Zak
A good "soil stabilizer" is portland cement. Dig up a batch of dirt, run it through a screen to sort out rocks, dirt clods and vegetation. Mix the dirt (4 parts) with the dry portland cement (1 part). Spread it out to a depth of about 1.5 ~ 2 inches. Form any terrain relief desired, gullies, streams, small rises in ground level. You WILL need to slope things around such that any rainfall will flow away from your buildings. Now gently water it down. In a few hours (overnight preferred) it will be firmed up for walking and whatever. If you later decide to plant a tree (or whatever) you will need to drill a pilot hole and then use a jig saw to cut away the section to be removed, could be done with large hammer but that makes cracks. After this fully sets up very little water will penetrate, caution must be taken to ensure water flows away from areas we don't want to have standing water.
Tom Trigg
Rex,
I still have some weathering and a car port to put in on the sheriffs side of the complex before I place the project on the layout...I have had the same problem with mud splatter in the past.... These buildings are on a 1/2 inch piece of preserved plywood...I wonder if the sand /dirt cover sprinkled next to the buildings could be mixed with some bio friendly adhesive (if there is such a thing) and prevent the splatter....:)
Regards , Zak
Keep On Railroad'n..............
Rex:
Yes I use the flat finish clearcoat from Krylon. Wax is applied with my finger stuck in an old rag. Remember the old movie Karate Kid? Wax on. Wax off. In the few places where I have been successful in growing a thick ground cover of Elfin Thyme the dirt splash is significantly reduced. Any type of ground cover will help.
Tom,
I shouldn't have stolden Zak's post with a new subject. I really do like his board walk idea plus I had the same "plan ahead" issue with the stairs. Maybe the stairs author should provide some helpful hints about rise and run...
Anyway the clearcoat finish sounds like a winner. I assume you use the flat finish type of clearcoat in the rattle can? How do you apply the automotive paste wax?
I was thinking about putting down something other than dirt for the buildings to set on that would eliminate the splash problem but haven't come up with anything yet.
Zak,
You did some great work grouping those buildings. How are they placed on your layout and how are you solving the mud splash problem?
Rex
Rex in Pinetop Zak, I like your board walk idea and plan to use it when I install by buildings in their town. One of the issues I've had over the years is mud splatter on the buildings. Clean up is required every time it rains or the sprinklers get carried away. This is going to get more painfull once lighting is installed. Any suggestions? Rex
I like your board walk idea and plan to use it when I install by buildings in their town. One of the issues I've had over the years is mud splatter on the buildings. Clean up is required every time it rains or the sprinklers get carried away. This is going to get more painfull once lighting is installed. Any suggestions?
Rex: For easy cleanup, almost self cleaning, spray a clearcoat final finish, then top with a bit of automotive paste wax. Yes the wax adds a bit of shine, but dirt transported by water (i.e. sprinklers and rain) will slide off. Drawbacks: 1) must be done at least twice a year, 2) cleanup for repainting is a bear. Advantages: 1) The life expectancy of the original paint job almost doubles, 2) the wax will extend the life of wooden buildings. Maintenance: Between wax jobs a feather duster removes any dust (and spider webs, which is my biggest problem) that has settled on the building.
Hey Rex,
Yeah.... I followed the 1/2 inch riser design in a recent GR issue and kind of ended up i the middle of the board walk....my equipment is limited so I will leave it as is for now...but I struggled with leaving it as is or using a steeper stairway....maybe I will add a short step down to ground level at the end of the boardwalk.....:) thankyou for your comments....
Regards Zak
Great idea on grouping the buildings and adding the board walk. It looks like the porch steps block the end of the board walk. Are you going to make the steps steeper or leave them as is? I have a similar issue with the steps on the ends of the Grand Hotel. There was too little space left after installing the steps and railings and my back deck is now too small.
Back to the drawing board...
Thanks Tom,
At least all the buildings should be level and square after I set them in place....
Nice bash job Zak. Very interesting adaptations.
Howdy,
I wasn't happy wth the town configuration on my layjout:
and the pharmacy was much to modern looking.
so..... I aged the pharmacy with some narrow wood strips and a shake roof. A door was cut into the second floor and a second story porch with steps leading up to Dr Pain's office was bashed in. I dabbled some rubber cement on the yellow stucko walls before spraying the building white. The white paint was then rubbed off where the rubber cement was dribbled on to try and get a chipped peeling paint look.
I decided to group the buildings close together with a board walk. I molded some foundations with some "Sculptamode" that I purchased form the local craft store.
The board walk and its porch was constructed to stand a lone so I can easily get to the interior of the buildings for lighting and such. I still have a lot of weathering to do and I will seal the whole conglomeration with matte clear spray paint when I am done.
I have yet to add a carport on the sheriffs office complete with a couple of old gas pumps.... This is a fun project using existing buildings. The weathering should be interesting, since I have never tried that before. I will post some final pictures once I get the car port finished, all weathered, and the unit set in place on my layout.
Regards,
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