I’m currently considering using wet-or-dry sandpaper to replicate tarpaper and asphalt shingles. My question is, how well does this hold up to prolonged exposure outdoor?
Are there any other materials suitable for modeling this stuff?
How about modeling other types of roofing (besides corrugated metal)?
They all have a paper backing, fine for indoor modeling but add water, they disintregrate.
For tar paper you could use, well…tar paper. The 15lb wieght black asphalt paper used for building siding backing on houses is thin enough to be easily cut and looks like tar paper on the roof, because it is. as for shingles I have read where some have cut up actual asphalt shingles but they always look way too thick for me, unless you only use a single slab of shingle for the entire roof but that doesnt look very scale either.
Be interested to hear what others suggest
I’ve had pretty good luck with using safety tread tape for roofs. It’s designed for outdoor use, so it sticks fairly well. I’ve got some stuff that’s wanting to curl up a bit right now, but it wasn’t on a solid substrate to begin with, so overall adhension is spotty. Someone told me they take this tape, cut it into small strips, and essentially cut them into 3-tab shingles. I’ve not tried that yet, and I wish I could remember where I saw the photo, but it looked darned good. The tape is abrasive, so plan on going through a saw blade or two if you go that route.
Smith Pond Junction makes some very nice cedar shake shingles. If you’re looking for an easier way to do a cedar roof (or tile/asphalt shingle), then look at the dollhouse stuff. I used vacuum-formed plastic sheets for the roofs for two of my stations. Technically the stuff I used was 1:12, but the sheets were longer than Precison Products’ sheets, so I didn’t have to worry about a seam on the roof.
Later,
K
Kevin,
Not much I can tell a modeler of your caliber, but when you cut that tread tape maybe you should turn it over first and cut from the back side. Just score heavy then break it a the cut. Makes your knife blade last longer.
Dave
I used some 300 thread count bed sheet to simulate a canvas roof on my “A&NCRR Conductors Car #1”
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/lastmanout/_forumfiles/CondCar.jpg)
Ray, I’d go for the cedar shingles on that house. They weather beautifully and would be quite in character with that stone siding.
(http://www.jbrr.com/Pics/Layout/2009/IMG_5866.JPG)
I sharpen my knives now, so no problem with them wearing out 
Ray, Here’s a possible easy solution for you…
(http://lscdata.com/users/richard_smith/Bandon2008/2008Jun05-BandonDepot-02-RoofFinish-Web.JPG)
[b]The roof was sprayed with Bondo Primer and then with a granite texture type paint. After drying for a couple days it was lightly oversprayed with black and brown to darken the color. Last, a coat of Behlen’s Dead Flat clear spray. No laminations to come loose since the color and texture are just paints. I’ve used this technique on several structures and it’s held up very well.
(http://lscdata.com/users/richard_smith/Bandon2008/2008Jun03-BandonDepot-02-RoofRibs-Web.JPG)
The roof underneath in this case was made of clear acrylic but I’ve used PVC sheet with equally good results. The ribs are styrene strips from Evergreen. As for Bruce’s shingle roof posted above…what can I say? That’s absolutely breautiful !![/b]
On my little house, I ended up using “waterproof” sandpaper. I cut it into strips, then peeled off the paper backing. I roughed up the edges to look old and worn. Then I saturated the strips with clear acrylic, and painted both sides. I glued them down using E-6000. After they were applied to the roof I sprayed on a coat of Krylon UV matte finish.
(http://www.raydunakin.com/IRRWebfiles/StoneHouse1/wIMG_1350.jpg)
(http://www.raydunakin.com/IRRWebfiles/StoneHouse1/wIMG_1365.jpg)
I think it should hold up well, but only time will tell. Peeling off the paper was a real chore, so I’m not sure I would use this material again even if it works.
