Hey everyone… I’ve got a question regarding pre-scenery preparations.
My layout is built on 2" foam, and I’m using cork roadbed. I use WS’s Sub-terrain risers for all grades and raised track; the foam provides the subroadbed for everything else. I am going to be using hardshell scenery for all my mountains, with WS plaster gauze or paper towels dipped in hydrocal/structolite (haven’t decided on that yet).
Anyway… I bought a can of brown/earth-colored latex paint to seal the foam and provide a foundation from which to build up the scenery.
My question, however, is when to do this? After all of the hardshell has been built, but before laying down the cork? Pain the foam before doing the hardshell, then paint the hardshell after?
Or should I get all of the roadbed down and get the track wired, and then paint? Or am I fine gluing the cork onto a latex-painted foam base?
I also have a question on how you guys think I should go about securing the Sub-Terrain risers/grades to the foam… just a bead of glue on both sides, where they meet the foam base? or do I have to put it underneith the risers, and then put them in place? And should the hardshell go OVER the risers? And do you think I should wait until I have the scenery contours in place before I go and lay the hardshell?
Basically, I’m wondering what order I should do the following steps:
Make adjustments and run more trains/more fun/ more testing
Create cardboard scenery web
Apply hardshell scenery
Paint scenery base
I would lean towards not using the WS gauze but that’s just me. Also, look at Walmart for your paint. It’s like $8.00 a gallon. Thin it about 1:1 with water. Some paint their cork to seal it. I have painted mine just under the turnouts since the ballast will be the thinnest. That way any cork showing through looks close enough not to be noticed
The WS gauze is not as messy as the paper towel method, but is more expensive.
I used Clear Acrylic Caulk (DAP) for the glue for my roadbed. For scenery webbing I use low temp hot glue. I would also use hot glue for gluing the WS foam risers to the foam base.
Yes, painting comes after the shaping and track laying are done. One thing I would add. When you are ready to paint, do so in small sections and use the wet paint as the adhesive for your first layer of ground foam. Also, remember that ballasting comes nearly last after everything has been tested, tested and tested, so you don’t have to tear it up to fix some nearly hidden track problem.
I found plaster gauze at AC More for a lot cheaper then the WS stuff. Make sure the paint is flat. No gloss at all. Some people me included will tint the plaster mix if your dipping towels with latex paint thinned real thin. That way you don’t get the bright white if you happen to ding or plant trees in the hard shell. Make sure the track work is done for at least awhile to let the layout expand and contract at least once before major scenery work. Nothing is less satisfying as great looking scenes with derailments or poor running trains.
I covered the entire layout with the WS plaster cloth before painting and finishing. It holds the paint or stain and is easy to remove if you want to modify the section of the layout. The only exception is that I don’t put anything under the roadbed to avoid bumps and bad spots in the track.
As others have stated the obvious you want trains up and running on perfect track etc. all electrical bla bla bla scenery is the last thing you want to do. some guys say you can ballast later on but I have always gotten in the habit of ballasting right before i am ready to scenic. Some times I would put either a layer of hydrocal or sculpatamold over my plaster cloth I always color before I lay the plaster cloth or even include it in the top coat.you really don’t need a heck of a lot of paint when you it that way and as mentioned if you ever get a chip or what ever your not seeing that bright white sign saying look here!
I happen to have a pre-planned 24’x24’ around the room HO garage loft layout. My first job was to install all the ceiling, and wall electrical outlets. After insulating all the walls and the area above the suspended metal and insulation tile ceiling , (with ten double-tube shop lights for illumination). I knew what the variable heights of the top of the layout would be. I installed mu backdrop Luan all the way around, above this level. I chose the SceniKing photo scenic sequence of " harbor scenes, mountains, distant hills, farms, urban residential, commercial, and industrial. These are 7"x11’" photos, (with a fairly uniform top sky blue. I matched the paint color electronically at the paint store and purchased pre-tinted flat Latex paint for roller painting the four walls,( from the top of the line where the top of the 7" photos would be to the ceiling. I happened to have five low old four drawer dressers of nearly equal height, (from our previous antique business house buyouts). Along with 2"x4" legs, these dressers and a pull-out desk (workshop on casters) form the stable base of layout support, and handy storage and work areas. Being a dedicated garage loft model railroad area, I nail, screw, saw out, drip with paint and plaster, with wild abandon! If you plan to have curved corners to the backdrop, install a bendable material on top of the plywood layout top before any other backdrop. I personally, do not like 2" insulation as my layout top. I used 5/8" plywood, and built up Plywood arc mountains covered with heavy screening, (or lift-out Styrofoam hollow shells from packing cases, or cut out ravines with drawers screwed below. The use of Luan liftouts over holes, or pull-out drawers for large ravines or sawmill ponds, allows access to unreachable. For areas.of areas where heavy hand use I staple down screen wire on the plywood, and then use Cement Patch, to cover the areas. For little touched tree covered distant mountains, I used pre-stained Sculptmold plaster. For river bottoms and smooth hig
forced perspicacity is a hard enough thing to pull of with scenery and structures but with trans even harder looks like you nailed it pretty good though nice job
I was at the Utrecht art supply store (www.utrechtart.com) and they had a couple different brands of plaster impregnated gauze that was really cheap…
They also had this wire mesh stuff that sounded really interesting, for sculpting use. I was thinking of using that instead of cardboard, because then I can really get a better idea for what the final contours would look like, and then I can even just bend in the areas where castings will go 'n whatnot.
I painted my 2" foam with flat earth colored latex paint (get some cheap reduced price paint from WalMart). After the paint thoroughly dried, I used DAP Acrylic Latex Caulk to secure cork roadbed to the foam. One trick I found that worked well with the WS Scenic Risers was to secure them to the foam with T pins (also available at WalMart & much cheaper than at hobby shops). After laying down a bead of caulk & positioning the risers, push the T pins down at an angle through the risers and into the foam base. They can be pushed down to become nearly flush with the face of the risers.Since you’ll be using plaster cloth anyway, the pins will be covered. Good luck.