Shawn Viggiano said:
Why dont you take a trip north. I have plenty of rock you can have. Then you dont need to make them. By the way the plants will really bring everything together. looks great.
Or you could take a trip south…
Rocks I got plenty of. They grow down here by the acre full. What I wanted was something I could form to try and hide the planter boxes a little and kind of blend them into the layout.
Sorta like what Rick showed in this pic:
Ken,
Have you looked at the expandable spray foam - “Great Stuff”? Be conservative when you start. This stuff can have a mind of its own, but I think it has merit. Also wondered about the use of burlap instead of aluminum foil for some frame.
Devon Sinsley said:
David Maynard said:
Pete, so we will see the start of yours in 2019?
Its your turn Pete, I am making to much progress now, the sharks are getting hungry for someone to devour.
I am doing my napkin ( graph paper) drawings now and getting different ideas from people ( my granddaughter) on what structures I NEED a waterfall and what animals NEED to be represented, dogs. she loves dogs
Ken, your ideas and layout have given me many things to add/ponder/incorporate into my layout when it starts, keep the pictures coming
Ric Golding said:
Ken,
Have you looked at the expandable spray foam - “Great Stuff”? Be conservative when you start. This stuff can have a mind of its own, but I think it has merit. Also wondered about the use of burlap instead of aluminum foil for some frame.
I did give that stuff a thought, but figured the cement stuff would hold up better in the climate. I also picked up some Galvanized Hardware Cloth to try out as a form. Might have to wait to see how that works, it’s pouring rain out now…(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
Pete Lassen said:
Ken, your ideas and layout have given me many things to add/ponder/incorporate into my layout when it starts, keep the pictures coming
Will do, Pete.
Since I’m experimenting with different scenery techniques, updates may be a little slow in coming…(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
Just an FYI for anyone interested.
Basic supplies for making Hypertufa:
One part cement, one part peat moss, and one part Perlite. Mixed with water gives ya this:
Some earlier tries:
Third try came out better with a bit more detail:
Since the foil stuck to the mixture as I forgot to spray the foil first with WD-40 a couple coats of paint hid that mistake…(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
Once this batch drys out a bit I’ll see about laying it on this form to see what it looks like:
More to come…
Hi Ken,
I used quite a bit of Hypertufa (spelling?) when I first started. Ended up tearing it all out and replacing it with something else. I had trouble with the rain eroding it, the freezing cracking and up heaving it, and the general sloughing away of the surface. I found it to not be a satisfactory material because of the constant maintenance. Hope you have better luck(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)
For wire forms I found the small chicken wire (1 inch diamonds) a better choice than the Hardware Cloth because of cost and ease of use. It is more flexible and easier to form in different planes in smaller areas.
I had best luck with burlap sheets dipped in a mixture of Portland cement and fine sand in a soupy mixture then placed over the wire form.
Then brushed on an additional coat (thicker mix) to give it strength then adding rock castings much as you are doing with the Hypertufa.
Have fun experimenting,that’s what it is about
Rick
Hey Ken, it looks like you had some Idaho bears come visit your layout. LOL
Well, Rick, that was also something I was wondering about, it’s durability. It’s supposedly used to form flower pots, so I figured water wouldn’t hurt it, but maybe rain beating down on it does.
I had read about this stuff being used in Garden Railways Magazine years ago by someone making scenery with it. I always wanted to try it. That and the crumpled alum. foil for the molds.
The hardware cloth seemed a better idea since it was a lot stiffer then chicken wire and had a finer mesh. I just wanted something that would be removable and light weight to simulate a small rocky outcropping to hide the edge of the planters.
On my first layout I had built a mountain using that hardshell technique with the chicken wire, old towels and the soupy cement mixture. I really didn’t want to get back into that since it’s so messy.
I may have to re-think this whole idea. We shall see…(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
Yea, Chuck, I was wondering if someone would pick up on that. We find’em in cow pastures.
Ken- Your layout looks amazing! I’ve been doing some layout (re)building, myself. I’ve finally got to the point of mountain/rock building as well. Years ago, I did some stucco work with a product called Quikwall. Its a fiber reinforced concrete. Strong stuff- no worries about rain, snow, etc. I’ve been using it and some metal lath for my mountain/rock-work. I’ve bent up the lath around some rocks and other things to get it into shape. Here’s a sample:
http://largescalecentral.com/forums/topic/22149/iron-island-rr-take-two/view/page/10
It’s still in it’s “green” curing phase- it’ll eventually turn grey. You can also add color to the mix before applying or paint it later (that’s what I’ll do).
Just a thought.
-Kevin.
Thanks Kevin and I did see that on your topic. I’ll have to look into that stuff.
Ken,
So going back to my idea of “Great Stuff” foam. Why not that as the “subframe” under the Hypertufa? The foam is quite strong and would give a strong base to be painted over with the Hypertufa. If it grows to big, let it dry hard and break off the part you don’t like.
Looks like a few more trips to Lowes are in order along with some more experimenting with all this stuff. …
Stay tuned…(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
Ken Brunt said:
Looks like a few more trips to Lowes are in order along with some more experimenting with all this stuff. …
Stay tuned…(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
Don’t blame me if you don’t test it, someplace safe first. This stuff has a life of its own.
Ric Golding said:
Ken Brunt said:
Looks like a few more trips to Lowes are in order along with some more experimenting with all this stuff. …
Stay tuned…(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
Don’t blame me if you don’t test it, someplace safe first. This stuff has a life of its own.
Who else would I blame? Andy? Jan?..(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
I think the shed is about the safest place. Course if your RV were here that would be an even safer place…(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
This has been interesting, trying out these different methods.
Yea, I like Great Stuff, but it will expand to 3 or 4 times the blob you put down. There is a version that expands a lot less, but what fun is that?
There is also a balck version used in ponds that is supposed to be weather resistant. Regular “great stuff” deteriorates. I will be very curious to see your results with this stuff Ken.
I would assume painted with latex paint would seal it from deterioration at least for some period of time.
There are a few places where I want some dramatic rockscapes that will act as dividers or breaks between areas. So I hope this works. The regular cement idea that others have used was the route I was going to go but it would be heavy. This seems lighter in weight.
Like Ric was suggesting, the foam will be a base for the cement rock molds. I’ll bend the hardware cloth to the shape I want, then coat that with the foam. I may try it out on some chicken wire. I also bought a small container of Vinyl Patching Cement to try that stuff out too. I’m trying that out directly on the hardware cloth. (per Kevin’s article)
And in between all that, getting something done on the depot build.
With all the rain the last couple of days, it seemed a good way to pass the time, experimenting with all this…(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
Todd Brody made hollow rocks with a mesh and hydraulic cement. Being as that they are thin shells, they don’t weigh all that much.
