What is a good material to use when adding rolling hills around the layount? I was thinking of using screen. But my ground material falls through some of the screen. Its fairly small screen. I am tring to model the noerthern throat of the Powder River Basin and there is a lot of dirt and scoria hills, cedar trees, sage brush and some rock crops. Just tring to figure it all out without asking too many questions. I’m the type of person that don’t like to redo things, but I will if I have to : ).
Hi Nate,
Nice to meet a Fellow Wyomingite. Whereabouts do you Reside? I live in Shoshoni.
in general for adding hills to your layout there are several options available. One is mounding up balls of newspaper, then covering them with plaster soaked paper towels. Another one is to stack up layers if Styrene foam insulation board (Commonly referred to as Pink, blue, or green board) and then carved to the desired contours with knives, files, and rasps. The Third major method of making hills is to weave strips of corrigated card board back and fourth and make up the shape of your hill. (There is a good demonstration on how to do this on Dream Plan Build Vol. 1.) and then cover it with plaster soaked paper towels. You can substitute the plaster soaked paper towles with plaster cloth, but alas, I live to far from the hobby shops, and its just easier to buy Plaster of Paris and Paper towels at the local Wal-Mart.
Hope this helps. Let us know if you need more info.
James
People will tell you lots of ways of making hills so I will list some of the things to watch out not to do [:)] Hope this will help.
Don’t…
- provide anywhere for vermin to live… at least not anywhere that you can’t spray into or put traps
- bury anything you might need to maintain… even if it is on a ten year cycle… it will decide this is the tenth year just after you get done painting…
- melt cable insulation with any glue you use.
- use flamable materials without flame-retarding them if you absolutley have to use them.
- forget to cover your tracks - especially switches - if you are slopping plaster or goop about. You can garuantee that the bit you don’t cover will get splatted (guess how I know)? Cling Film is good… use the blue stuff as posted elsewhere… don’t use foil… paper may just become hardshell like the rest of the hill if you don’t notice it…
- same goes if you have a good carpet or you’re near a tub of washing… it will be something “best” on top
- burn yourself on a hot wire cutter if you use plastic foam (Sorry… but you will… guess – oh; you know that already [:(])
- Same goes for hot glue guns ([:O] OUCH)!
- get stooned on solvents
- forget that heavier than air solvent vapours fall to the floor… but can still ignite there. I had a fire-safety update in which the instructor from Kent Fire Brigade reported an incident in which a man spent all morning laying his kitchen tile floor. When he was done he sat back to admire his work, lit a cigarette and BOOM! … or maybe it was WOOF!.. I think he was saying something else as he ran out with his pants on fire…
If you burn youself with the hot wire (when) - (or any other time) - the quicker you can cool the burn the less deep it will do damage and the quicker it will heal.
If you burn one hand with hot glue don’t try to pull it off with the other… at least - not without a cloth… so have the cloth to hand… t
You can use the screen you started with, but you need put a coat or two of plaster on it to close up the holes in the screen and give it some stiffness.You can use just about any type of plaster, i.e.: patching plaster, plaster of paris etc… I would lean toward the patching plaster or spackle. Get some rubber gloves, grab a handfull of plaster and smear on a relatively thin coat (1/8"), let it dry. If you need more strength add another coat. Then paint it a ground color, after which you can add the ground foam etc.
i used screen wire with plaster cloth over it . used some spackling compound where it didnt look just right. all these ideas are good just whatever works for you. good luck i know it will look good. dave
Plaster over screening is one of the oldest scenic methods, going back at least to the 1930’s. The screening can be hard to cut (and cut you with sharp points). Easiest way is probably to use wads of paper and tape, or a criss-cross of cardboard strips about 1" wide. Both methods create something easy to modify later, as it’s pretty easy to cut thru cardboard, paper, and plaster…not so easy to cut thru the wire screening.
You don’t need a LHS! You can get plaster cloth at the drug section of Wall Mart and maybe also in Home Depot! It is worth the time it takes to ask, eh? Happy railroading, jc5729
Noted hobbyist Howard Zane uses slightly crinkled butcher paper as a base and applies white paste (for rigidity) with a brush. While the paste is drying, he sifts Woodland Scenics ground cover with portions of foam & lichen where needed.
I’ve tried this method and it’s quite easy to install many feet of scenery in a short time.
Here is something I posted on another forum:
I’ve been doing some fairly low hills and like to use crumpled newspaper “pillows” as suggested by Woodland Scenics, covered with plaster cloth and then plaster (Sculptamold for me) as needed to smooth it out or fill as needed. This is fast and easy. Here are some samples. Not yet finished and no plaster yet.
Any of the above for a base. I use a mix, stacked and carved foam, woven cardboard and screening.
Cover with a product called “structolite” or “gypsolite”. (A type of brown coat wall plaster).
It is much lighter than plaster, has a longer working time, and looks just like coarse dirt. You can mold rock outcrops and ledges into it too very easily with a putty knife. It takes dye or paint and can be drilled.
Available at most lumberyards, homecenters or Borg stores.
Many advantages over plaster, and lower cost. Try it, you’ll like it.
Good luck,
Karl