Here's a little tutorial on how I'm building a torii gate.
First off a little bit on how I want it to look.
This is more or less the type, but with a single top bar:
I want an old, slightly derelict look, like this:
Enough preamble, lets get started!
I cut a bit of wood for the top bar, the kasagi. I don't know the name of the wood, but it's slightly flexible, used by folks who build their own model airplanes and boats. Not balsa, it’s too soft for this.
I then soaked it thoroughly in water. (I’m not certain why there’s a smiling Buddha standing in it.
)
Next I cut the ends to a better angle
I follow the rules of bushido. I am a bushi.
And the rest of the pieces. I made a mistake here by using bamboo skewers for the posts. It is too hard for my purposes.
I cut holes in the parts to fit it all together. This is where I started to realise that I should not have used bamboo skewers for the posts, it is too hard. They were a pain to make the holes in – I hard to drill and carve – and got wounded when my drill slipped.
I follow the rules of bushido. I am a bushi.
To make the wood grain stand out I brushed along the grain with a copper wire brush. For the blasted skewers I had to use a steel brush and a [b]lot[/b] of more work. I also should have cut of less before to have something to hold on to. The last is a lesson I’ve learned before, but have too low Wisdom to remember. (Must raise Wis next time I level. Must kill more
orcsbakemonos.I follow the rules of bushido. I am a bushi.
Gluing it all together with PVA, and stick it to a base of plasticard.
The base stones and stepping stones are made in milliput.
Winding stepping stones don’t have anything to do with toriis, but look nice and have everything to do with tea gardens. This is not Japan, but the Jwar islands, remember?
I follow the rules of bushido. I am a bushi.
Here’s a detail showing the brushed grain.
I follow the rules of bushido. I am a bushi.
And painted. The wood is stained with diluted greyish dark brown, and highlighted with (Vallejo MC) Stone Grey and Deck Tan (and a small amount of Offwhite).
The ground covering is acrylic caulking with some brown mixed into it.
Next steps, still to come, will be to add plants and stuff.
I follow the rules of bushido. I am a bushi.
lovely stuff - there was an amazing tutorial on building Toriis in Rackhams Cry Havoc vol 05 too which used a lotof teh same ideas - bending water softened wood, wire brush for texture...
Yes, I've read the article, and am clearly much inspired by it
.
It's the only issue I don't own, though. I almost got it an auction on a con earlier this year, but it was in a large bundle and went for more than I was willing to give.
I follow the rules of bushido. I am a bushi.
nice work, I'm planning a big wood project later this year and this could be really helpful:)
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Very nicely done.
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At long last here's the finished torii.
I waited a long while before finishing it, because I wanted t try out some new tufts from Tajima, but it seems the Swedish post has lost them. (At least I suppose that's why they still haven't appeared after six weeks. It may have been stopped in customs, but he denies having declared them as 'Grass'.) Replacement tufts are on their way, but I decided not to wait any longer, but use ordinary static grass instead.
I follow the rules of bushido. I am a bushi.