Best Scenery Method
Frank Williamson
>
> 1. If money were no object, would you use cardboard strips or styrofoam
> to construct the basic scenic structure?
Both. I used styrofoam as the "skeleton/ribs" over my l-girder benchwork
with cardboard strips attached to it. Using a hotglue gun with this works
great, however make sure you have PLENTY of ventilation since melting
styrofoam puts out some NASTY fumes. It is not as much of a problem if you
use a low temp hot glue gun.
Cardboard strips have the advantage of making the hidden track under the
scenery more easily accessible from underneath with open benchwork.
> 2. If money were no problem, would you cover the structure using the
> paper towel and plaster approach, or would you use Rigid-Wrap?
1st Choice: Plaster-Cloth
2nd Choice: Plaster-Cloth
3rd Choice: Plaster-Cloth
I have tried both methods and plaster cloth is WELL WORTH the extra cost over
the paper towel and plaster approach, in terms of speed, cleanliness, and
results.
> 3. What's a good source for Rigid-Wrap (assuming that money _is_ a bit of
> a problem)?
I bought the Woodland Scenics plaster cloth from Micro-Mark (1-800-225-1066)
at $5.25 per roll. That's an almost 25% discount compared to retail prices.
Cheapest I have found (so far). However, if you or someone you know works
at an orthopedic clinic, they might be able to let you "borrow" some rolls of
plaster cloth. It is used to make casts to mend broken bones. Medical
plaster cloth has an expiration date, so alot of clinics just throw the stuff
away once it has expired. It'll still work for model railroads.
How much should you buy? I found that the plaster cloth works best when it's
at least 2 layers thick, as was suggested at the Woodland Scenics clinic at
the NMRA convention. This worked real well for me a couple of weeks ago when
I went thru about 13 rolls of the stuff. It's 8" wide by 5 yards long (10
sq. ft), so doing a double layer gives you about 5 square feet.
> Thanks!
>
> - Evan Smouse
Sure thing......
> BTW - If money is no problem, would you be willing to fund my railroad
> <G>?
Sure, after I fund mine.......
Frank W.
--
> If it ain't fixed, don't broke it!
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__/__/__/ __/ __/ Frank Williamson | \\ // 1967 Beetle
__/ __/ __/ EMS Services | \\// &
__/__/ __/ __/ __/ Southern Company Services | \\ \/ // 1973 Karmann
__/ __/__/ __/__/ Birmingham, AL | \\//\\// Ghia
__/ __/ __/ Frank.Wi...@emss.com | \/ \/ Cabriolet
Brian Maytum
use them. Pick one and go with it and you'll figure out what you
need. 2)Best for what? Foam, being flat works well for flat areas
and requires work to build it up for vertical relief. Card
board strips work well for most types of scenery. 3) My personal
favoite is balled up newspaper held down by tape and covered with
plaster-soaked towels. It is very quick, cheap, and works well
for mountains. More difficult for flatter areas and generally
harder to accurately control the scenic profile. 4) What are you
putting on top of the base? If you are using rocks, foam lends
itself to carving for those with that bent, rock castings are a
natural for a plaster base. 5) what about weight? foam is light
and rugged. plaster is heavy and cracks when abused. 6) How do
you like to work? Foam is mainly cutting, sanding, taking away
material while plaster is a building-up process. I find foam
slower but more controlled.
I hope these thoughts are useful...HAVE FUN!!
Brian
2
David_Gibbons
use is cost is not a concern. 3M company makes a spray adhesive, type 77.
Use it to glue down the foam and layer it as deep as you need. A sharp
carving knife lubricated with paraffin will allow you to carve very
cleanly. A jigsay with a toothless "knife" blade will cut the shhet foam
to shape very cleanly. A curved face sureform tool will do a good job of
intermediate shaping. Medium grit sandpaper will give a final smooth
finish, ready for painting for latex. Sprinkle fine dirt or Woodland
scenics products on the wetpaint and your basic scenery is done.
The Sonoma County Model Railroad Society has done several small raffle
layouts with this technique, and have really enjoyed it.
Good luck!
evans
challenge. I expect to spend an Oregon winter transforming our open
bench plywood look into a respectible layout.
Here are three questions:
1. If money were no object, would you use cardboard strips or styrofoam
to construct the basic scenic structure?
2. If money were no problem, would you cover the structure using the
paper towel and plaster approach, or would you use Rigid-Wrap?
3. What's a good source for Rigid-Wrap (assuming that money _is_ a bit of
a problem)?
Thanks!
- Evan Smouse
Nathanael W Berry
writes:
>I can speak to #1: The blue extruded styrofoam sheets are wonderful to
>use is cost is not a concern.
In my neck of the woods, a 2ft x 8ft (2in) sheet runs $5-6. While
this costs a little more, time savings are ENORMOUS. You can make the
material go further by creating hollow mountains - fill the hollows
with all those foam packing peanuts (have you been looking for a use
for those?) to stabilize the styro sheets while the glue dries.
Nate
Bill Mcmillan
Even though they only sell "wholesale" I found one which will sell
directly to me as a "cash sale" (that doesn't necessarily mean green
stuff-my source accepts my check). The cose is about 60-75% of what you
pay in a hobby shop. You do have to buy a case which is 12 rolls (either
4' or 6" wide). You are going to need that much for a layout of any size.
Incidentally, I put mine over 1" chicken wire or screen wire vice
cardboard strips. Either method is fine.
Bill