Veg Crates (Click thumbnails for larger images)

Materials & Equipment

Coffee stirrers

Craft / ice-lolly sticks

PVA

Razor saw and mitre box

Clamps, Sandpaper

Ink wash, or paint

Stage 1

Glue a coffee stirrer on each side of the craft stick using PVA glue. Allow to dry thoroughly.

Stage 2

Cut the rounded ends from a couple more craft sticks to act as packing.

Stage 3

Slip the packing pieces inside the channel and position them just past the rounded ends of the sticks. These will allow you to clamp the piece firmly and hold the sides in position whilst you saw.

Stage 4

Clamp the pieces in position in the mitre box, and cut the end with the razor saw.

Stage 5

Mark the positions of the other cuts. Remember that the overall length of the finished crate will be longer by the width of the two end panels - approximately 2mm for the coffee stirrers I used.

Stage 6

Remove the clamp and slide the packing pieces to a position just beyond the cut mark, then repeat Stage 4 until you have as many crates as needed.

Stage 7

You may wish to sand any rough ends before continuing, or leave them for a more rustic appearance.

Stage 8

Cleaver Guillotine

Stage 9

Attach the end panels with PVA. You can see I made the end panels slightly oversize to be sanded later.

Stage 10

Clamp the pieces in place and leave to dry thoroughly.

Stage 11

Remove the excess from the end panels with sandpaper. If you want a more rustic appearance, then you can simply omit this stage.

Stage 12

Stain with an ink wash, or paint them if you prefer.

Example 1

A finished crate full of tomatoes.

Example 2

A crate with a bunch of bananas.

Bananas (Click thumbnails for larger images)

Materials & Equipment

Caraway seeds

Cocktail stick

PVA

Craft knife
Tweezers

Paint & brushes

Stage 1

Cut the tip from one end of a cocktail stick.

Stage 2

Select some caraway seeds with a slightly curved shape. You will need about 8 to make one bunch.

Stage 3

Dip the trimmed end of the stick into the glue to get a blob of PVA on the end.

Stage 4

Position the caraway seeds in place. Work around the stick until it is fully covered, then reposition any seeds that need tweaking.

Stage 5

Paint to resemble bananas. These have a yellow basecoat with a very thin black wash, black tips and a green stalk. You can make them slightly greener, or add patches of black and brown to vary the appearance.

Dealing With Air-Bubbles II (Images to follow)

With the exception of #6, the techniques described above make a feature of any casting flaws, but there are also many ways to simply conceal them. Of course, you can simply add furniture or an architectural feature like a buttress to cover the holes, but these options are not always possible whilst keeping the feel or purpose of the model. With that in mind, here are some ideas that need not take up much space.

Floors - Fantasy:

Rug, Animal Skin, Discarded / Fallen Object

Leaves, Grass, Moss, Fungi, Nest, Slime, Fire, Broken Masonry, Patch of Dirt or Sand,

Interior Walls - Fantasy:

Tapestry, Picture, Mirror, Torch or Candle, Narrow Shelf,

Exterior Walls - Fantasy:

Sign, Plaque, Shield, Pipe, Grotesque,

Moss, Creeper, Fungi,

Floors - Modern / Sci-Fi:

Hatch / Grate,

Interior Walls - Modern / Sci-Fi:

Clock, TV / View-screen, Switch, Socket, Pipes

Exterior Walls - Modern / Sci-Fi:

Guttering or Downspout, Grating,