I spent the weekend carving the foam hills and ridges and a few tunnels on my layout. I used a WS hot wire which seemed to do pretty good, although I have spaces and such to fill in. I know that it’s been mentioned that using drywall mud to cover gaps small holes in the foam. Is this stuff lightweight or is there something else cheap and lightweight that I can use? Lastly, once I’m done, some mention just painting the foam with latex, others mention covering the foam entirely with plaster cloth…any suggestions, I want to keep things as light as possible. Many Thanks!!
Try RED DEVIL joint compond,It is lite and works real good,The way I check joint compond is by lifting the the container if it feels lite use it,I dont see anything wrong with painting foam,if joints are conceled(my 2-cents worth)
JIM
I thought about this and saw other posts in regards to the joint compound, does it hold up to cracking?
If the Red Devil joint compound that oleirish mentions is actually lightweight spackling compound that I am familiar with, I don’t think cracking will be an issue. This stuff dries to a somewhat flexible state. It has almost the exact consistency of the foam itself.
george
Will see if I can find a tube at Lowe’s. Thanks.
I use regular drywall mud, however it will crack if applied over 1/4" thick. Once it’s dry, it doesn’t crack with movement. There is a lightwieght version, also.
For larger cracks, I use Dap Lightweight Non-Shrink Spackle. It’s lightwieght and doesn’t crack, but a 1 quart tub costs the same as a 2 gallon bucket of drywall mud.
Nick
Paintable latex caulking will also work…John
I’ve found that using Sculptamold is the best approach in this instance. It patches, fills, and covers the foam all in one process. If colored by mixing in a little latex paint of the appropriate color, the product provides a good, basic representation of “ground” upon which to add your grass, weeds, bushes. Certainly better than separately patching, filling, or covering with white plaster cloth and then having to go back and paint over all that.
CNJ831
I’ve used different methods for scenicking. Right now, they ALL involve using foam. I’ve textured foam with a wire brush, painted with acrylic latex and sprinkled with ground foam. I’ve textuted then covered with a thin layer of plaster. I’ve made rocks with Woodland Scenic molds and casting plaster. For rock areas, I prefer to cover with a thin layer of plaster. It’s easier to stain plaster than foam, plus it’s still very lightweight.
The nice thing about painted foam, is that it’s easy to place scenic details. For fences, poles, trees, etc, I just poke a small hole in the foam and glue the detail into place with straight white glue.
To texture foam to look like sandstone (common in the southwest), just rough up the foam using horizontal strokes with a wire brush. You can paint it with light tan mixed with raw sienna. For rock walls, make grooves with a small screwdriver, making courses that look like alternating rocks or bricks. I prefer to cover with a thin layer of plaster to make staining the rock easier.
I picked up some lightweight joint compound which worked pretty darn good. I want to try the Sculptamold idea as well. Thanks!
I use the premixed all purpose joint compound from Home Depot directly on the foam. It does crack if laid on too thick, but filling in the cracks afterward is not a really big deal. I’ve also laid plaster cloth over the foam and then finished with the joint compound. Either way works.
I went with the lightweight joint compound purchased from HD, seems to work pretty good. The areas with big gaps I plan on filling with WS plaster cloth. I carved out some of the rock formations on the sides of the hills which looks pretty realistic, don’t know if I’ll need to mold many rocks to glue on since the foam carving does a pretty good job.
well what i do is use wire such as poultry wire or another kind of stiff screen, make the hill and put dry wall joint tape over it cuz it has smaller holes and then put drywall joint compound on it and let it set and do what ever you want with it.
ive got some drying right now![:D]
I use Sculptamold for all scenery, covering the foam or filling joints. I mix some acrylic craft paint [44 cents @ WalMart] into the Sculptamold when I mix it. Then when it is set enough to keep its shape, I give it a coat of acrylic varnish. Then I apply the ground cover over it.
I would suggest sculptamold or plastercloth. Although many like to use joint compound, I would leave it for drywall and backdrops. Joint compound takes too long to dry, needs to be sealed or painted water soluable, doesn’t have a great bond and can crack in the future. If you still like a drywall product use Durabond or Durham’s water putty- these are far more durable- harder to work with but much better job. I don’t even use jiont compound for DW corner beads and base coats on taping anymore. The Durabond will give a strong enough seam or corner that will take a good hit before damage.I know you’re not going to beat the scenery with a bat, but Jiont compound, in my opinion is a bad choice.
Bob K.
I have used Woodland Scenics Foam Putty in the past with good results. Problem with it is it’s price. Sure won’t crack though.