Hi. I want to fill in an attempted “lake” in the plywood of my grandson’s layout. The lake depression is roughly 1/4" or more deep in 1/2" plywood. It didn’t work out (made some mistakes) so we made a smaller one elsewhere. I want to re-create a smooth surface upon which we will place a construction site (Walthers hi-rise under construction). Anyway, what material should I use to fill in the lake first? I imagine I want something that will not crack with temperature change, etc. It will all get covered over by buildings and final landscape. Thanks for any advice.
Welcome to the land of oops’. We all do them now and then.
I think I would suggest Sculptamold. To get a smoother surface, you may want to mix it a little on the thin side. You said you are going to cover it with buildings and other scenery, smoothness may not be of vital importance. Since you are doing a construction site, you might even want to leave some low spots where work is being done below ground.
Wish I could get my grandkids interested. Too much into thumb exercises.
Have fun,
Richard
How large an area is it, and what is under the plywood? Maybe you can make a square or rectangle out of the area, and then cut all the way through with a saber saw. Then cut another piece of full thickness plywood to the same dimension as the removed piece, place in hole, and support from underneath.
I’m with Cowman. Sculptamold is the material of choice. It will stick to just about anything, and it’s very easy to work with. If it doesn’t come out smooth enough for you, you can always sand it.
Personally, I lay it out with a palette knife (basically, a very thin spackling knife) and then, after it’s set up for a few minutes, use clay modelling tools to shape it to it’s exact future form. You can either leave it in its natural appearance, which will be slightly lumpy, or after it’s set for about 20 minutes, wet your finger in water and you can smooth it right out.
It paints best with latex or acrylic paints. Water-based washes, such as the WS earth pigments, don’t work as well because the product is much less porous than plaster.
If it’s a rather large area,cut a piece of 1/4" ply to fit. Glue/ Liquid Nail and screw it to the ply/ joist below. If the water surface is not flat enough to accept the ply, then I would go the route of cutting out and filling in w/ same as mentioned earlier. If the screws will protrude through the bottom, remove them after glue dries. (Safer working conditions under layout). The area can then be leveled w/ Sculptamold, Durabond or your choice of scenicing base.
Hi!
The idea to cut a 1/4 ply and glue/screw it in place is my first choice to fill it. However, given the probable difference in height this additional piece MIGHT cause, there is another alternative.
Cut out the lake with a sabre saw, drawing straight lines around the lake (rather than following the curves of said lake), keeping the cut out section in one piece.
Take the cut out piece and trace it on a piece of 1/2 inch ply. Cut this out, put it in the layout “hole”, and sandwich scraps of ply underneath with wood glue - screwing them into the layout until the glue dries. Any space between the patch and the layout can be filled with caulk or whatever works for you.
Last April I had my house TOTALLY replumbed and ended up with exactly 30 holes in the walls and ceilings. Using the method above (with drywall of course), our contractor fixed them all - with out a trace of where the holes were!
I’d go to a craft store and get a piece of 3/16 white foamboard. It’s cheap and can be easily cut with a sharp hobby knife. Use that as a base and apply scenic material on top of it. A layer of plaster cloth will help stuff adhere if just putting down the Sculpamold (or my favorite, Gypsolie) doesn’t hold well. Plaster cloth is also a good way to smooth the transition from existing scenery on to the board.