STEP BY STEP

1

I’d finally found a permanent home for a Town street stone goods shed I built in 2005. Alas, after unearthing the model from storage, I found that one side wall had broken away completely. Luckily, it was a fairly clean break.

2

With a generous amount of Speed Bond adhesive applied, the wall was reunited with the rest of the building. Excess glue was wiped away from the joint with damp cotton swabs and the model left to cure overnight.

3

The areas around the joint needed filling, so Deluxe Materials’ Create and Shape was applied with a spatula. I also tidied other imperfections that were missed during the original assembly (I couldn’t believe how lax I’d been!).

4

When the filler had dried, a fine-tipped bradawl was used as a scribing tool to reinstate the recessed mortar courses. This takes time and patience, but it’s worth doing – it’ll make a big difference.

5

Turning to the interior, a sheet of mounting card was cut and fixed to the inside of the damaged wall. Atop this I added a later of Wills dressed stone plastic sheet. Window apertures had to be marked and cut before fitting.

6

Having drilled guide holes into the corners of each aperture, a jeweller’s piercing saw blade was passed through and tensioned. I worked a millimetre or so inside the marked lines, using files to create the final profile.

7

After fettling and test-fitting, the Wills sheet was secured to the card reinforcing panel with contact adhesive. Spring clamps held everything secure while the glue set overnight.

8

Wills also provided the brick arch overlays, cut to fit the apertures and fixed with plastic cement. Windowsills were created from plastic offcuts. Any gaps between the two sections of Wills stone sheets were filled with putty.

9

The inside of the end walls were given a thin layer of plaster, applied with an artists’ trowel and spread as flat as possible, wetting the tool to help it glide over the damp plaster. When dry, the surfaces were sanded to remove any lumps.

10

With the sharp bradawl and small ruler, horizontal courses were gently scribed into the plaster, matching as closely as possible the spacings on the exterior. Vertical lines were then scribed to depict individual stones.