You may remember that I started working as a technician at Sevenoaks School last year after 43 years a s a professional modelmaker. It was a huge culture shock but I'm thriving in my new career. I have just started my summer holiday! Sevenoaks is no ordinary school - it opened in 1432! I have worked with laser cutters and 3D printers for years but only dabbled with them while others took charge of their use. I was most needed to put kits of parts together that others had produced. At the school, I am running the lasers and 3D printers so I'm acquiring new skills as I experiment.
I work in the technology department but the school are very aware that I have a reputation for WW1 and a set of world renowned models. I led one history lesson last year watched by the deputy head. This year they want me to run the same lesson three times for each class of that year! I'm used to public speaking and running PowerPoint because I speak at my local church regularly. I'm a cheeky, honest speaker and people like my messages.
I have adapted my history lesson this year, to make it run even better, after consulting the deputy head for constructive criticism.
Last year, I created some 1:10 duckboards as visual aids to explain how engineers linked them together. Then I made some A frames....
That has led on to me making a whole 1:10 trench section to allow me to display all sorts of things about a basic textbook trench as I give my lesson.
This is how my model is looking presently. Almost there!
The figure is just lasered out of 3mm acrylic. I'm hoping to 3D print a figure or two for the lesson.
I can explain how the duckboards link together. These have offset joists. The ones in the trench have tapered joists.
I can show why these are called A frames by turning them upside down.
I made the sandbags from this type of teabag. If you carefully undo the cotton tag then you can get two bags from each teabag.
When the cotton tag is removed the bag is like this.
It has a lovely seam but this needs folding so that it lies on one side. I PVA glued one end and later filled my bags with sawdust. (My first batch was plain and then I used some that I had painted green.)
Here are the bags filled with sawdust and then coated with thinned PVA. They stacked nicely.
I found some corrugated card used as packaging.
The main body of my model was made from 5mm polyboards. I made a slim section at first but extended both sides to include the parapet and parados.
After painting, I've added real soil and stones, plus a bit of green texture. I'm going to try to make my own laser plants and have the CAD drawings ready for them.
So here it is again so far... Watch this space.
I work in the technology department but the school are very aware that I have a reputation for WW1 and a set of world renowned models. I led one history lesson last year watched by the deputy head. This year they want me to run the same lesson three times for each class of that year! I'm used to public speaking and running PowerPoint because I speak at my local church regularly. I'm a cheeky, honest speaker and people like my messages.
I have adapted my history lesson this year, to make it run even better, after consulting the deputy head for constructive criticism.
Last year, I created some 1:10 duckboards as visual aids to explain how engineers linked them together. Then I made some A frames....
That has led on to me making a whole 1:10 trench section to allow me to display all sorts of things about a basic textbook trench as I give my lesson.
This is how my model is looking presently. Almost there!
The figure is just lasered out of 3mm acrylic. I'm hoping to 3D print a figure or two for the lesson.
I can explain how the duckboards link together. These have offset joists. The ones in the trench have tapered joists.
I can show why these are called A frames by turning them upside down.
I made the sandbags from this type of teabag. If you carefully undo the cotton tag then you can get two bags from each teabag.
When the cotton tag is removed the bag is like this.
It has a lovely seam but this needs folding so that it lies on one side. I PVA glued one end and later filled my bags with sawdust. (My first batch was plain and then I used some that I had painted green.)
Here are the bags filled with sawdust and then coated with thinned PVA. They stacked nicely.
I found some corrugated card used as packaging.
The main body of my model was made from 5mm polyboards. I made a slim section at first but extended both sides to include the parapet and parados.
After painting, I've added real soil and stones, plus a bit of green texture. I'm going to try to make my own laser plants and have the CAD drawings ready for them.
So here it is again so far... Watch this space.
