Gantry Crane Hand Rail…………

I’ve been asked by a couple of of people about the hand rails that I used on the Gantry Crane and where I got them from. Well I can tell you that I have cheated and not used a model handrail. It is made from a mesh bird feeder bought from a Pound Shop. I first used the idea for the Cargo Ships handrails. It is so easy to do, and you get loads for a £1. I’m sorry I haven’t got a picture to show you what the feeder looks like, but I think you know the ones I mean. The ones that you fill with nuts and hang from the bird table.

Once I took off the top and bottom, I was left with a cylinder of mesh which I opened out to have a flat sheet of mesh.

Next using a pair of cutting pliers, cut off a strip the edge.

Once I’ve measured how long the piece needs to be, I can the start to shape the hand rail with a pair of pointed nose pliers into the final shape needed for the handrail.

By cutting the mesh with pliers I was left with a sharp edge along the length of the handrail. This is easily rectified by using a fine toothed file to smooth off the sharp edges. This also give a better looking handrail.

I didn’t have any yellow paint to paint the handrails, so I had to paint them white.

This worked to my advantage as I got to use my Wife Jak’s air brush and her vast collection of Copic pens. This worked well, as I didn’t end up with a solid colour, that I would have if I sprayed with yellow. But I used different shades to build up weathering. It looks brilliant.

I hoped that this has answered your questions and has given you some ideas on how to make a hand rail.

Until Next Time……………

Chris