Well, the basement floor goes in today, the room remodel is done…and time to start planning the layout rebuild process.
My last layout was built with wire screen and plaster/cloth and cardboard materials. I used thick cardboard boxes (wine cartons) for the hollow inside of terrain, but it got kinda wobbly at points. But after the basement remodel, I find i have tons of leftover materials that might be put to good (and inexpensive use) and may be better materials.
I have a ton of extra ceiling tiles left over , and i remember seeing some article somewhere on using them for mountain strata. What is the best adhesive to use for such tiles, adhering them to wood and/or to foam? I imagine they are pretty porous. Are there any tips for how to shape them into realistic scenery? Should you lay plaster cloth over them, or could i use the leftover wall mud i have?
I also have a lot of old packing foam from appliances…does anyone have any experience in using these? Do standard foam adhesives work well with them? I was thinking about using them as a base underneath extruded foam or wire and cloth. Is this a good idea? Are there any fire dangers inherent with packing foam?
I also have a few tubes of latex liquid nails left over, and some latex caulk as well as good ole carpenters glue. I know that people use all of these often , but which would be best choice to adhere foam to wood, foam to foam, ceiling tile to foam, or cardboard to wood or foam? Is there a difference in the adhesives you would recommend? In the past I had used carpenters glue for most cardboard/wood. This new layout is my first with foam. I’m also using the WS risers, a real time-saver. Last time I tried to pitch all the inclines by hand…
So today is the first day of the rest of my MR life. :~)
Advice appreciated!
with apologies, I should have posted this here instead of on the general forum
Sha
A few years ago I used the ceiling tile method and was quite pleased with the results. Here is the process I used, hope this helps. I first cut the tiles into smaller pieces using a utility knife then stacked them and glued them with latex liquid nails. After that dried I used various knives and small saws to shape the terrain and create a rock like pattern. Once satistfied with the shape I painted all of it with an earth colored latex paint as a base coat. Then acrylics were used to color the rocks. Here is a link to a video of mine that shows trains running right by the ceiling tile hill. http://youtube.com/watch?v=ipUi9zX8zzQ
UP, that looks terrific. I’m a little concerned that without laying something over it, such as plaster cloth, it might be too “western” a look for me…I’m modeling western Virginia. But latex liquid nails worked for you as an adhesive…thanks!
A number of years ago, before the availability of extruded foam insulation board, I used broken pieces of ceiling tile to make a stratified rock face on an NTrak module. The method I used was to break ceiling tile along a relatively straight line. I then trimed the resulting pieces to approximately 1" - 2" wide so I could stack them. I stacked them in layers using Elmer’s white glue. After sufficient time for the glue to set, I brushed the broken edges with a wire brush to smooth them and to remove the fuzzy pieces sticking out from the surfaces. I then coated the surfaces with a soupy mixture of molding plaster to further smoooth the surface and make it look more like real rock. I then used thin washes of acrylic latex paints to create the desired rock color. As a final step I lightly dry-brushed the surface with white acrylic paint to produce highlights. If you want to simulate granite or limestone or other hard rock surfaces you probably should consider using rock molds.
I think the information in the reference in pcarrell’s post above is excellent.
Be sure any glue you use on extruded foam is compatible with it. Some adhesives that are solvent-based will dissolve the foam and make a real mess.
Bob
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pcarrell…that information is absolutley terrific, the tutorial is just what the doctor ordered. I immediately bookmarked it. I loved the angled strata of it.
rfinch…I think you are right about the limestone. The area I’m modeling is known for its limestone. I’m going to use rock molds along with angled, broken strata so I can use some of the ceiling tile directly too. That would be appropriate for limestone, I think.
I live in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. In our area we have a mixture of limestone of various densities and gray/brown shale. I’m assuming the area you plan to model would have a similar geology. The ceiling tile method would be perfect for the exposed shale rock faces and the rock castings would be more appropriate for the exposed limestone faces. All of the exposed limestone in our area is more chunky than strafied and has a color varying from light gray to dark bluish gray.
Hope this helps,
Bob
Bob, I was thinking of the “chunky” limestone you mentioned, gray with splashes of white. a geologist friend of mine indicated that would be right. Didn’t think about the shale, however…is it sandstone shale? Gray/brown. So the ceiling tiles would really work with that.
I’m more biologist than geologist. I’m starting to take better notice of cuts in the road. [:D]
I’ve used a fair bit of white foam packing material to form the rough shapes of landforms. It saves the costly extruded foam for where it matters. It’s messy, but the price is right. I cover it with plaster cloth then use drywall compound over that for the final shape. I think old packing material is a good thing to use wherever you need bulk that will be covered and never seen again.
Sandstone and shale are different types of rock. As I remember my geology, sandstone is formed by the compression of sand and shale is formed by the compression of mud or other fine grained sediments. Sandstone has a rougher texture like sand while shale has a smoother texture. In our area of West Virginia, the shale varies from a medium gray to medium brown color. It is smooth in texture and is slippery when it gets wet. If you live in the area that you’ll be modeling, I’d suggest that you do what you’ve started doing, i.e., look for road and railroad cuts through areas that expose the rock faces that you’ll be modeling.
In my area, an extreme example of this is at Sideling Hill cut just west of Hancock, MD where I-68 cuts through one of the ridges of the Allegheny Mts. They have a visitor’s center at the cut where you can get off I-68 and observe the geology found in the cut.
Hope this helps,
Bob
Bob, thanks…very helpful. Next time I head up 68 to go to Rocky Gap park or western maryland (BTW, some of the most beautiful countryside), I’ll take the side exit to Sideling Hill for a look-see. I got the shale idea down now too. Limestone and shale. Thanks!