Quicker/easier Scenery!! HELP!
Brian Sommers
I'm doing a shelf layout (literally), I have a 1 x 8 x 6 and a 1 x 12 x 9
I like to run the trains but man I hate doing the scenery and model
building. The problem is I don't like to run the trains without scenery,
etc beacuse it looks stupid IMO. so.... I use to lay out the ground
cover, etc then take an eye dropper of alchol and matte medium and drip
away, driving myself nuts, thinking that there has to be something better
to do than this.
So...... is there any other easier/quicker way of gluing down the stuff?
I've tried spray bottles mixed with alcohol and matte medium and water,
but it blows the stuff off, especially the light stuff.
I've been tempted to try like 3M spray glue, or something like that?? Any
sugestions?
thanks in advance
--
Bman.
bri...@ris.net
Jesus Christ is Lord and King of Kings!
Jeff Rykiel
The bottle technique is the best. But. Don't blow it at the ground foam.
Imagine it raining with the atomized droplets falling on your ground foam.
Spray it over it. Make it rain. You should get a good coating. This
should take care of your problem!
Jeff
Brian Sommers <bri...@ris.net> wrote in article
<01bc0e22.6bf00420$408f1bce@hackstation>...
Juhana Siren
Hear the words of wisdom from Brian Sommers:
> I'm doing a shelf layout (literally), I have a 1 x 8 x 6 and a 1 x 12 x 9
> I like to run the trains but man I hate doing the scenery and model
> building. The problem is I don't like to run the trains without scenery,
> etc beacuse it looks stupid IMO. so.... I use to lay out the ground
> cover, etc then take an eye dropper of alchol and matte medium and drip
> away, driving myself nuts, thinking that there has to be something better
> to do than this.
...
> I've been tempted to try like 3M spray glue, or something like that?? Any
> sugestions?
Here's what I do: I don't lay the ground cover first. Instead, I make a
mixture of water, white glue and dish washing liquid (to eliminate surface
tension). This stuff should be completely liquid. I make a lot of this stuff
and put it in an old plastic bottle with a cap of the kind that has a hole in
it (for easy application). If the ground is not flat and level, I cover it
with white glue and a thin layer of sawdust to prevent the liquid mixture
running away. After that I soak the ground with the mixture and apply another
layer of ground cover, taking care of it getting soaked from underneath. This
is the actual cover. I usually put several kinds of materials here: on my
present layout there will be about nine sorts of foam, fiber and sawdust in
various colors. Let dry overnight. When it's dry I vacuum off the excess,
patch if necessary and add detail. If the cover seems too thin, I soak it
again and add material until it's good. The trick here is to let the glue
soak the ground cover material from underneath. This method is fast and
produces IMO great results. I have also experimented with fixing track without
nails, using white glue. I have made and dismantled one layout using these two
methods, and observed these things:
a) Construction was fast. I spent most of the time with electronics.
b) It looked great. Ground cover was rich and looked natural, and track wasn't
disturbed by nails. Note, however, that curved flex track has to be secured
somehow until the glue has completely dried.
c) It worked great. I never had any problems with track coming off. (It was a
portable layout, BTW. Took it to two exhibits.)
d) Later I had to dismantle the layout. I was able to recover everything except
ground cover and ballast. (Soak the track with water, then CAREFULLY pry
off. If it doesn't come off, soak some more.)
Of course I can't say these somewhat unorthodox methods will work for everyone.
They did work for me, but your mileage may vary.
--
Juhana Siren ***** juhana...@oulu.fi **** http://rieska.oulu.fi/~jsiren/
Daniel A. Mickey
This guy does the above, but precedes it with the following procedure. Get
some interior latex paint in the color which best matches your idea of soil
in the area where you want to model. Paint it over the plaster/paper
mache/foam scenery structure- really slather it on! Sprinkle Woodland
Scenics or other ground-cover grass, weeds, etc. on the wet paint and let the
whole works dry. Then do the diluted white glue/carpenters glue bit for more
of a touch-up.
Dan Mickey
Kevin Guthrie
In article <01bc0e22.6bf00420$408f1bce@hackstation>,
Brian Sommers <bri...@ris.net> wrote:
>I'm doing a shelf layout (literally), I have a 1 x 8 x 6 and a 1 x 12 x 9
>
>I like to run the trains but man I hate doing the scenery and model
>building. The problem is I don't like to run the trains without scenery,
>etc beacuse it looks stupid IMO. so.... I use to lay out the ground
>cover, etc then take an eye dropper of alchol and matte medium and drip
>away, driving myself nuts, thinking that there has to be something better
>to do than this.
>
>I've tried spray bottles mixed with alcohol and matte medium and water,
>but it blows the stuff off, especially the light stuff.
>
>sugestions?
>
Don't use the 3M spray glue; its like contact cement and will be quite visible
on top of or under your foam. Try this on your flatish dirt areas (not on
the rock outcrops):
Get some flat latex wall paint. Have them mix up a nice dark color; this
needs to be "dirt" colored, preferably the same color as one of the
Woodland Scenics brown groundcover foams. Liberally paint your scenery.
For a real quick and dirty (ouch) job, add the foam while the paint is still
wet, before it skims over. Otherwise let it dry, then paint over it with
Elmers diluted 50% with water. The Elmers holds better than just the paint
and (IMO) looks better.
Anyway, add the foam groundcover *last*, pressing it into the glue or paint
a little so it soaks some up. For an out-west, lots-of-bare-dirt look,
vacuum the excess foam when dry. If you use a dustbuster, clean it out first
and you can recycle the loose stuff. For a back-east greenery-everywhere
look, use your spray bottles; the foam won't blow away so easily.
Painting first lets you get away with using less foam; you don't have to cover
every last square millimeter with foam. The main problem with this method is
matching the dirt on your rock outcroppings to the paint. Also, real dirt
varies in color somewhat; the paint does not.
doregan
Juhana Siren wrote:
>
> Hear the words of wisdom from Brian Sommers:
>
> > I like to run the trains but man I hate doing the scenery and model
> > building. The problem is I don't like to run the trains without scenery,
> > etc beacuse it looks stupid IMO. so.... I use to lay out the ground
> > cover, etc then take an eye dropper of alchol and matte medium and drip
> > away, driving myself nuts, thinking that there has to be something better
> > to do than this.
> > I've been tempted to try like 3M spray glue, or something like that?? Any
> > sugestions?
>
I've basically done the same thing to put down ground cover. However, I
use an old, round paintbrush to paint on the glue solution. Then I use a
plastic utensil like a cheese shaker to put down the ground cover. The
"shaker" can be purchased in any grocery store. It works with most fine
ground covers, but you may have to widen the holes to use coarser
material. It lets you put the cover where you want it without wasting
much, if any.
Good luck,
Dennis