I know all about the different ways/materials of adhering single layers of scenery material (matte medium, scenic cement, white glue/water mix, etc.). I’m getting to the point of putting down multiple layers of material, in this case ground foam. How do I secure the added-on layers? For a single layer right now (not ballast) I put the adhesive down and sprinkle foam on top of that. Hairspray? But how to control the overspray? Other ideas?
Multiple layers can be secured in the same way as that first layer. Just re-wet the first layer with “wet water” (water and a couple of drops of dish detergent or water and rubbing alcohol). You can use an eyedropper to control the “overspary”. Follow that with your dilute matte medium or dilute white glue. The “wet water” allows the glue to penetrate all of the layers and spread without beading up. You can continue to do this for quite a few layers.
Jim
Spritz on some wet water. Lay down the additional layers. Spray with wet water again. Dizzle on your favorite glue. I like 50/50 white glue/water with some alcohol added.
Nick
Spread the additional scenic material before you wet anything, just as you would when applying a first layer - wet scenic foam is very difficult to distribute evenly or with any kind of control. I prefer to do the multiple layers all at the same time, including ballasting, although in the photos below, only the area on the near side if the tracks is being done. When you do spray the area with wet water, don’t skimp on it, as I has to penetrate right down to the first layer, if not right through that. You can use a gallon of glue/water mix, but if the area has not been wetted sufficiently, the scenery won’t be fastened securely.
Wet the area thoroughly - water’s cheap and so are a few drops of dish detergent:
Apply the glue with a dropper - spraying would cover everything in the vicinity with glue:
When the whole area has been covered in glue, work on something else for a day or two (the glue mix in this photo has migrated from the high area, near the tracks, to the area to the left):
Come back and enjoy the fruits of your labour:
I even added some static grass at the same time:
Wayne
Wayne, do you find that the white glue changes the color of the ground foam? I applied some on my diorama the other day, and you can still kind of see where it was placed, as opposed to the scenic cement, for whatever reason.
I’ve not noticed any difference, although I’ve only used the white glue/water mixture. I used to use matte medium, but found it no better than white glue, performance-wise, but a lot more expensive.
As you can see, I don’t skimp on the wet water or the glue mix, but the scenery still looks “loose”. I can vacuum as needed (like when a carload of loose coal derails - not that that occurs often), [swg] and not have to re-apply the ballast or ground cover. I have some areas where the glue took a week to dry, as the scenic materials were quite deep:
Wayne
Or your layout room, which in my case is in the basement, is damp with humidity from all the recent rain we’ve been getting here in NJ the last few days. Weird thing though - I was able to vacuum up excess material on a recently worked-on spot and actually lost very little of what ground foam was glued down but is still wet. The vacuum I was using is not weak, so it’s not that. I still need to find a way to put down wet water that avoids overspray or pushing away scenery material (spray makes for overspray and eye dropper method makes for craters in the scenery material).
First off, you need a good-quality sprayer that will give you a fine mist. Obviously, remove all trains from the area, along with any details, such as vehicles or LPBs that you don’t want fastened in place. If there are structures, I like to use the scenery to hold them in place, so they stay where they are. Make sure that they’re free from dust, though: You’ll have wet water dripping from the eaves after spraying, and a dusty roof will end up blotchy looking. Otherwise, the water shouldn’t affect anything unless you have unpainted wood or cardstock structures in the vicinity. For your first spritzes from the sprayer, aim it up, away from the scenery. This way, the droplets will fall gently on the loose scenic material, disturbing little, if any, of it. When the area has been dampened, you can spray more directly at the area without blowing away the foam or ballast. Thoroughly soak the area - anything that doesn’t get wet enough will not absorb the glue/water mixture, resulting in loose scenery that won’t stand up to cleaning or even everyday use. Don’t worry if the scenery becomes flattened down by the water and water/glue mixture - it will bounce back up as it dries, and will look pretty much the same as it did when you first spread it.
I use the dropper bottle shown in the photo to apply the glue mixture: more convenient than an eyedropper, as it needs filling less often. I mix a batch of white glue and hot tap water (it seems to mix faster) about 50/50, although 40/60, either way, seems to work just as well, in a plastic bottle, so refilling the applicator is quick and easy. Keep the tip close to the scenery - don’t allow the drops to “drop” too far, as this can displace the scenic material. If this occurs, sprinkle a little more in the bare spot, spray it with some “wet” water, and continue. Don’t worry if the glue or water “pools” in the low