Large Scale Central

Recycling - sometimes i hate it!

General Discussion
#1

sometimes i really hate it to be an oldfashioned modeller.

today i was in the mood to do something on the layout. - like completing the mountainside i am modelling.

first thing, i noted, there were only two or three strips of cloth left. - so i went and ripped half an old bedsheet into stripes of the needed dimensions.

well, to work…

as i opened the lid of the bucket, i saw, there was nearly no “mountain-mix” left…

so i went and grinded some old, dry plaster into small grain (by hand, naturely), mixed it with water and stirred, until it was more or less dissolved. then i mixed that with white glue (to produce hardshell, cat-resistant mountains)

when i finally had everything needed together, after about 3/4 of an hour, something had evaporated - my modelling mood!

i could use these modern pre-prepared plaster bandages.

open the pack, cut off a stripe, dunk into hot water, put onto the wiremesh, done.

but in my screwed up mind, modelling includes to use “at hand”, old materials, where ever possible.

how do you others think about this? how are you working/modelling?

go the cheap way?

or go the quick way?

#2

Korm,

My whole layout is on Recycled Wood.

I salvaged a roof during a rebuild and stored it behind my home for years until I finally gave being on the ground.

If you didn’t want a white mix, glue and dirt works, most anything inert can be filler.

John

#3

I am a cheap bast person. That means I recycle or adapt things Nylon snaps become brake wheels, small metal snaps become valve handles and gusset plates. Jewelry parts become all sorts of things. Why? because these items from the craft store are less expensive then actual model railroad parts.

As for recycling, drink cans become metal roofing material. Spray cans become a source of tin plated steel. Clear plastic packaging becomes window glazing. Defunct computer cables, become a source of coloured wire for various projects. Political signs become building sub walls. Cut off fence boards become ceder strip-wood. Old lace ribbon becomes decorative screen for window openings. Beads become all sorts of glass details. I even cut up old cigarette lighters for coloured “glass”.

I usually do not buy the expensive materials to get a project done faster, I enjoy being creative with what I can easily lay my hands on. But, some projects do require going the more expensive route, so that I can complete the project by some imposed deadline. But round these parts, that’s rare.