How do u elevate the landscape to make hills[?][?][?]
I use insulating foam. I stack it and glue it together with Liquid Nails for Projects. One the glue is dry, I carve it with a wire brush, snap-blade utility knife. At this point you can paint it an earth color and sprinkle on some ground foam. Or, put a thin layer of plaster on it, then paint it and sprinkle on the ground foam. When I plaster it, I let the plaster dry completely, then wet it with a spray bottle with water, then sift some dried plaster over it to give it a nice “rock” texture.
thanks
Yer way welcome… [:)]
I use premixed sheet rock joint compund in lieu of plaster after the hills have been formed. Any cracks can be filled in after the first coat or really fine cracks are easily hidden with paint. The coumpund can be easily sanded once it’s dry if you want a smoother look. I also think that the joint compund is less messy in the long run.
In the past I’ve used Hydrocal, but the new layout is so big that (unless I can find Hydrocal in bulk - no luck so far) the cost would be prohibitive.
I’m strongly considering using joint compound too. I’ll probably buy the powder rather than pre-mix, so I can make it thinner for initial coats over my framework, then thicker when I want to work it.
I’ve also been recommended to try floor leveling compound from Home Depot & such. It’s said that this stuff is largely hydrocal, and available in 50 lb. bags for much less than the $$$ little milk cartons of hydrocal from hobby suppliers…
I’ll let you know how it works, but currently can’t comment from experience beyond the old-fashioned method of hydrocal over screen. That works great, in my experience. Just cost prohibitive on a large scale.
Here’s a combination of foam and plaster cloth. Dave Frary has a good book on MRR scenery (2nd edition - Kalmbach).
thanks for all the info
I’ve also used the joint compound over plaster cloth and it works like a charm there as well. The powder is cheaper, but my layout is not a big one, so I use the premixed.