As you may see by another of my postings I am working on a section of the layout with extruded foam and wasn’t too thrilled with the end or near end result. So I cleaned it all of and started over. It was fairly easy to do being as it was still fresh. I opted to cover it with plaster cloth as suggested by Mister Beasley and a few others to cover it with plaster cloth and then put a top coat. Sorry never worked with Gypsolite, maybe I have just under a different name but figured while I was in question mode what do you guys prefer to use Hydrocal or Sculptamold? I use Hydrocal lite for my rock castings and have good success with it. I also have used Sculptamold but am not thrilled with it’s lumpiness. I guess in some cases lumpy is good but not too sure if it would apply for what I’m doing.
My question is along with whats your preference as far as material goes do you have any tips or tricks, I will be the first to admit that scenery is one of my model railroad shortcomings. Maybe I’m a bit too fussy but some times I just look at stuff and say man this is junk and there’s no way you can make a silk purse out of a sows ear. (Thats the PG version of what I would normally say as per Selectors request) So if you master scenery guys have any good tips please share with a guy who is lets just say a little shy of a full load where artistic talent is concerned
I have used Strutolite which I believe is the same as gypsolite (from a different manufacturer) over plaster cloth. I use it like mortar to hold rock castings in place and even out some of the irregularities in my foam work. The advantage of Structolite is that it is much lighter weight and has a much longer working time than Hydrocal or plaster. It also has a coarse texture and is slightly gray in color.
I would say that if the hydrocal works well for you, stick with it. Out here in my area of the west, I’ve found hydrocal pretty difficult to work with in rock casting molds–it sets up far too quick in this very dry climate. Even adjusting the water/hydrocal ratio doesn’t seem to work–I either get ‘quick cement’ or ‘soup.’ Can’t seem to manage the magic ‘in-between’ of it.
I use Sculptamold. It’s slower and a little heavier than hydrocal, but it seems to work for me much better here in my climate. If you mix it according to the instructions, you are going to get a ‘lumpy’ mixture that won’t take well to castings, but works well for me if I just want to slap it on and carve my own rock indentations.
For rock casting molds, I mix it 50-50 with water, until it’s a soupy mixture, pour it into the mold and let it set up for about 20 minutes or so. Then I attach the casting to the area I want on the scenery, and hold it there for about another 5-7 minutes. It’s slow, I know, but when I peel off the casting, the plaster in the Sculptamold has settled down into the mold itself and comes out very nicely detailed. Yes, it’s a little ‘grainy’, but for the type of rock I’m casting–Sierra Nevada granite–it looks like it’s supposed to. And I’ve found that the Sculptamold will cure slowly enough that any additional carving I need to do can be done for over a period of several hours. And best of all, the Sculptamold will take stains very well for about 1-2-days after being cast.
Now I can’t recommend the Sculptamold casting technique for everyone, mind you–it depends a lot on the relative humditiy in your MR area. But for me, it’s worked extremely well. It’s just a slower process than hydrocal or plaster of Paris. But when it sets up, it is extremely sturdy.
This is a surface with foam underneath, a few small patches of plaster cloth just to smooth over abrupt slope changes, and a Gypsolite coat. The Gypsolite is gray, so I mix in some cheap brown acrylic craft paint to get the tan color. After it sets, I use a thin wash of olive green (again, cheap craft paint) in a camouflage pattern.
Then, I apply scenic materials - turf and flocking in various colors - and finally some trees, shrubbery and field grass.
i think i will be making a trip tomorrow to Lowes for some Gypsolite that is if they carry it. I bit the bullet and tried the Sculptamold on the section I was working on tonight. I was at my paint cabinet to add a little latex color and found I had numerous bottles of Tempera paint. Nothing more then powdered paint. So I added a couple of handfuls yeah I know very accurate measurement of brown Tempera to the Sculptamold and mixed it thoroughly before adding the water. The Sculptamold took the powdered paint very well leaving zero white spots remaining. I just spread it on with my hand and worked it smooth then worked it some more with a rubber spatula. I’ll give it an hour or so and go back and shape it a little more. Right now I don’t know weather it’s the beginning of a master piece or a mud slide. Maybe I’ll post some pics and leave that up to the court of popular opinion.
On my Santa Fe, I used both. Hydrocal for casting rocks, etc. and Sculptamold for earth, ground, etc. Both have their advantages. The Sculptamold needs to be worked after application for smoothness but after color, ground cover, etc. it is great.
I’m with Bob. I don’t think this is an “either / or” question.
My terrain is made of pink foam for the coarse shapes, covered with balled up newspaper and plaster cloth for the detailed terrain contours, with a thin layer of hydrocal “painted” over the top to fiill holes in the plaster cloth. I then use sculptamold to get it “just so”. I also make rock faces out of Sculptamold: slap it on, let it dry for about 10 minutes, then carve the face with a palette knife
In Phoenix, I have the same issues as Twhite due to low humidity. The stated Hydrocal working time of 5 minutes is pure myth in single digit humudity. Scultamold has more time cushion.
When using the sculptamold, I wear latex/rubber gloves and spread it with hand… After it starts to set I’ll dip my fingers in water and smooth it out to my likings… I prefer the hydrocal for moldings.
I like to use Durhams Water Putty for my roads. That also sets up too quickly for my liking, so I add some vinegar to the mix, which retards the hardening and gives me more time to work it smooth.
I’m not sure if it would slow the setting of Hydrocal, but I’d imagine it would be worth a try.
Use plain white vinegar, by the way. I couldn’t find any in the house one day, and I used red wine vinegar as a substitute. It worked fine, but my layout smelled like a salad for a week.
I use Ultracal for my railroad because it is easier to find in bulk. I think I got a 50 lb bag. I have heard that it is better for fine-detail molds but I don not know that for sure. One thing that I know is while working with hydracal and ultracal adjusting water content does not affect cure time. The more water you add just makes it weaker after it cures. Here’s a pic of the one section of railroad that is partially complete using ultracal.
