He Builds Lifelike Scale Model Barns

He Builds Lifelike Scale Model Barns AG WORLD Ag World 20-5-22 Harold Stone has found a way to preserve the beauty of old barns in southeastern Wisconsin - he builds scale models of them with as much attention to detail as possible. So far he has built 13 scale-model barns, patterning them after ones that are still standing. He takes photos of the barns and then builds his models on a scale of 1/4 in. to 1 ft., the same scale used for making miniature railroad trains. "A lot of pretty barns are falling to the wayside. I hate to see it happen because they're much more interesting than today's fiberglass or aluminum ones," says Stone. "Most of the barns I use as subjects are in rough shape. They may be weathered to the point where there's virtually no paint left on them, or they may have boards coming loose or windows broken. However, they're still a part of our rural history and culture and deserve to be remembered as they were when they were young. I usually try to build my models with a weathered appearance but without any sign of disrepair or neglect. I don't want them to look like they were just built, but I do want them to look like the owner cared about them. "One time I displayed my collection at a local library. Following the exhibit I got a phone call from a woman who said that she had recognized one of the barns as belonging to the farm where she had grown up. Her grandfather built the barn in the 1800's. She had me make a copy of it for her home." Stone started making scale model barns 2 1/2 years ago after reading "Barns of Wisconsin" by Jerry Apps, a Wisconsin preservationist. He paints the barns either red or grey. To make the siding for red barns he fashions scale model planks (1/32-in. thick) out of old patio furniture. Siding on the grey barns is made from driftwood that he finds along the beach near his home on Lake Michigan. The lower level on many of the barns is made from concrete, brick, or field stone. To simulate concrete, he uses field stone and covers it with patching plaster and paint to give a weathered look. To simulate brick he uses model railroad stonework (a vinyl material). Roofs are made from sand-paper and have lightning rods made from stick pins with tiny beads on top. Aquarium gravel can be used to accent the base around the barns. One barn even has tiny flower boxes under its windows. Stone has also made scale models of an old Cargill grain elevator, as well as the Red Wing, Minn., railroad depot, for a friend. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Harold C. Stone, 4932 N. Marlborough Dr., Milwaukee, Wis. 53217 (ph 414 332-5119).

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