Landships II

baldwin · Hero

corrugated iron

CharlieC · Legend

�

Corrugated iron was universally hot dip galvanised from the 1840s onwards. Even in contact with soil corrugated iron rusts only very slowly. I suspect the diorama makers have gone off on a frolic somewhat like the plastic modelers making tank models look like knocked out wrecks exposed to multiple winters. Britain probably doesn't have too many old buildings with corrugated iron because of the influence of the modernist loathing of people like Ruskin in the late 19th century but there are buildings in Australia from the 1880s with the original corrugated iron.

Corrugated iron dulls to a zinc grey colour within� a few weeks.

Regards,

Charlie

Ironsides · Legend

Round here tin roofs are very common most are also very old my ones at least 80 (there are many older)�its black but would have been painted red lead in earlier days, not exactly corrogated made from flatish zinc plated steel sheets about 1x2m with four main ridges to stiffen it... Id go with a dull silver for new or light grey a few years older

Cheers smile

baldwin · Hero

Feedback as usual brilliant. The only thing that's bothering me is that if they were left unpainted when used for buildings wouldn@t they have "stood out" inparticularly from the air,especially with the sun reflecting on a fairly bright surface. Would they not have painted them some dull colour to prevent this??

Ironsides · Legend

would make sense to paint it as even with weathering after several months it would still be fairly bright, but if you chuke a few spadefulls of earth on it�smear with the local clay etc�I'm sure that would solve the problem without having to resort to paint...

�

Cheers wink

Rectalgia · Legend

A few of the AWM photos showing galvanized iron structures in forward areas Boer War and WW 1:

http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/P01024.013
http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/H00790
http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/H13399
http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/P00579.004
http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/E00021
http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/E00159
http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/E03307
http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/P02527.002
http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/E00155

Generally not used for exterior cladding in forward areas, covered with tarpaulins or similar if so used (e.g. Nissen huts, etc. though those would not be in particularly "forward" areas). Bright metal sheeting could profitably have been used in forward areas for decoys I suppose but its main value would seem to have been as light-weight waterproof roofing support in narrow runs with sandbags on top - if the AWM photos are representative.

Paul Bonnett · Hero

I think it may also have been "obtained" locally by the ever ingenious infantryman at the front

Paul

Rectalgia · Legend

Paul Bonnett wrote:
I think it may also have been "obtained" locally by the ever ingenious infantryman at the front
Paul

I suspect you are entirely correct Paul.� I recall the great alarm with which� Mr. Louis Botha declined Australian PM Deakin's offer to supply experienced Australian troops to South Africa for stabilisation duties after the Boer War.� "We know them chiefly as thieves," he cried - or words to that effect.