Hi all, and good morning. I starter building my mountains on my HO railroad yesterday, and ranout of plaster cloth, (I used 7 rolls of WS) I was wandering is there anhthing elece I could use since this could get rather expensive since I am not even 1/4 finished, and the nearest hobby shop is well over 100 miles from here. I have been ordering from Hobbylink but it takes a while for it to get here. Is there some way I could use Plaster of paris or dry wall mud? I can cet these at Wally World. Thanks & Happy railroading
Mike[:p]
W
Yes, you can use industrial paper towels and plaster of Paris. IT is a lot messier than the Woodland scenics, so cover anything that you don’t want gunk up.
Paper towels and drywall mud works too, and is also very messy.
Nick
How do I do this? Use newspaper wads, cover them with paper towles then mix the plaster with water , do I need to thin the drywall mud first? Would cloth work instead of the paper towels? Like an old T shirt or a bed sheet? Please Explane Mike
Hobby Lobby and Michaels both sell plaster cloth for quite a bit less than WS.
I did the Paper Michette way (not spelled right) It is funny but I did my previous layout mountains using flour and news paper. It was very cheap and easy. A little bit messy but not too bad. Anyone try it this way as I have?
You could try “Glueshell Scenery”, which was covered in the September 1995, p.88 issue of Model Railroader. It used sheets and white glue. I plan on testing it out on a diorama myself.
Buy a roll or two of cheesecloth at a fabric shop (likely cheaper than Home Depot and others), and stretch that over the area, supported by plastic shopping bags stuffed with lightly crumpled newspaper, or use the strips of cardboard hot-glued. Joe Fugate covers those strips with masking tape, if I recall. Then, mix a wall patch compound, maybe add some portland cement, and spread a thin layer. Once it is dry, mist it with water, and add another layer. When you are happy with what you see, move on.
I’ve heard that medical supply houses use the same stuff for making old-style plaster casts for broken arms and legs, and that it’s also a lot cheaper than WS. Haven’t personally looked for it, though.
If you use plaster you got to cover any thing you do not want messed up. And yes you can get plaster or dry wall mud from walmart.[:D]
why some of the old pros still use screen wire and plaster.
I prefer to use the new school idea of foam. Stack the foam to form profiles and then wads of paper with plaster to form the front. BTW - Home Depot and Loews is cutting out the foam and replacing it with other products.
Hardshell scenery made with paper towels (available at the supermarket or Sam’s Club) and cream-consistency plaster-of-paris (craft stores or home improvement centers,) over crumpled newspaper ‘forms,’ is quick, easy and cheap.
If built over open grid framework, pull out the newspaper (gently!) and put a work light under the hardshell. Bright spots will show up where the shell is thin, and can be reinforced with additional layers.
Since the plaster sets up quickly, pre-tear your paper towels and mix a quart or so of liquid plaster at a time. Cleanup requires only soap and water, while excess mixed plaster can be dumped into a trash-friendly container (like an empty margarine tub) and put out with the household trash.
Chuck