I am working on an outside road materials storage area. The area holds stuff like gravel, sand, broken up asphalt which is tended by a front loader. The mounds of materials are no problem I will just make styrofoam bumps and use appropriate ground cover on them. The problem is the base to put them on. Normally for a starting scenic layer I would pour a thin layer of plaster and mold it into the patterns I wanted as it dried, in this case that would be tire tracks and scoop marks. The problem is that this is on a modular layout where weight is a bad thing. If I do this and other areas with plaster I could add 5-10 lbs. of weight. Does anyone know of a scenery base material that is light weight, that can be worked in a similar manner?
I’ve thought of just mixing crushed styrofoam into the plaster to try to get a greater volume with the same amount of plaster. Anyone tried that?
How big an area and how thick is this plaster any how to add five pounds? I’d use either a foam sheet, from which you could add some digout scrapes or a cieling tile and add a thin layer of joint compound fromwhen it starts to set, add tire marks and scrapes. If plaster is your only option, try adding some saw dust for volume.
Go to a craft store, you can get lightweight styrofoam in many shapes - balls, cones, cylinders. Pick somethign that looks good - probaly a ball cut in half as the starting point. gouge it out and shape it a bit since a pile of material doesn’t make a nice ice cream cone shape. Paint it flat black or a color matched to t he materials, and put a thin layer of the material around the shape. Lightweight and you save on ‘wasting’ scenery materials making a big pile.
How about papier mache? It’s lightweight and a thin shell is quite strong. It can be painted and waterproofed. Just Google “papier mache”–there’s hundreds of articles on how to make it and how to use it. They’re mostly for crafts, but you’ll get all the information you’ll need.
Excellent idea, but I’m way ahead of you on that one. I’ve already done those using that technique. That is why I stated the “mounds” of materials weren’t an issue.
I used to use paper mache as the scenery base, but never for the finishing surface, does the past hold images for things like tire tracks. I suppose I can give it a try.
No I haven’t. I was running to Michael’s anyway today I’ll pick some up and see how it works.
Structolyte or gypsolite. Lighter than plaster, longer open time, east to sculpt, takes coloration, cheap by the 25 pound bag. It is used as a “brown” or first coat on plaster walls. Has a nice texture too.
Woodland Scenics Foam Putty. It reminds you of a thick cake frosting when it goes down. When it dries it has the same properties as the extruded foam. Very lightweight. I used that to coat my entire N-trak module. did not add much weight at all. I have a rather large mountain on my layout. When you put it down, it dries in about 15-20 minutes, so it has some time to work with it. should be able to put any tire marks/ scoop marks in it before it dries. It takes paint great.