Is Durham Water Putty recommended for scenery? specifically I was thinking to use it to make roads, streets, parking lots and driveways in the houses in my scene. Also note that I am using Extruded Polystyrene Insulation (the pink stuff) and I am not sure if it will stick to it. Also I was thinking about using it to seal the seams in the insulation when I create layers for hills/mountains.
Another question: can the same be accomplished with “Plaster of Paris”? I have read where people use it butI am not sure where to buy it, at a store like Home Depot? if so, in what section?
Plaster of paris can be had a Walmart. It comes in milk carton-like boxes of about 2 litres for about US$4.00
You can use the putty as you describe, but it may shrink more than some other products. As for adhesion to the styrofoam, yes, it will make a reasonable bond, but nothing like glue. It would only detach if your inverted your layout and struck it with a 10 lb sledge.
My prefered, if more expensive method, was to use plaster cloth as a first cover or structure base, and then use hydrocal to build up the area, or flesh out cliff faces, or to adhere rock castings into place. Plaster cloth is relatively inexpensive, and a little goes a long way. I would lay a slim strip over a join or to initiate a grade, whatever. When dried, I’d spray it with water LIBERALLY so that it didn’t suck too much out of the next strip, and lay one other strip across it for strength. Once that was dried, I would paint that and sprinkly ground foam, or use hydrocal as a bonding agent for plaster of paris rocks. SPRAY WATER BEFORE YOU ADD ANY SIMILAR MATERIAL OVER A PREVIOUS LAYER OF HYDROCAL OR PLASTER, or you will not get a hard set of the binding plaster.
Actually, if you want an inexpensive product, check out Durabond. It is a fast hard setting gypsum product, mainly used for drywall applications. The name Durabond is followed by a number indicating the setting time. I know 90 and 45 are available, they may have some faster ones. I haven’t bought any in a while, but a 40 pound bag should be like under $10, and makes about 5 gallons. It is great for rock carving.
I don’t know about recommended, but I have used Durham’s Water Putty for years for my scenery with no difficulty except when I got it too thin (but you learn). A word of advice tho, sometimes the cheapest is not the best, but you shouldn’t have any problems with Durham’s.
Personally, I use heavy cardstock for streets and highways glued in place with Elmer’s Carpenter Glue (yellow glue, not white) and Durham’s for country roads and lanes.
I’ve used Durham’s Water Putty to a very limited degree. Two problems with it are that it dries to a rock hardness since it’s primary use is for filling cracks in walls, etc., and that it takes a LONG time to dry. Durham’s will crack as it dries if it is put on too thick, and so will most plasters. Drywall joint compound is a relatively cheap alternative to plaster, but it, too, will crack as it dries if applied too thick.
Durham’s Water Putty is great stuff. Unlike plaster and most other stuff, Durham’s expands as it cures. It needs to be firmly supported until completely cured. It does NOT like thin section, the thicker the better. It gives off heat as it cures, and like epoxy, the thicker it is, the faster it cures.
It was designed to fill knot holes in wood, not cracks. It is not a good material for filling small cracks.
Durabond is also great for taping seams on the backdrop. Durabond sets fast, won’t sag from large fills and has minimal shrinkage. Much better than joint compound or spackle. I use it professionally when taping drywall- can tape and block with durabond and skim coat w/ joint compound in the same day. does not sand easily, so keep it low and smooth. Use th 90 gives more working time.
Bob K.
It seems that some other options are Hydrocal and Durabond (besides Water Putty), now I can’t wait for the week-end and try them all and see which one works best - or is easier to work with.
Again, thank you for getting me started in the right direction.
The Light Hydrocal takes forever to mix, it seems, and plaster of paris about half the time. Hydrocal also sets up much faster than p of p, when they are mixed according to directions. You’ll find Hydrocal thickening within 6-8 minutes, and it hardens quickly aftewards. I only used p of p for casting rock faces, and it took over 30 minutes to harden appreciably.
G’day, Y’all,
I’ve got Durham’s all over my flat layout giving it a a contour and gets the “ground” up closer to the top of the cork roadbed which I figured I better put down for quietness but which was too high for a yard. I’d rather stuff take too long to dry rather than have it dry up in your hand.
Jock Ellis
Cumming, GA US of A
Scalecrete is a good material to use for roads, either concrete or, as in my case, for asphalt rural and town roads. It spreads rather easily, stays put, smooths easily with some practice (use a wet blade), has a long “work time”, dries very hard and has some “tooth” that makes it look like a road. I stain mine with an india ink/water mixture but it can be painted if you want. A tub of this goes a long way and has a long shelf life. Add a bit of distilled H20 if it seems to have dried out a bit and mix it in. Come see my layout and I’ll show you how good it looks
If it’s roads and parking lots you want, here’s another really cheap idea. Get yourself a hunk of ordinary roofer’s tarpaper. Cut it to the size you want and just lay it in with some white glue under it. Roll it out. I use a roller that artists use for silk screening but you might get away with a small rolling pin ( NOT one belonging to you wife! ). You can lay roads this way and make any size parking lot you want with a black surface that can then be marked or left plain. For driveways and narrower streets, I use black mastic pipe insulation, available at any plumber’s supply house. It’s actually the same stuff that’s marketed to model railroaders as " Instant Roadbed ". It needs to be rolled out but it sticks to the sub surface once it’s down. When its laid to your satisfaction, seal it with flat black latex or Woodland Senics road surface paint.
I don’t know about scenery, but you can use it for floor leveler. Let it dry overnight and then put glue and then vinyl composite tile down and walk on it. It is tuff stuff! [;)]
I have use pieces of linolium for roads and streets. Thew newer products are thin and plyable. I paint the back with grey undercoat and the a light overspray of earth color. For the lines you could mask them and then paint with your air brush or spray paint. If you have a large enough piece you can lay it over the area you want and the cut the road or street out so that you have no joints. I have asked my local carpet store to save me some scraps from jobs they are doing.
Plaster of paris is available at Menards in the paint or drywall area, it was $1.88 for a 4# box. It is softer and easier to carve or sand after it is dried.