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| The New Scenery Tips and Techniques |
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The book above has an article on Glue shell construction that remains a little more flexible than plaster. I’m trying to experiment with this and am having some problems. Has anyone out there tried this, other than the author. I started by using glue soaked paper towels on top of a piece of blue foam board. Getting the towels on and soaked was no problem but after three days of drying it was still too flexible and peeled right off the blue board. When I tried it again on styrafoam using cloth strips the author recommended I had a little better luck but hesitate to switch from the blue foam board to what I consider as less durable (styrafoam) underneath. So many of you talk about using the blue or pink foam board, but my attempts have been dismal failures and I’m very frustrated. Nothing drys, nothing stays together. Maybe its the glue, maybe it’s the guy using the glue. But your all so generous with ideas that I thought I’d come to the greatest resource. My original intent was to build something like the little Marklin Z scale pre made set up shown in Walthers catalog (#441-510). I started by determining my size and lay out in N scale on the kitchen table. Then moved on to the board and frame. After building it, filled nail holes, sanded, stained it and Polyurethaned it for protection. Then a short lay out base of 3/4 styrafoam inside the frame that I can cut channels into for wiring paths. Now want to top with 1/2 blue board (or pink) with sceneary constructed on top of that. Total heigh
Interesting. I dont think the Elmers is going to work for that technique. You could try wallpaper paste. Muralo Adhesium would be the brand to try. See if a local Paint or hrdware store has it. You’re in the Chicago area so you should be able to find it. Dip the paper towels or newspaper in the paste and squeeze out any excess with your fingers. What you are doing basicly is Paper Mache. It used to be popular for school projects when I was a kid. The thing to keep in mind is to not make it to goopy. Better yet if you can find wallpaper paste that is made by mixing a powder with water. Metylan wallpaper paste is a brand thats been around for awhile that is most like paper mache paste. If you have an EPCO paint store near you they carry it. I know that when I’m hanging wallpaper the trimmings that sit around all day get stiff. So no reason that paper soaked in paste wouldnt make a good scenery material. Good Luck. If you are near Glenview I can give you the paste. I’ve got gallons of it out in my shed.
I don’t have much luck with white glue and foam board either. I’ve only seen people use that method on a screen skeleton. I’ve been using 2 products that stick to foam great. Sculptimold and Claycrete. Your not going to peal THIS stuff off foam very EZ. It’s VERY hard and durable when dry. They’re made by a company called Amaco. Just Google it and you’ll find it. I’m using a bunch of it. Here’s a couple examples.
All these hills and ridges are blue foam underneith.
There is such an inexpensive powder mix called: Wheat Paste.
I have used it in the past and it is a gooper. It worked fine by molding a few layers of wheat paste soaked paper over chicken wire hills “by attaching it” to a homosote scenery base which bonded just fine.
Needless to say, foam was not available as a model railroading technique at the time.