I’m starting to work out ideas in my head (scary, huh?) about finalizing my scenery. One part I’m working through is asphalt. They’ll be a few road sections and two large (4x5’) parking lots on the layout.
I was thinking, those 2 larger parking lot areas are going to be a &$@*#! to get level. But if people can pour a water feature, why can’t I pour asphalt?
Start by building “dams” out of thin strips of basswood. Then pour it with a dark grey latex paint, that’s slightly thickened with mystery ingredient X - thick yet thin enough to flow & level itself out. Or maybe a thinned down & tinted version of the various sculpting “plasters” people use for mountains, rock molds, etc.
Thoughts? Would you try that, or something similar on the same basic idea? If so, what would you use?
Personally I’d go with water putty. You can vary the mix to make it quite runny if that’s what you feel the need to do. I have used it quite runny on occasions, but not as thin as you’re talking of. It’s good stuff though, and I think it would work.
I prefer it a bit stiffer. It’s easy to level with scrapers and you can even sand it.
I’ve also found the mix stiffens up if you add acrylic paint to it [not what you’re wanting, I know]
A trucking terminal parking lot is one of the ideas that I have. I thought about using drywall mud, but I wasn’t sure about it cracking later. Having hung drywall in a previous life, I know that it’ll crack when you put it on/down too thick. I wondered if it’ll crack if you thin it out alot.
Cracking can be good, if they’re tiny cracks that are in proportion to the scale. But cracks that look like Godzilla just stomped on your layout aren’t going to look very realistic. [(-D]
It’s funny that you mentioned sanding. As I mentioned in a reply above, I did drywall work many years ago and so I’ve done enough sanding in my life, lol, which is one major reason why I wanted something that’ll flow out flat on it’s own.
Thanks for the tip about paint stiffening it up. I’ll probably use dry powder to tint it, if I use the water putty.
I did a rather large paved parking lot on my previous layout with a fairly thin mix of Hydrocal, poured into a stripwood frame, on top of a Homasote base. It leveled nicely, never cracked. I might have a pic or two to scan, will take a look.
Some of the most impressive work I’ve seen done w/ modeling roads was done using Durham’s Water Putty. The work was/ is done by Bob Grech. Many may have seen his work from the old layout or occasionally will post pics on WPF of the new ongoing one
I have used dyed Hydrocal and Unical for my roads. It’s a medium that I’m comfortable with and have worked w/ plasters for many years (for it’s “real” intended purpose. I have used water putty in the past with the same results. You do have a greater working time w/ the water putty. This is not all my work, other club members use the same methods as well. Powdered masonry dyes mixed to dry plaster will give a close color to the final dried/ cured product.
Most road surfaces are done w/ plaster, however, some bridges sidewalks etc are sheet styrene.
Ed - Did Jerry Garcia tell you what percentage of the population would be considered “Mentally Ill” ? I would be interested to know what figure of 77% we’re talking about?
First of all, a 4’ x 5’ parking lot? Yikes, that is one giant space to devote to a parking lot. But, whatever.
You should consider self-leveling acrylic which can be found in on-line art supply stores. It dries clear and transparent, but you can tint it any color you want before pouring it. It could be ideal for your project.
My vote is for drywall joint compound. That’s what I use. I buy it premixed in a bucket. I use it for scenery as well. When making roads and parking lots, if you keep it thin and pour a second layer if necessary, it shouldn’t crack. I use an angled spatula to smooth it. That’s the kind of thing that’s used to put icing on a cake. Or, looks like a mason’s trowel, but they’re too big. The ones for cakes are nice and small. No need to sand unless you get a really rough finish. Once the compound hardens, go over it with a damp sponge. It will smooth out nicely.
I also use Durhams Water Putty. It isn’t going to be truly self-leveling, but it’s easy enough to work and get flat. While it’s setting, I keep smoothing it with a wet 1-inch foam brush, another modeling tip courtesy of Bob Grech. For asphalt roads, it’s thick enough that you can build up the center a bit to form a crown and taper the edges down. I use it straight from the can, which produces a light tan surface, and then use a water-wash of gray acrylic craft paint to color it.
The surface is very hard, and resists chipping. That’s a big advantage over softer material like plasters, particularly if you don’t pre-mix in the color.
Durhams Water Putty is a hardware store product. Our local True Value store has it.
Many of the flooring “levelers” will have a bit too much grit (silica sand) to use for an acceptable road finish. You would get that same results from tile grout. The fine powery types Levelbest, etc do not like to be applied too thick w/o cracking. There are comercial and very $$$ products that I’ll use for leveling and repairing spalling concrete, but I don’t believe the bond to wood of foam would last.
Put me down for the drywall mud option. I used it because I had it and like you, I’ve worked with it enough before. I haven’t tried as large of an area as you though.
Here’s the rural highway I did earlier this year. I taped off the edges with a few layers of masking tape and ran the mud up to it. When dry I sanded the edges a little more than the middle to get a little bit of a crown and soften the transition to the shoulder. Then I painted with a diluted gray mix and weathered with chalk.
I guess I should have answered the original question too huh? I think you’d have a hard time getting a smoother, flatter surface with the pour method you’re toying with. Having the mystery ingredient flow enough would be more work with the molds and dams you’d have to build than sanding drywall or water putty. Just my uneducated opinion![:)]
I’ve always beena big fan of Woodland Scenic’s Road System. The paving tape will give you a bit more felxability than stripwood. I’ve used it successfully ofr both roads and parking lots. I have however figured out that their “Smooth It” plaster is really Plaster of Paris.
For pouring roads I found rope caulk does a good job for shaping them and keeping the poured material where you want it. This caulk is cheap and readily available.
