The House Of Fun

Humph.

A whole weekend of rain, Bea home and she couldnt even go on her trampoline. So we both stared out the window at the garden and sighed.

This morning it was bright and sunny, perfect building weather, but I've had to bring the panels in to thaw, and then dry out. 3 of them were fine, the slightly-damp one is just the same, but the soggy one froze solid and fooled me. I thought they were all dry, but no.

I brought them indoors, and within 10 minutes one started to sag and stopped being solid.

Oh well. Guess I'll just have to wait a few days.

We've all been there. Seemed like a great idea at the time. Usually there's alcohol involved and your mates egging you on.

Hanging like a bat.

No, I'm just kidding, but thats what a Lair is for. Hanging in.

Actually turns out its a great idea after all, this might even turn out to be serviceable. After being rained on persistently yesterday I just went and checked on the panels outside.

I've had to bring them all in to dry properly, but the basic principle works far better than expected.

Two immediate concerns, that not sealing the edges or the inside would allow the cardboard to soak up atmospheric moisture are borne out. But actually on the whole its not too bad.

Where it was laid on the ground with another layer on top some water crept in along the edges but its not extensive, and the cardboard is only a bit soggy on one point. It will dry out, and the foil is unaffected. All the lapping on this one was vertical during storage, but I couldnt really stand it up anywhere and cover the top.

I'm pleased there was no ingress on the lapping anywhere, and although the board underneath has picked up some environmental moisture, on the whole its drier than when I glued it. Pretty solid, sounds like dry cardboard compared to the rubbish boxes left as a test.

This one, not so good.

One corner is decidedly soggy and the foil's come away where the glue has dissolved into the cardboard and vanished. And this edge was pointing downwards in the triangle, and there's a lapped seam pointing upwards right on the apex. It was stretched tight luckily, but water has seeped under that one.

The rest of it has survived a dousing and again is more rigid that I'd expect being left out in the rain. It will dry out indoors, while I wait for a sunny day.

On the whole, I'd say that was successful enough to continue this lunacy, its not just going to wind up a soggy pile of cardboard and tinfoil after all.

'To the Batcave'

XD

Touche, Stuart.

;-p

Lorenzo's Foil

Curses, lousy weather.

But it doesnt stop me when I am on a mission.

This is so large-scale its like interior decorating. I am a bit fond of wallpapering anyway, and this worked out really nicely.

Just like Christmas all over again. On an epic scale...

It doesnt feel like Christmas, I had to make my prezzie myself and its an empty cardboard box. And I had to wrap the hacking thing myself.

I also didnt have a cooker to cook a turkey in, so I had a lot of tinfoil begging to wrap it in, no TV and no Internets over Christmas too, so up yours Igor.

I realised when I'd managed to stand this one up again the lapping is horizontal.

Dammit, thats not so easy... But still possible.

[Expletives Deleted]

Much, much later...

If I taped those all end-to-end and stood them up, it would be a 44 foot high tube large enough to stand in.

I might need an elevator...

One thing you cant bargain on is the weather. Guaranteed to send builders scurrying into huts to drink tea and peer at their watches and the sky alternately.

Actually, it was just a bit spitty at one point, but it looked like it was going to chuck it down, so I erred on the side of prudence and went indoors.

I'm still quite tickled how this has all worked out. Technically, my garden shed is Origami. ;-) Doesnt get much more Zen or futuristic than that if you ask me. But Origami is an ancient passion also to me, and I'm used to wrangling largish bits of paper, some models can be made from entire broadsheet newspaper for example, which is a bit flappy.

Not as flappy as this, but I'm pleased to say this was actually easier than laying the card out flat and trying to tape it  so's all the edges lined up. Nothing kept still, and I couldnt reach to stick it down well either without walking on it.

Hmmm. Rodin moment.

Yeah I can solve all those problems with one simple and radical change that might not immediately suggest itself working with planar materials.

Standing the boxes up by zig-zagging them meant I didnt have to bend over them to tape them up. Dont know about you guys, but creeping around since the Dawn of Time on your tentacles gives you backache, and this planet sucks enough without gravity.

Anyhoo.

Get the tension right, and they pop back into place when you stand them up until you tape down the join.

It started to get a bit Spielberg in here again.

That was the first attempt, note the two flimsy bits of parcel tape one on each end keeping it up while I scratched my head over taping the rest without being crushed to death.

Health and Safety.

Please wear hard hat and safety footwear at all times. Goggles are recommended in areas with pointy arrows.

Human-breathable atmosphere has been provided across all dimensions. Flux breathers should carry Rosin and heating equipment at all times.

Extra-planar dimensions are clearly marked. Three dimensional beings should bear left to avoid unpleasant entanglements with dimensions not directly perceived.

This is where is got a bit damp, so I gave up the glue, secured the unsealed ends against the weather and retired indoors for lunch...

Thus restored, I had at it again until my shoulder gave out and started getting sore. Most of the trouble I have with it is bending forwards and stretching my arms down, that really pulls.

So while covering the last one I folded it into a square tube, secured the ends and worked on the top surface, rolling it over as I went, lapping the edges around the corners. It worked really well, and tomorrow afternoon will see the modules constructed and ready to assemble.

It took me a little while to get all the cardboard together, and come up with a reasonable scale for the thing.

The boxes were mostly standard mover's cartons, and opened up are 6'x3'. There are also some smaller ones, and after a fashion I managed to arrange them so.

That works out to a version of this 7 feet high and around 10 feet long. The model is an Avery Label printed with the template and stuck to tinfoil.

First, I began sticking the boxes together with the parcel tape, and coated them with glue all over. I really had no idea of the scale of the thing, even though I know the measurements of the yard and the template.

This is just two boxes, one end, less than a quarter of the area needed. :-D

See what I mean about the cut-price paving slabs?

Next, I unrolled the tinfoil on the glue, carefully lining it up with a small overlap. These lapped edges will be pointing downwards so the skin is waterproof naturally, and I dont have to seal it further.

Then, as the light was beginning to go and I didnt have time to complete another, I put it aside to dry properly, and I'll carry on tomorrow weather permitting. That should dry nicely even if it rains.

Oh man I love this foil. And so will Bea :-D