Make your own farm fence....

[doctorwayne]

...or not.
Here's another experimental project, based on an article by John Ostler in the February 2002 issue of RMC. In it, he describes how to make a "loom" on which to weave your own Tite-Lock wire farm fence. Since it dates back to about 1915, this type of fencing is suitable for many modelling eras.
The loom is simply a board, marked-out with a grid, into which a great number of very small nails are driven. The wire, .003" E-Z Line, is looped around all of the vertical nails first, in a continuous path, then the horizontal elements are added by using a sewing needle to weave the E-Z Line in an alternating over/under path through the vertical "wires". Ca is then touched to all of the intersecting points, then the section of material is cut from the loom.

Here's my loom:



...and a closer view, with the vertical wires in place:



My first try didn't come out too well, but I did manage to salvage some. Even though it's somewhat ragged in places, it's virtually invisible when viewed from the aisle. I need about twelve actual feet of it to fence-off the pastures between Elfrida and Lowbanks and am undecided on whether or not to even bother. It would be more noticeable on the climb from South Cayuga to the upper level, as it would be only 3" from the viewer and almost at eye-level, but the idea of making an additional 25' of the stuff makes my eyes glaze-over. I'd also hate to add credence to the myth that model railroaders are nuts.

Even from only a foot-or-so away, the wire is almost invisible:



From slightly farther away, and zoomed-in, the fencing is visible:



The cows seem pleased, though, that the trains will be kept out of their pasture :




Wayne