# How to model this?



## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

I have a few ideas, but curious to see what you ask would come up with. This is a containment fence from jurassic park T-Rex paddock. In going to use them as a guard rail on the edge of my layout as the rail is close to the edge. I think this will help add to the look. 

For the base, I could 3d print something and that was my first idea. But that may be very time consuming. First to print them, then clean it up, prime, paint etc. I'm looking for it to be about 10-12 scale feet high. 

Second idea is to use foam board. Cutting it should be fairly simple, well still need paint, but some concrete texture paint should give a nice effect. 

For the posts I am thinking 1.5mm styrene I beams. And the cable will be piano wire. 

If like to include warning lights and signs, but at N scale that's difficult. Small flashing lights at the tops of the beams. The lights are doable but the housing has me a bit puzzled. 























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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

Piano wire would work, but it may be less expensive to get some regular old florist wire on a spool. Usually, it comes in green, but you can get silver/gray too.


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## MidwestMikeGT (Jan 4, 2021)

Would coffee stirrers work for the vertical beams? 12 feet, in N-scale, would be about 1 inch, correct? Maybe matchsticks as those are squared off. For the horizontal, you could use, as @JeffHurl suggested, use floral wire. Those are available from JoAnn Fabrics, or somewhere. If you glue the wire between two match sticks....just thinking aloud....


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

vette-kid said:


> I have a few ideas, but curious to see what you ask would come up with. This is a containment fence from jurassic park T-Rex paddock. In going to use them as a guard rail on the edge of my layout as the rail is close to the edge. I think this will help add to the look.
> 
> For the base, I could 3d print something and that was my first idea. But that may be very time consuming. First to print them, then clean it up, prime, paint etc. I'm looking for it to be about 10-12 scale feet high.
> 
> ...


I found this site while looking, I don't know the site at all, but something like this would work?
Edit, it looks like you buy the plans to make it?

Make it like the last picture of yours.  Custom handmade. You can find a lot of what you need to make one that is your own. 








Jurassic Park Electric Fence Low-poly 3D model | 3D model


Model available for download in Blender format. Visit CGTrader and browse more than 1 million 3D models, including 3D print and real-time assets



www.cgtrader.com


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## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

12 ft would be the base. The fence will be more like 30ft high. So about 3 inches. 

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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

MidwestMikeGT said:


> Would coffee stirrers work for the vertical beams? 12 feet, in N-scale, would be about 1 inch, correct? Maybe matchsticks as those are squared off. For the horizontal, you could use, as @JeffHurl suggested, use floral wire. Those are available from JoAnn Fabrics, or somewhere. If you glue the wire between two match sticks....just thinking aloud....


When I use to get Chinese's food I always ordered extra Chopsticks.  You can use them in all scales for something. I have a bunch of them along with other scrap wood in my scrap wood box.
When old model paint brushes die, I save the handles and toss them in the box.
I have long wooden matches I use to light my grill, after they cool they go in the box also. 

I have a Plastic scrap box too. 
And a metal one. For smaller scrap.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

vette-kid said:


> I have a few ideas, but curious to see what you ask would come up with. This is a containment fence from jurassic park T-Rex paddock. In going to use them as a guard rail on the edge of my layout as the rail is close to the edge. I think this will help add to the look.
> 
> For the base, I could 3d print something and that was my first idea. But that may be very time consuming. First to print them, then clean it up, prime, paint etc. I'm looking for it to be about 10-12 scale feet high.
> 
> ...


vette_kid;

Plastic, or wood, posts wont last long on the edge of your layout. I suggest making the posts with brass tubing or rod. I would use bare electrical wire for the cables and brass sheet, or PC board, for the bottom wall. The brass pieces can be soldered together. I also recommend mounting the whole barrier on the small brass-plated hinges used on jewelry boxes. Home Depot carries them. The fence is going to get bumped. If it can pivot inward when someone's belly pushes against it, and spring back into place, it should last longer.

Traction Fan 🙂


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## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

Big Ed said:


> I found this site while looking, I don't know the site at all, but something like this would work?
> Edit, it looks like you buy the plans to make it?
> 
> Make it like the last picture of yours.  Custom handmade. You can find a lot of what you need to make one that is your own.
> ...


My printer is not up to this task. Is just too small for a home quality FDM printer. Perhaps a commercial quality, but resin would be best at this scale. And then I would be worried is to fragile. That's why I'm looking for alternatives. 

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## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

traction fan said:


> vette_kid;
> 
> Plastic, or wood, posts wont last long on the edge of your layout. I suggest making the posts with brass tubing or rod. I would use bare electrical wire for the cables and brass sheet, or PC board, for the bottom wall. The brass pieces can be soldered together. I also recommend mounting the whole barrier on the small brass-plated hinges used on jewelry boxes. Home Depot carries them. The fence is going to get bumped. If it can pivot inward when someone's belly pushes against it, and spring back into place, it should last longer.
> 
> Traction Fan


Well, I honestly hadn't rant thought of that. 1/8" would be about an 18" post, which seems about right. Attaching wire will be more difficult though. 

At only about 3" length the styrene may just have enough strength. I'll have to test that theory... sure would be easier. 

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## afboundguy (Jan 10, 2021)

vette-kid said:


> My printer is not up to this task. Is just too small for a home quality FDM printer. Perhaps a commercial quality, but resin would be best at this scale. And then I would be worried is to fragile. That's why I'm looking for alternatives.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk


You could print it without the wires. I think an FDM could handle that in N scale but as you've stated a resin printer would be much better...


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

vette-kid said:


> My printer is not up to this task. Is just too small for a home quality FDM printer. Perhaps a commercial quality, but resin would be best at this scale. And then I would be worried is to fragile. That's why I'm looking for alternatives.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk


A resin printer could PRINT it, but it would be too fragile. First bump and it's dead. Or print without wires and add your own.

I was thinking about what TractionFan said about styrene / wood being too fragile. Maybe try this: use a 1x3 board (you really want it 12 scale FEET high?) and rip it into 3 1" widths on a table saw. Accounting for nominal measurements and saw kerf, that should give you 3 pieces of lumber around 0.8" thick (about 10-2/3'... close enough?). Get square brass tube in an acceptable diameter (the smallest I found in a quick search was 1/16", or about 10" in N scale). Bore a 1/8" hole THROUGH the wood and insert the tube the whole way. Glue with epoxy. You can fill the top of the hole with wood putty and sand it smooth to hide the oversized round edges of your hole. You can run the wires for LED's up through the tubes. You can even alternate with 1/8" tubes to create a closer effect to the fencing shown, putting LEDs only on the larger poles. You could also use Dwarvin fiber optic tubes. You can reinforce either solid wire or fiber optic tube with a tiny piece of styrene or brass rod to create the mounts.

The same concept would work with styrene square tubing, although the smallest diameter I could find in that was 1/8", so the poles would be a little oversized if you did that.

For the wires, try using phosphor bronze wire. A little pricier than floral wire, but easier to get a straight piece with it.


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## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

afboundguy said:


> You could print it without the wires. I think an FDM could handle that in N scale but as you've stated a resin printer would be much better...


Yes, even the uprights would be pretty thin though. The only part im confident in printing is the base. 

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## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

CTValleyRR said:


> A resin printer could PRINT it, but it would be too fragile. First bump and it's dead. Or print without wires and add your own.
> 
> I was thinking about what TractionFan said about styrene / wood being too fragile. Maybe try this: use a 1x3 board (you really want it 12 scale FEET high?) and rip it into 3 1" widths on a table saw. Accounting for nominal measurements and saw kerf, that should give you 3 pieces of lumber around 0.8" thick (about 10-2/3'... close enough?). Get square brass tube in an acceptable diameter (the smallest I found in a quick search was 1/16", or about 10" in N scale). Bore a 1/8" hole THROUGH the wood and insert the tube the whole way. Glue with epoxy. You can fill the top of the hole with wood putty and sand it smooth to hide the oversized round edges of your hole. You can run the wires for LED's up through the tubes. You can even alternate with 1/8" tubes to create a closer effect to the fencing shown, putting LEDs only on the larger poles. You could also use Dwarvin fiber optic tubes. You can reinforce either solid wire or fiber optic tube with a tiny piece of styrene or brass rod to create the mounts.
> 
> ...


Yes 12ft. 6 would be ok probably but 1" gives me more to work with as a base. Remember it is a Dino fence! T-Rex is just under 30' full grown!

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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

vette-kid said:


> Yes 12ft. 6 would be ok probably but 1" gives me more to work with as a base. Remember it is a Dino fence! T-Rex is just under 30' full grown!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk


You could cut it wider, yielding 2 pieces and some waste. Or A 1x4 would give you 3 strips just over an inch wide. Nice thing about cutting your own is that you can get EXACTLT the dimensions you want.


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

Wooden skewers and dental wire.

Skewers come in different sizes. You could drill them with a pin vise drill then run the dental wire through. I think the rigid dental wire would work better because you wouldn't have to worry about getting it tight and it would make the whole assembly more solid/stable. I like the idea of the foam for the base. 

TF makes a good point about it being at the edge of the layout. Instead of permanently securing the assembly, perhaps you could come up with a pin system (finish nails?) that you could press the foam base onto. Then when you needed to work on/lean over that area of the layout the fence could be lifted straight up and set aside.









Stainless Steel .028


Durable Stainless Steel Round Wire.




www.greatlakesdentaltech.com


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## DonW (Mar 25, 2012)

for the wires I'd explore fishing lines, you may find something that would resemble scale cabling with no paint needed.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

DonW said:


> for the wires I'd explore fishing lines, you may find something that would resemble scale cabling with no paint needed.


Remember, though that it's not JUST about the scale. You also have to consider the difficulty of stringing it taut. Hence the various recommendations for types of wire, that will stay more or less taut without difficulty. Come to think of it, elastic threads would work, too, if strung slightly under tension.


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## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

Fishing line is a new one. At undertone suggested electrical wire. It wh joyless be easier to work with, but not sure it would give the right look. But it's another idea to explore. I have some music wire, but getting it straight might be difficult as it's on a spool and send to want to stay that way. 

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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

vette-kid said:


> Well, I honestly hadn't rant thought of that. 1/8" would be about an 18" post, which seems about right. Attaching wire will be more difficult though.
> 
> At only about 3" length the styrene may just have enough strength. I'll have to test that theory... sure would be easier.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk


 vette_kid;

If you use small electrical wire , with the insulation stripped off, for your cables, it could simply be soldered to the posts. Everything I suggested can be soldered, making a very strong fence. If you use plastic posts, I suggest the sticks from the old game "pick up sticks", or something similar. They will be fairly flexible and can spring back upright after being flexed a little. You might check at a Michael's craft store for some kind of plastic skewers. Walmart's craft section is another "happy hunting ground" for unintended, but useful, model materials

regards;

Traction Fan 🙂


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## DonW (Mar 25, 2012)

CTValleyRR said:


> Remember, though that it's not JUST about the scale. You also have to consider the difficulty of stringing it taut. Hence the various recommendations for types of wire, that will stay more or less taut without difficulty. Come to think of it, elastic threads would work, too, if strung slightly under tension.


 Keep in mind that there are steel fishing leaders which you can buy in bulk to make up your own leaders or scale retaining fence, I should have been more specific.


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## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

First attempt with music wire... way too stiff. I just cannot get it straight. Still, I think the look is going on the right direction. The styrene is surprisingly resilient at this length and I think it will work fine.
















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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

DonW said:


> Keep in mind that there are steel fishing leaders which you can buy in bulk to make up your own leaders or scale retaining fence, I should have been more specific.


Granted. But when you say "fishing line", I don't think of leaders, because they have a separate name.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Well, at least it’s starting to look like the wrecked version….


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## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

Old_Hobo said:


> Well, at least it’s starting to look like the wrecked version….
> 
> View attachment 578746


Ha, that might be a look to go for at some point!

Was just at Walmart and found beading wire in 0.3 and 0.45mm. Seems pretty pliable and hopefully won't have to pull it too tight. 

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## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

Still needs to be a little tighter than the styrene can hold. Considering using brass tube, as suggested, with 2 or 3 styrene I beams between each. This stuff has a nice texture that I think mimics a large multi strand cable. 

Anyone know if this will solder to brass? Do I need something special besides my normal solder? I have never soldered anything other than electrical wires, ha!
















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## Jscullans (Jul 8, 2019)

If you’re going with a brass tube structure then I would try using normal stripped electrical wire. You can try to solder that stuff to brass but hard telling how well it will work. I know that there are a lot of people that aren’t that happy with late starter but I picked up a fence trick from him with using tule as a chain link material and I soldered brass tube together to make a good framework. I wonder if phosphor bronze wire would work good for you. It’s more expensive than just normal wire but it stays straight unless you want it to bend. Something else to look into.


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## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

The problem with electrical wire is finding the right kind that looks right. Stranded would look best, but not copper. Beading wire actually comes in various stand counts. Around 20 looks perfect, but I would have almost $100 in the wire. 

I'm not exactly sure what to search for in electrical wire, feels a bit like a needle in a haystack at this point. 

Thanks for the tips, your fence looks great!

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## The Southern Railroad (May 22, 2021)

vette-kid said:


> I have a few ideas, but curious to see what you ask would come up with. This is a containment fence from jurassic park T-Rex paddock. In going to use them as a guard rail on the edge of my layout as the rail is close to the edge. I think this will help add to the look.
> 
> For the base, I could 3d print something and that was my first idea. But that may be very time consuming. First to print them, then clean it up, prime, paint etc. I'm looking for it to be about 10-12 scale feet high.
> 
> ...


Look like a very cool Project - Some guy had a layout on craigslist 6 months back with tar pits and the whole 9 yards - I did not save photo of it - Looking forward to seeing what you come up with - Fiber Optics - Just a thought with your lights issue


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Jscullans said:


> If you’re going with a brass tube structure then I would try using normal stripped electrical wire. You can try to solder that stuff to brass but hard telling how well it will work. I know that there are a lot of people that aren’t that happy with late starter but I picked up a fence trick from him with using tule as a chain link material and I soldered brass tube together to make a good framework. I wonder if phosphor bronze wire would work good for you. It’s more expensive than just normal wire but it stays straight unless you want it to bend. Something else to look into.


You understand that the problem with Late Starter wasn't the information or the quality of the work. Both of those were generally good. It's just that it wasn't all his work, and he attempted to pass the work of others off as his own.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

CTValleyRR said:


> You understand that the problem with Late Starter wasn't the information or the quality of the work. Both of those were generally good. It's just that it wasn't all his work, and he attempted to pass the work of others off as his own.


And because for some reason, I can't edit that post...

I meant to add, he's certainly not the first or only person to recommend using tulle as fencing material. There have been several articles in the hobby press about it.


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## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

The Southern Railroad said:


> Look like a very cool Project - Some guy had a layout on craigslist 6 months back with tar pits and the whole 9 yards - I did not save photo of it - Looking forward to seeing what you come up with - Fiber Optics - Just a thought with your lights issue
> 
> View attachment 578923
> View attachment 578924


There are a few options for getting lights to it. What in looking for is a flashing light and more d difficult is a lens. Something dome shaped. 

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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Look at Dwarvin products. They have flashers, etc for fiber optics. The lens can be made of any clear or colored plastic, or even "built" out of glue or gloss medium.


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## The Southern Railroad (May 22, 2021)

vette-kid said:


> There are a few options for getting lights to it. What in looking for is a flashing light and more d difficult is a lens. Something dome shaped.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk


Dome-shaped - can you give a size of that shape you're looking for - How big or small is the dome have to be? MM size would help you have a lot of options, when I have a idea of size I can tell you more


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## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

Probably about 2mm max. At a 150 scale that's a 12" dome. The dinos are actually 144, so I'm using 150 for stuff life this to try and blend better with the trains and vehicles at 160.

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## The Southern Railroad (May 22, 2021)

vette-kid said:


> Probably about 2mm max. At a 150 scale that's a 12" dome. The dinos are actually 144, so I'm using 150 for stuff life this to try and blend better with the trains and vehicles at 160.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk


Let me see in the next couple of days what I can come up with - you have the option of using 
*SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL*




__





Last Call - Swarovski Crystal Beads, Pendants, Flat Backs & Pearls






www.jewelrysupply.com




There are other stores like Hobby Lobby that can get you to the 2mm size 
In the meantime, I'll see what I have around here that might fit into the grand scheme of what your doing
Jewelry - custom offers a wide range of tiny jewels - kinda like that on a Lionel train 
Hope this helps to think outside the box " Cheers "


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## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

Oh that's fantastic! Exactly the inspiration I need, thank you. 

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## Rich1853 (Jun 25, 2018)

Another source for catch fences are model slot cars, scales available 1/24-1/32 and 1/43
This is the Carrera 1/24-1/32 scale size that I have around a 9.5 x 6 5 foot road racing table


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## MidwestMikeGT (Jan 4, 2021)

vette-kid said:


> Probably about 2mm max. At a 150 scale that's a 12" dome. The dinos are actually 144, so I'm using 150 for stuff life this to try and blend better with the trains and vehicles at 160.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk


Would something like these be workable?
LightHouse LEDs

For wires (cables), (if unresolved yet) consider stripping and soldering:
1. Old computer ribbon cables (there must be a bunch around somewhere!)
2. 24 or 22 gauge solid wires


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