I decided to build a little diorama to try Joe Fugate’s methods. In this picture I have spline roadbed, I glued the track with gray latex caulk. I built the scenery with cardboard strips (hotglued) and 2 inch masking tape, and over that 2 layers with Joe’s vermiculite mix. I’m waiting for the vermiculite mix to dry at the moment. I think it will take a couple of days. After that I will paint it tan, weather the track and ballast it. Then it’s time to learn how to make trees and things like that. I will post another photo as soon it’s painted tan.
Nice work so far. Fun isn’t it? I am expermenting with Premixed drywall seam cement and saw dust because I have the stuff. Seems like an ok alternative.
I am trying a mixture of Pre-mixed drywall mud and latex paint. I am painting this mix on to the finished foam board (pink/blue board) scenery base. I am hoping that this mix will act as a filler to smooth out the surface where the joints in the foam are and would be a little stronger than just the plain Drywall mud.
So far it seems to be fairly sturdy but I am still experimenting with the ratio of mud to paint!
The pre mixed drywall mud comes in 5 gal pails and is ready to use and is used for covering the joints between sheets and covering the nail holes.
It is slow drying and very easy to put marks in. It also shrinks a lot so it requires a number of coats.
This is in comparison to the fast set drywall filler that is used professionally where it comes in bags and is mixed when you need it. It usually dries in 20 min or so and has very little shrinkage.
That texture looks really good. When I advised you in the past against vermiculite, I was thinking back to an old product I used that was called Moutains in Minutes which was vermiculite based. Horrible product. Joes mix looks good. I might have to try in myself.
What size verm did you use?
Thanks. I used 2 mm because I could not find any smaller vermiculite here in Sweden. Use smaller if you can find it. 3-4 parts of water works for me.
This is what Joe writes in his scenery clinic regarding the formula and size
Here’s the formula:
1 part portland cement
3 parts patching plaster
4 parts vemiculite (fine)
Make sure and use a fine gind of vermiculite (looks like coarse sand) or your scenery will be full of lumps and look more like “popcorn ceiling texture”. Here’s an internet link to fine vermiculite: http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/us/en/product/m11988/1
This is drywall mud on foam by itself (no paint till later). I shaped the basic contours in the foam–road, wash, etc., then covered with just enough drywall mud to smooth things out. Then I cut the dried mud in horizontal lines and cracked it with the eraser end of a pencil for the striated rocks.
Yes it’s safe. It has been many questions about that here on the forum. Joe Fugate explained this in a post. Search for vermiculite on the forum and see if you can find the post.
Edit: Here is the post, read the answer from Joe that begins with: Vermiculite does NOT contain asbestos.
Here is the update. I’m very pleased with the tan color. But I don’t like the texture. I’m 100% sure it is my vermiculite that is too big. It’s 2 mm. I will use 1 mm or less in my next attempt like Joe Fugate suggested in his scenery clinic.
Chip, it’s actually a good idea to add some color to any white gypsum product, be it Hydrocal, Plaster of Paris, drywall compound or Dura Bond. The idea being, if it gets nicked or chips, you don’t have stark white showing through.
I know, I know, what’s Dura Bond? Dura Bond is a different type of drywall seam filler. It comes dry, and has a specific setting time once it is mixed with water. It also resists cracking when applied thickly. It’s great for carving.
