Barbed wire/concentrine wire

plumfire · Post by **plumfire** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 10:56 pm

I was thinking about building some rolls of barbed wire using the tiny springs found inside retractable ball point pens. Has anyone else thought of this? Any ideas on how to base them?

chrisswim · Post by **chrisswim** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 7:06 pm

I have used this techinque with two different applications.

First one tried was with metal exposed, using 26 guage wire.
Here I wrapped the wire around the ink cartridge.
The further out the wire was, the more the cartridge bent.
Then I would push or crunch it toward the begining of the wire wrap.
When complete, I pulled the wire off the cartridge.
I then pulled the loops apart to my desired thickness.

I have used these several times. The wires can/do get entangled with each other in the box and they bend some. However, provides flexibility for a city fight with barbed wire going around a building, etc.

Next application is similar:
Used black 26 guage wire.

The technique above still applies.
Then I based them on craft sticks (dark green or unpainted, similar to popcycle sticks) , you can at a craft store. I have used the jumbo and mini size premium craft sticks.

Then I have place two 'bands of wire' side by side, some time three and sometime two side by side and one on top resting on the other two. Of course glue each into place. I have not placed any vertical sticks in the wire. I prefer the black wire over the un-colored wire.

Hope that this helps. chris

chrisswim · Post by **chrisswim** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 7:07 pm

I have used this techinque with two different applications.

First one tried was with metal exposed, using 26 guage wire.
Here I wrapped the wire around the ink cartridge.
The further out the wire was, the more the cartridge bent.
Then I would push or crunch it toward the begining of the wire wrap.
When complete, I pulled the wire off the cartridge.
I then pulled the loops apart to my desired thickness.

I have used these several times. The wires can/do get entangled with each other in the box and they bend some. However, provides flexibility for a city fight with barbed wire going around a building, etc.

Next application is similar:
Used black 26 guage wire.

The technique above still applies.
Then I based them on craft sticks (dark green or unpainted, similar to popcycle sticks) , you can at a craft store. I have used the jumbo and mini size premium craft sticks.

Then I have place two 'bands of wire' side by side, some time three and sometime two side by side and one on top resting on the other two. Of course glue each into place. I have not placed any vertical sticks in the wire. I prefer the black wire over the un-colored wire.

Hope that this helps. chris

dnichols · Post by **dnichols** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 10:45 pm

I use fine guage jewelry wire you can get at any craft store. Wrap it around a small dowel and snip off the rolls. I put mine on 1" by 1" bases that way you can easily show small breeches in the wire druing games.

sfcgreg29er · Post by **sfcgreg29er** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 1:01 am

I use picture frame wire. The stuff you use to hang pictures on the wall. It comes in a roll of about 8-10 strands twisted together. I cut a 3" length of wire and wrap about 3-4 strands around the handle of an artist's paint brush. Slide it off and glue it to 1" x 1" base with white glue. You can stretch or scrunch the wire to length to fit your stand. I then dry brush the wire with rust colored acrylic paint. I flock the base prior to glueing on the wire. Then I add some gravel or static grass. I am still debating whether or not to add posts.

See pic.

sfcgreg29er · Post by **sfcgreg29er** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 1:04 am

I use picture frame wire. The stuff you use to hang pictures on the wall. It comes in a roll of about 8-10 strands twisted together. I cut a 3" length of wire and wrap about 3-4 strands around the handle of an artist's paint brush. Slide it off and glue it to 1" x 1" base with white glue. You can stretch or scrunch the wire to length to fit your stand. I then dry brush the wire with rust colored acrylic paint. I flock the base prior to glueing on the wire. Then I add some gravel or static grass. I am still debating whether or not to add posts.

See pic.

RoughRIder · Post by **RoughRIder** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 3:09 am

sfcgreg29er,

Simply amazing... I see alot of your terrain and am humbled to what you produce. Do you transport all your stuff around, or do you have a specific area where you game. How fragile is the Barbed Wire?? Care to give lessons sometime.

sfcgreg29er · Post by **sfcgreg29er** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 7:26 am

roughrider,

Thanks for the comments.
I generally play at a local Hobbytown USA store that has a huge space for gaming. When I game I usually set up the terrain before hand at home on a framed up board that I can take apart in two pieces which will go thru doors and transport in the back of my PU truck. I just cover the hexes up with a poncho liner. I put on the smaller details when I get to the gaming area. i.e. houses, hedgerows, fortifications, etc. All of my stuff is stored in plastic tubs and small containers for the little stuff.

The barb wire is pretty robust. I can set a stand on top and it doesn't smash it down. I think the white glue stiffens it up.

If you are every in the Frederick, MD area, that's where the Hobbytown store is, I will be glad to show you my work in person.

RoughRIder · Post by **RoughRIder** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 7:36 pm

Well dont know how soon i can make it to Maryland, but will take you up on that if i can make it out there. What is all of the Barbed Wire and Fortifications mounted on. They all look like sturdy bases, but just cant figure what they are on.

1ComOpsCtr · Post by **1ComOpsCtr** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 2:07 am

Another option is to go to a local machine shop and get some of the shavings that come off a lathe looking like the size wire you need. It is already curled and will rust or color itself in a few days if you get steel. The size depends on how the tool doing the cutting is set up, but you will find lots of it around in differing colors, sizes, and materials. You should be able to find 1 to 3 inch sections, which make the job of placing the wire on a base even easier.

TAKE CARE... THIS STUFF IS SHARP, AND CAN CUT, just like the real stuff. It should be
washed carefully to eliminate the cutting oil while wearing gloves to prevent being cut, but it works really well. The smaller strands allow you to intermix with larger ones to give the correct look since many defensive positions use large diameter strands mixed with smaller diameter ones for better coverage.

Will

javelin98 · Post by **javelin98** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 3:23 am

One of the newer products to hit American supermarket shelves in the last couple years is the coiled-steel or coiled-copper scrubbing pad. You can find these in the dish-soap aisle of your local Safeway or Kroger.

The coiled-metal pads are made with what look like long chains of thin stainless steel or copper ribbons, coiled tightly like a spring and then spun into a ball so they can be used for scrubbing. I just bought one pack for use for 6mm concertina wire or razor ribbon, but I haven't tried it yet, so I don't have any pics. Still, the scale looks perfect and you don't have to sacrifice dozens of ball-point pens to the Mad Modelling Gods or spend time coiling thin wire around a chopstick or whatever. You just unroll the coils from the scrubbing pads and trim to length.

http://www.foodservicedirect.com/index. ... rubber.htm

sfcgreg29er · Post by **sfcgreg29er** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 6:54 am

RoughRIder,

I base all my models, including the barb wire, on pieces cut from 12" square vinyl flooring tiles 2mm thick.
I score the tile into 1" strips, snap along scored line, sand edges, and then score and snap into 1" squares. Sand the remaing edges and paint. Cost about $1.00-2.00 per tile for about 144 1" square bases. Takes a little more work than buying pre-cut bases, but when you have a kid in college you have to be creative and cheap.

Don't know about the rest of you guys, but every time I go shopping by myself or with the wife I am always looking for stuff to use for modeling purposes.

Drives her nuts

Zippy · Post by **Zippy** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 11:31 pm

I was wondering around the mall yesterday and went into a cooking store and there
were the scrubbing pads, wasn't looking for them but right at eye height , $4 bucks canadian, lots of wire to mount now.

mike

Ritter · Post by **Ritter** » Sun Dec 17, 2006 1:04 am

Hese are the 'old style' of wire, wrapped on a small wooden dowel. The new scrub pads look like a good idea...off to wallyworld.

Troy