I'm currently making a mountain out of drywall (from the latest home projects) and foam sheets. I could use some ideas on how enhance the materials.
1) I covered the entire project with Mountain Papers. They were a pretty old product that I received as a gift. You basically wet them and shape them onto projects. I intend to add cotton balls, spray-painted and coated with Woodland Scenics grass on top of them.
2) I have a two-lane highway made out of foam wrapping around the middle of the project. I still need to add some details to it. I'm thinking about medium gray ballasting it to mimick the road effects.
3) Recently, I hot-glued and stacked drywall pieces. I placed them among the edges of the highway. Then, I covered them with plaster cloth. Any suggestions on how to paint or color them?
4) Lastly, I have a radio station sitting on the peak. It could use some lighting and details. Would it be possible to hook up an actual radio station to it?
5) At this time, I made some Woodland Scenics Hydrocal rocks. I'm figuring out how to paste them onto the project, if not plaster cloth.
I ask if you all can put your responses in excess details and descriptions. Thank you!
So far it looks like you have a general handle on things. Personaly I like modern zip texturing for basic ground cover in HO and add layers of folage etc. on to of that. You can find exact details on another site which I am proubly not alowed to mention as they are in comp with Model Railroader.
BNSFanatic 4) Lastly, I have a radio station sitting on the peak. It could use some lighting and details. Would it be possible to hook up an actual radio station to it? I ask if you all can put your responses in excess details and descriptions. Thank you!
I built a 130’ scale tower for my HO layout using N scale brass ladder stock. The N ladder is very close to 18” wide in HO which is perfect for HO. I soldered the 11” ladder stock to form a triangle tower section and soldered them end to end to form an 18” tower or 130’ HO tower.I added a couple of VHF communications antennas, painted it standard FAA colors in the FAA spec of 4 red and 3 white sections. I used a 2mm Grain of Wheat bulb on top flashed with an Arduino NANO.I have a post on my blog with the lighting details.
https://melvineperry.blogspot.com/2019/01/january-21-2019-arduino-nano-tower.htmlMel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
How I build mountains is contained in this thread:
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/273570.aspx
Mountain construction begins on page 8 or so.
With building scenery, do not worry too much about technique. If the structure is sound and well supported, only the top 1/16" really matters. No one will ever know what is underneath.
This is really like cat-skinning, there are many ways, all correct, to get it done.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Shape the sides of slopes and mountains with a carving tool, cover with spackle or plaster cloth, and then drill a bunch of randomly placed armature holes of a suitable size for trees. (Did you forget rock faces, exposed slabs?) Insert something to fill the holes, NOT the trees...yet..., and then paint the terrain a light tan/grey mix. Cover with ground foam and fix it in place with scenic cement or something like that. When it is dry, remove all those wood dowels from the armature holes (they'll be covered with ground foam) and plant the real trees there. Add bushes, some tufts, flowers....the sky's the limit.
Cardboard strips and plaster cloth is one option:
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
BNSFanatic I'm currently making a mountain out of drywall (from the latest home projects) and foam sheets. I could use some ideas on how enhance the materials.
It would help me to know where the mountain is. Eastern Mountains are little wimpy things with lots of deciduous trees. Western Mountains are all evergreen below 11,000 feet and granite rock above that. Sedona has red mountains. New Mexico has UFO landing sites. See what I mean?
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
Welcome to the forums.
Though I used extruded foam for the base of my mountains, attaching castings is similar. I iused both latex caulk and Sculptamold. can be painted and colored much the same as the plaster castings.
As well as YouTube, Woodland Scenics has some videos on moountain building. Though they use their products, other things can be substuted.
Good luck,
Richard
BNSFanatic I'm currently making a mountain out of drywall (from the latest home projects) and foam sheets. I could use some ideas on how enhance the materials. 1) I covered the entire project with Mountain Papers. They were a pretty old product that I received as a gift. You basically wet them and shape them onto projects. I intend to add cotton balls, spray-painted and coated with Woodland Scenics grass on top of them. 2) I have a two-lane highway made out of foam wrapping around the middle of the project. I still need to add some details to it. I'm thinking about medium gray ballasting it to mimick the road effects. 3) Recently, I hot-glued and stacked drywall pieces. I placed them among the edges of the highway. Then, I covered them with plaster cloth. Any suggestions on how to paint or color them?....
Sounds like a lot of work.
The main portion of my around-the-room layout is on open grid benchwork, with the track on cut-out 3/4" plywood, and supported by risers of varying height, to create grades. The towns along the tracks may be on plywood, while some structures are on their own individual plywood platforms.For scenery, both ordinary rolling countryside, and taller elevations, the gaps between towns (or structures) are usually covered with aluminum window screen, stapled to the edges of the plywood. Where necessary, either for added support or to create higher elevations, risers may be used. I sometimes use screws to secure them, but also use C-clamps, which allows the riser to be removed after the scenery surface is applied and has hardened.Here's an area that will eventually be covered mostly with trees....
The "ground" is Durabond 90, a patching plaster available in several different sizes and setting times (the "90" refers to the setting time, which, in this case, is 90 minutes. There are, I think, ones which set in 60 or 20 minutes, too....I prefer the longer setting time, as it usually leaves less waste. Durabond is also good for creating "rocks" in moulds, such as are offered by Woodland Scenics.
After the screen is stapled in place and risers added where more support might be need, I simply mix a bucket of Durabond with water, and apply it to the screen using a wide scraper/putty knife. You can contour it by sprinkling on a bit of water, and using your hand (wearing a rubber or nitrile glove), although most of what I do was with the scraper, as it's going to be covered with scenery products anyway. The Durabond will set roughly within the 90 minute setting time, regardless of how stiff or sloppy you mix it. Most of the area shown used fairly stiff applications. It it's too sloppy, it will run right through the screen as you spread it.Once it hardened, I attempted to paint it using flat interior latex house paint, in a "mud" colour. However, it proved difficult to spread, and used-up paint quickly, so I dumped some paint into a container and added about an equal amount of water, which made it very easy to apply, and it dried quickly.
This photo shows permanent risers supporting the plywood sub-roadbed on the open grid benchwork, and you can use similar ones, permanent or clamped-on, to support the screening so that it gives you the shape of the landforms you wish to create. Once the Durabond has set and cured, it's very strong, even though it's likely only 1/4" thick in most places....
...and in this view, you can see a riser supporting the plaster-on-screen terrain under the still-open side of the "mountain"...
Here, the screen was stapled to the edges of the plywood roadbed, with no risers needed, due to the short spans between tracks...
...while in places like this, permanent risers were added at the backdrop to create rising hills, with the screen again stapled to the plywood roadbed - no other risers were needed...
This bridge scene, on the grade to the partial upper level of the layout, mostly had the screen stapled to the roadbed and the edge of the benchwork, although I did place risers under the footings of the support towers...
...here's a view from the other side, looking out towards the aisle...
...and the same area with groundcover and trees added...
Perhaps another option for creating your mountain.
I also used the Durabond, atop 3/8" plywood, to create the water in rivers and streams....
Chippawa Creek in a "before" view...
...and after...
...the Maitland River, in its "before" iteration...
...and "after"...
Wayne
Like many others, I used foam for mountains. I covered with Sculpamold.
York1 John
Count me in for also seeking an answer about the geographic location of the mountains.
Instead of drywall, why not get foam insulation? It's prob easier to cut and shape than drywall. You also can glue it easily.
kasskabooseInstead of drywall, why not get foam insulation? It's prob easier to cut and shape than drywall. You also can glue it easily.
Orginal poster said left over from renovating house. I agree that foam insulation is better, but free is good.
Gluing drywall and covering with plaster wouldn't have been in my top 10 choices but plaster is plaster. You can tint it with India ink or you can use cheap craft paints from Walmart or big box hobby stores to paint it however you like.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
When mixing your plaster, etc substitute some latex paint for water in Brnown, tan grey. This will give you color all the way through the plaster. No more white chips showing as it is all colored. Works and looks great. Top off with whatever colors you need i.e. green.