Putz Village 2018

Barb · Post by **Barb** » Fri Dec 14, 2018 3:21 pm

Hi all,

For several years I wanted to feature a lighted stone bridge in my display, but I could not figure out how to make it happen. This year, I was so inspired by Lucy's stone texture tutorial that I made a swap with Howard, in which he built me an unfinished cardboard bridge structure to my specifications. I then applied the texture paste, paint and some finishing effects to give it an aged look. One of the most fun things about the project was dismantling a battery operated set of Lemax street lights and rewiring them to light the bridge columns. I am delighted with the results! Howard (being Howard) constructed a bridge so structurally sound that I'm sure you could drive a car on it! He plans to make drawings for a similar project available to the group in the future for anyone who might be interested.

Finishing this project gave me just the boost I needed to set up my village, and I hope you enjoy the results!

Merry Christmas to all!
Barb

Post by **maria** » Fri Dec 14, 2018 5:07 pm

What a wonderful display. The lamplights are fantastic and in such excellent condition, the stars are a nice touch, and the iron fence is just the right touch.

Post by **Laurie** » Fri Dec 14, 2018 7:27 pm

What a neat village. The bridge and the lights turned out great. I can’t imagine how you rewired those lights. I’m also enjoying your figures. Are they Barclay, and if so, you have a nice collection of them. Thanks for sharing.

Barb · Post by **Barb** » Sat Dec 15, 2018 11:00 am

Thank you ladies! Laurie, the rewiring was a real adventure! Much testing, cutting, twisting, untwisting, talking to myself, etc. The Lionel street lamps were rewired by a family friend, THAT job is out of my league! The figures are Barclay, a mix of old and new. There is a guy who sells new Barclays made from original molds, but his website is temporarily disabled due to family health issues.

Post by **Howard** » Sat Dec 15, 2018 4:04 pm

Greetings to all…

Please note that I’m not providing exact dimensions for the individual pieces since the bridge you make will probably be different…

Once you decide on the length, width and height, the rest is pretty straight forward…

The bridge is made up of layers of corrugated cardboard laminated together with white glue…the number of layers will depending on how thick you want the sides and how wide you want the roadway…

I used a couple of dinner plates and a serving platter to draw the curves of the sides, roadway and the arch…

Once dry, the cardboard layers will cut like wood…I used a scroll saw to cut out the pieces…

The exposed flutes are covered with strips of thin cardboard…

Since the forum format will only allow three images at a time, you will have to scroll to the fourth photo…

If anyone has additional questions…post them here…I’ll get back to you…

Merry Christmas…

Howard…

Post by **Howard** » Sat Dec 15, 2018 4:04 pm

Last photo of the bridge construction...

Post by **Lee** » Sat Dec 15, 2018 5:10 pm

Oh, my, Barb. It's just beautiful. All of it! And once again, thank you Howard for all your talent and willingness to share your knowledge with us. Merry Christmas!

Post by **Lucy** » Sat Dec 15, 2018 8:23 pm

This is incredible, Barb and Howard.

Barb, your painted stone is amazingly realistic. Unbelievable. I am tickled to the inspiration for this, but I can't take credit for your amazing work on the bridge. It is a delightful addition to the village. Just perfect in front of your houses. What did you use for snow on the bridge? Diamond Dust? It really looks like snow scattered about.

Anyway, thank you so much for sharing this incredible project.

Lucy

Barb · Post by **Barb** » Sun Dec 16, 2018 9:16 am

Thanks Lucy! The snow is Department 56 "Fresh Fallen Snow", and I love the effect.

I really have to thank you for your excellent tutorial, which I read over and over again throughout the process. I am color challenged... if I blend a great color it's a happy accident and I can never repeat it. After several attempts to get the mortar and stone colors right, I reached out (yet again!) to Howard. He gave me some excellent suggestions for painting and aging the stones, including using the nasty dust that collects in the vacuum cleaner bag to sprinkle over the stones and then brush off the excess. It's gross, but it does an amazing job and adds a quick 100 years to your project!

Could not have done this without the knowledge and suggestions of many of the people in this group, so thank you one and all!

Post by **Lynn** » Sun Dec 16, 2018 5:31 pm

Hi Barb,

What a beautiful village. The set up, design, and attention to details make me want to grab my coat and take a walk for a closer look.

The bridge is truly a wonderful piece, so much talent between you and Howard to create this truly amazing piece.