Cast metal flags ! (1 Viewer)

[Louis Badolato]

I've thought about trying that technique, too. I have a small stock of aluminum from beer cans, Guinness, which I ripped open (after enjoying the stout, of course) to get at the widgets inside (save those for scratchbuilding something). I can also use the material for pieces on scale models, like aircraft fuselage panels that have been removed for maintenance (eg, cowling panels).

You could also do what I like to do, glue up pieces of foil, using CA glue, to laminate the flag, as in these examples:







Prosit!
Brad

Great looking flags, Brad!^&cool^&cool

 

[Louis Badolato]

Nice ones Brad.

Another good material for flag making - from a rather unlikely source - is from pieces of "blister pack" that encase some medical pills. Some of these packs are made from a sandwich of material - with a piece of plastic in the centre filling - with two thin metal pieces providing the "bread" for the sandwich. This material cuts with scissors or craft knife - is flexible enough to shape - and stays in the shape made up. It paints up nicely too, with the small "dimples" in the material - suggesting woven cloth.

Here's one I made earlier - Joan of Arc with her Jhesu et Maria banner - made from such material, with a staff made from Copper rod from the Hobby Shop. Note that I also arranged the flag so that it DID NOT hang out to one side - thus making the figure potentially more balanced. The figure also has a solid base - so the lightweight material is unlikely to cause balance problems. Just needs a bit more thought at the design stage - as the admirable Trophy makers did. jb

Wow! That flag looks fantastic as well!^&cool^&cool

 

[theBaron]

Thanks, Louis and John!

Exactly what does the widget look like in a can of Guiness ?

It is a little plastic sphere, with a tiny hole, filled with nitrogen and placed in the can under pressure, when the can is filled with the beer. On opening, the pressure drops, and the nitrogen is released into the liquid, reproducing as much as possible the head you get when tapping Guinness on draft (or draught, for our Commonwealth cousins). Guinness developed the technology, and others have since adopted it. Here's a Wikipedia article that describes it in better detail:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Widget_(beer)

As far as scratchbuilding goes, there are plenty of uses for a small plastic sphere. I saw a kitbash of a helicopter, where the modeler added a targeting pod installed on a sponson on the starboard side of the fuselage. He used a beer widget for the base of the targeting module. I'm saving them up for my Maschinen Krieger builds. In our toy soldier world, I've thought they're just about the right size for a fancier globe on a large stand, in 54mm.

Prost!
Brad

 

[Toy Soldier Brigade]

Thanks, I know what it is. I just never pulled one out of the can. After all the cans I have consumed I never pulled one apart to look at it. Now i'm thirsty.

 

[christopher]

Hello. my english is not so perfect. if I understand you correctly to blow your banner?. I take this tempo handkerchiefs and waterproof wood glue. so I can bring the flag in any direction and also fold. look at my rebel flag bearer. On request I can explain it better how to get a perfect picture. Greeting christopher

 

[Rediarmor]

Christopher, that flag is brilliant, the most realistic I have seen. My problem is that I prefer Gloss, and if you gave that a coat of varnish, the texture would be lost. I am happy with paper flags, but I admit it is because my painting is not up to the standard of those pics we have just seen. :salute::