On my micro layout I have some areas that need to be filled in like gaps and smooth areas out. What material would be best to use for indoors. Normally outside I would use dirt. I was thinking plaster or is there something better that weld work preferably around the workshop item like Caulk. Any ideas.
An example is where I built the wall on either end of the trestle. I want to build it up some and the gully walls. I want to create smoother transitions.
Most indoor modelers use Hydrocal for modeling scenery, wad up some newspaper, soak paper towels in the Hdrocal mixture, and lay it over the wadded up newspaper. Some guys use card board strips or outdoor screening to build up scenery and then lay wet paper towels over that.
http://modeltrains.about.com/od/layoutconstruction/ss/hardshellscenery.htm
I used to use “Mountains in Minutes”. Some neat rock casting stuff.
You might try these guys for some ideas.
Bruce Chandler said:
I used to use “Mountains in Minutes”. Some neat rock casting stuff.
You might try these guys for some ideas.
That was the other thing I was trying to think of…
You guys are good. Great site Bruce. I ordered some stuff that should work perfect. Thanks for the info that was too easy Plus I got some nice forest floor ground cover.
In order to have a smoother, more gentle transition, consider that the floor of your gully probably shouldn’t be all level, but more sloped down from end to center. I’d definitely consider shortening the bents at each end of the trestle and then filling in the resulting triangle or simply burying the bottom part of the bents, which by the way, was prototype practice in many places…
Foam chips make good filler in cases like this. You can cover them with brown paper towelling applied with matte medium or diluted white glue. Paint and texture them as you wish. I love artists’ acrylic media and paints.
I have employed used herb tea ripped out of the bags for ground cover material.
The real world out there, once the snow melts, if it ever will again, and once our eyes are on the prowl, will deliver all kinds of possibilities for texture - twigs, stones, earth, organic material… All this stuff can be attached with the old wet in wet method.
Messing around with scenery like this is one of the most experimental and most fun aspects of the hobby, in my humble opinion.
Oh, let’s not forget foam rocks, or Frocks, everyone!
Shawn: check out this great idea for adding lightweight scenery to your top surface and maybe all over the place on your micro!
http://members.westnet.com.au/mjbd/html/foam_rocks_-_frocks.html
I used insulation foam to form the basic landscape of my HO/HOn30 module. It can be carved and cut with a sharp utility knife, then carved to final form with a surform file, outside of course. A surform file is a shaping tool that looks a lot like a cheese grater. Then I covered the foam with lightweight Spackle. Then I painted it an earth colour and applied sifted dirt to that with a white glue/water/alcohol mixture. Of course after I sifted the dirt, I ran a magnet over it to make sure there were no metal particles in it that would find their way to the locomotives’ motors.
i use anything and everything:
old fashioned clothdiapers with yeast or portland, kitchen papertowels with white glue or crackfiller, paint, glue or whatever mixed with sand, etc.
as base i use either just sticks and cut offs from wood, or styropor foam (from packing material or in sheets), construction foamspray, or (for mountains) wooden structures with chickenwire.
for coverage sand or dirt thrown on or mixed with white glue, dried coffeefilter content, teas, herbs or blocks for flowerarrangements shreddered in the kitchen mixer or the coffeemill, dyed sawdust, or, or, or…
(and if you find something new and weird - tell us!)
indoors we got the big advantage, that we don’t have to be afraid of wetness.
go, borrow your kids school -watercolours. even a landscape formed with silicone sealer looks better after you painted it.
but do not use gloss colours!
Ken’s idea with wadded newspapers and the old plaster bandage method laid over it and water sprayed.
The bandage is the stuff they set your broken arm with!! Did a large N scale layout like that and coloured it with thinned down paint and indian ink dribbled into gullies. Just add flock, dyed sawdust etc., as required.
Shawn
Use your usual dirt. Bake it in the oven to get rid of unwelcome stuff, hard to beat natural materials.
Using the other methods in LS means a lot of extra work to get it to the “looks real” point. Especially on small projects, dioramas where the eye doesn’t get detracted … unless you plan on having some sexy girl figures that need closer inspection.
I think scuptamold would suit your need well if you never heard of it before.
Thanks guys. Great info. I wanted to use real dirt but cant get to it being its under 14 inches of snow and rock solid ground lol…
Patrick I saw the Scuptamold on that sire Bruce provided and ordered that with some some real nice natrual ground cover that represents the woods. Most of the materials is real wood, moss etc… I think that will work and maybe Ill add real dirt when the ground thaws. Good stuff.
You could always buy a small bag of potting soil.
Jon Radder said:
You could always buy a small bag of potting soil.
I’m trying real hard not to edit your post and say …“why buy them as he gets them for free”
…grinning…
Dont use potting soil, it was organics like sawdust and can catch fire if you oven dry it. For large gaps I am prone to scultamold but it can take a long time to dry and may come loose after its dry (unless you use lots of paint or glue scenery down over it) or for small infill cracks, painters caulk which comes in a tube and is sandable and paintable when dry
I’m pretty sure there’s an inside joke going on here, Vic.
So Shawn: Are you done yet? We wanna see a pitchur!
Haha John I have been working on it for a while now. Its all in the micro/indoor layout section. I ended up buying the Sculpta mold since I only need to cover small area. Then used dark colored ballast for dirt. That will get mixed with a woods ground cover I got from scenic express.