I read alot about sculptamold. Where do you get it and what is it? How does it differ from Lightweight Drywall mud and sawdust?? Are there other brands of the same stuff??
it’s fairly inexpensive , sets quickly , is sculptable , and doesn’t shrink . i believe it’s also fine grained so it takes detail well for rock molds etc.
drywall mud will crack , i’m not sure about sawdust , do you mean mixing the sawdust with drywall mud ? or using it by itself somehow ?
mixing, also with base paint color
Art: It’s wunnerful, wunnerful, is what it is! It’s a papier-mache-plaster mix that turns into a nice soupy mess that you can actually ‘sculpt’ for rock faces or dirt roads or just about anything. It has a very fine grainy texture when dry, so it looks like rock or dirt. It takes paint VERY well, especially washes–soaks right in. I use it for rock molds, and sometimes I just slap it on a cliff face and carve or texture it by hand. It has a working time somewhat like plaster–not as quick as Hydrocal–and as far as weight, it’s somewhere between the lightness of Hydrocal and the weight of plaster. I love the stuff, I usually get it at my LHS, or if they’re out, it’s sometimes available at Art Supply and Craft hobby stores. Get some and try it out–that spectacular canyon of yours will LOVE it!
Tom [:D][:D]
East approach to Yuba Pass–the cliff faces and rock molds are made from Sculptamold.
One of the neat things about Scupltamold is that you can work it for quite a while until it sets up.
One trick I use for really smooth surfaces is to let it partially set, then dampen my fingers and start smoothing the surface. After some practice, you can make surfaces smooth enough for roads.
Mike Tennent
I love it. It’s more like paper pulp than plaster which leaves a surface more like paper towels or tissues. Really gives a non-gloss paint look, no reflections.
Best use I know is filling a large flat area like plywood. Dump it on and smooth it out. The result will be bumpy like nature. Scrape off some to add a structure.
Or put down a base for the structure, then feather the Sculptamold up to it.
Done both.
Mike Tennent
How do you cut out a section to put a structure base in (I’m always doing this after the fact 
)? Knife? Saw? Generally with plaster I’ve always needed a saw of some kind (and new saw blades!).
Also, how does the cost compare with plaster?
Fred Wright
Can you use the Sculptamold over the Woodland Scenics plaster cloth?
Most model train stores around here carry Sculptamold. It’s around $6 for a 3-pound bag. Lighter than plaster. Fairly long working time – I imagine 8-10 minutes. I sometimes mix acrylic paint into it for ground cover beneath grass. To place a structure after it is dry, I just wet the area with soapy water, let stand a few minutes, and then cut out the area with a putty knife. Paper mache is lighter, but I’ve found it takes longer to dry and is more expensive [$22 for a 5-pound bag at Hobby Lobby]. Other sources may be less expensive. For a portable layout, it can’t be beat, though. It has about the same weight as egg carton material [the paper type, not styrafoam].