"Balloon Netting: Would This Work?" Topic

My wife threw out a plastic netting bag like this and …

Well, it got me thinking.

If it was tan/brown, would it work as balloon/dirigible netting? Has anyone ever tried the material for that purpose?

Just wondering.

Dan

Yes depending on size of the blimp….

It'd better be the colour you want when you start: I'd imagine keeping paint on a think like that would be next door to impossible!

John T

It has potential.

It can work Dan , but you have to find a smaller weave.
The netting I used to mask when painting my Grey Warhost took the paint well ( I used Plasticote terracotta sandable primer ) Check it out here.
castrarunis.blogspot.com/2014/02/grey-warhost.html

I think the netting I used was a sort of protective sleeve for brass threaded fittings.

The main issue here would be how the mount it/ weigh it down to look convincing.
Z

Just a wild thought here and I don't have any idea if such a product exists, but how about a very fine weave of women's fishnet stockings? If there is a fine fishnet weave out there somewhere, it may possibly be made of a better material than that produce plastic mesh in your pic and thus may be able to take and hold paint better. :)

I don't know how easy it is to find, but I have seen this same kind of netting with a much smaller weave as packages for candy coins.

A long time ago (mid 1980s) at a smaller con in Dayton, I met a fellow re-enactor who was just starting into wargaming and he had started a very very nice collection of 15mm and had them lovingly packed into cigar boxes, during the battle we were playing, he pulled out a balloon he had made from a handball, basket, ground crew, observer, netting and all. He had hoisted the model up on a copper wire that fit int a brass tube built into the basket and the ground tube was modeled into the body of the balloon wagon. It was really nice. Never met him again but I still think about his practical wargame setup. Played on an old medium green canvas with a simple road network painted on. The balloon was awesome.

Those mesh bags actually come in several different sizes of mesh.

I think the trick would be getting the 'balloon' to push through the gaps between the 'ropes'.

Why do I KEEP finding you hoarding, or considering, the very trash filling my basement!

You might consider it for a dark continent game net-trap, of course…

Doug

Been there, done that!

I've cobbled together a 54mm Imperial Russian ("Army Dark Green") observation balloon for "Funny Little Wars" using a finer mesh netting than shown.

I bought a suitably sized Styrofoam ball at a Michael's Craft Shop, wadded up a large sheet of printer paper, smoothed that out, and glued it around the ball with white glue. Spray painted it dark green, then I printed out the name "Slava" ("Glory") in a nice Cyrillic font, and glued that on. I also bought a square wooden box (ditched the lid) that holds up to 3 54mm figures, glued a printed "basket" texture to it, used heavy string for rigging, and put the whole thing together in a couple of pleasant hours.

I've designed mine to be suspended over the lawn from a 5' tall Shepherd's Hook plant hanger, which can be moved in play.

And the whole thing came together while helping my own 1,676mm Russian Wife unload vegetables--some of which were in just the perfect mesh bags.

So, "Yes," I've tried it, it works, and "Urrrrahhhh!" for cheapskates like me who can learn to adapt old materials to new purposes!

TVAG

This might work: Matrix 3mm Rubber Mesh Landing Nets

auction

regards

MMG.

I used exactly that bag stuff for the nets on my Napoleon in Egypt balloon.

It wasn't too hard to paint, I did the lot in a base colour and then picked out the net in a lighter colour.

Regards

David F Brown

It might be easier to use decorative fishing net. link And I think that you'd want to use something not quite round, or if round and smooth, place something over it to give it a fabric-like look to it, maybe including a wrinkle or two.

Two possibilities. Bandage Gauze from a first aid kit. Also camo netting. Antenocitis Workshop sells it:

link

If its the same kind as orange nets in the UK it will take spray paint no problem – I've used it for 28mm chain link fence

I found some artificial "decorative" onions in a store while my wife shopped . . . and they have a perfect shape for hot air balloons . . . but I hadn't thought of netting, that would work very well on the onions.

-- Jeff

"I found some artificial "decorative" onions in a store… " – may I ask where? As this seems a perfect solution.

Thanks in anticipation

What's the scale of your soldiers?

I use hair netting! Where I work there is an abundance of them! They are very easy to put on just about anything!

Depending on scale, you can also use bridal veil material available in craft stores. Painted silver, it also makes good chainlink fence.