Geared Steam Hi Gary You can always cheat, " src="http://cs.trains.com/emoticons/icon_smile_whistling.gif" mce_src="http://cs.trains.com/emoticons/icon_smile_whistling.gif"> although they are pricey. I have the Santa Fe, I didn't realize that they come pre-colored/ weathered, it looks really great. http://www.cripplebush.net/pages/santafecanyon1detail1.htm But viewing the smaller rocks that you have already done, I think they look great. Take the plunge and go for it. Make a bunch out of the WS molds, place them on the layout, when your satisfied, glue them into place, cover the seams between the rocks with some Joe Fugate plaster or WS plaster. GS
Hi Gary
You can always cheat, " src="http://cs.trains.com/emoticons/icon_smile_whistling.gif" mce_src="http://cs.trains.com/emoticons/icon_smile_whistling.gif"> although they are pricey. I have the Santa Fe, I didn't realize that they come pre-colored/ weathered, it looks really great.
http://www.cripplebush.net/pages/santafecanyon1detail1.htm
But viewing the smaller rocks that you have already done, I think they look great. Take the plunge and go for it. Make a bunch out of the WS molds, place them on the layout, when your satisfied, glue them into place, cover the seams between the rocks with some Joe Fugate plaster or WS plaster.
GS
I have never seen this product before but if your building mtn. faces this sounds like and looks like your answer ! I would deffinately try them...
Thankyou very much for all your replys guys, its much appreciated.
At the moment, im still working on the removable piece. Il post a couple 'a pics when ive done it.
Bill, I just had to keep tryin!
reklein Gary,great rock modeling. You're a perfect example of what a person can do if he tears out what doesn't satisfy him and keeps trying to get it right. You gained experience with each try and now you're palying a recognizable tune. BILL
Gary,great rock modeling. You're a perfect example of what a person can do if he tears out what doesn't satisfy him and keeps trying to get it right. You gained experience with each try and now you're palying a recognizable tune. BILL
Hi Gary, I thank you for your posts I have enjoyed them so much... Great reading!. I was wondering in your rock molds if you pre prep'd the latex mold before you pour the plaster? I am just about to try my first attempts at pouring of some molds I bought at the train show last year. Aside from possibly damaging the latex mold, I was more concerned with the detail of the mold possibly being lost or possibly the plaster being caught and stuck in the mold. I am using hydrocal.
Also, I have read somewhere.. that one should make a 'Master Mold' with hydrocal.... of the latex mold.. as a back up. I thought that should be mentioned since the topic of rock making with plaster/hydrocal via latex molds. I thank you for your reply ahead of time.
Blazzin
twhite Don: Were we at the same train show, buddy? That looks like one of the 2 large--I mean LARGE!-- molds I bought from Bragdon. I was at the Roseville Train Show in November, looking over some of their new castings, when he asked me what I was modeling. I told him the Sierra Buttes. He grinned and pulled out two, said, "Here they are. Brand new." Now I can't WAIT to to finish them this summer.
Don: Were we at the same train show, buddy? That looks like one of the 2 large--I mean LARGE!-- molds I bought from Bragdon. I was at the Roseville Train Show in November, looking over some of their new castings, when he asked me what I was modeling. I told him the Sierra Buttes. He grinned and pulled out two, said, "Here they are. Brand new." Now I can't WAIT to to finish them this summer.
Tom,
Sorry to disappoint you, but I wasn't at that show. I ordered those molds from Bragdon last year. They are molds #85 and 87. I'm hoping to create a spot on my layout to showcase the castings.
Don Z.
Research; it's not just for geeks.
Just got back to this thread after being off for a while with a computer problem. Any of you have a computer that's a 'lemon?' I've got a GRAPEFRUIT!
Gary: WOW!!! Those are just GORGEOUS! Keep it up. I'm really impressed
Glenn: If you're talking about the Aspen tree in my photo, I hate to tell you but they're bought, and they're kinda-sorta expensive if you're thinking of using them in the hundreds. But I think they're made out of a natural material (not really processed). I have to pick up a few more in the next month or two, I'll check with my LHS and see if he knows exactly what plant is used for them. The company is local out here in Cal (wish I could tell you their name, but I discarded the packaging), so maybe I can get the information for you. If I can, I'll PM you. If I remember correctly, they come about 3 or 4 to a pack, but they're about $7 per pack, which can get pretty expensive. That's why I only use them sparingly for contrast.
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
Driving along the interstate last weekend I looked at all the different rock faces I was passing. Here in New England you can hardly go wrong. There were all sorts of textures, layers to chunks, and colors, greys from almost white to nearly black, browns and some places there was a layer or chunk of white quartz. Where the water had brought chemicals out from beneath there was another variety of colors.
I know some parts of the country don't have the variation, but madeling this area, you can hardly go wrong.
I think I like the Hack and Whack discription, maybe it's what I need to get me moving along (of course the time to do it would help too).
Good luck,
I ran into the same situation on a fairly large cut for the club layout. Although I have blended like molds for their matching strata on some smaller spots, this long cut required something more on the line of arthill's work. Being that it is a club enviorment, I didn't want to use cut foam. The Cripplebush rubber rocks were the best alternative in my case. These are fairly pricey and you may consider an alternative.
This cut is about 12' long and 18" high.
These are the SantaFe 1 and 3
The area has since been finished, no pics yet. Those brown plaster castings were redone w/ the rubber rocks. They were hot glued to plywood with occational chunks of foam to allow some extra detail. The rubber rock will comform to almost any shape of substrate. The individual molds are designed to miter, however carefull layout and ragged matched cutting produces a seam that is almost invisable. Actually some of the hot glue showed at a couple seams and was left to resemble water running the crevases in the rock (joint)
This is the blended mold area, didn't mind the effect of those individual placed castings, futher scenery/ greenery about the rock will hide many of the seams.
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
Holy smokes!!!!!!! The image with the grey rock face, taken obliquely from its left, with the light cream and tan tops towards the upper part of the face is truly marvellous!
-Crandell
Umm...like...WOW! That looks awsome.
Nick
Take a Ride on the Reading with the: Reading Company Technical & Historical Society http://www.readingrailroad.org/
Gary UKIve now skipped a couple of days after the 'soot' stage, soaking, drying and colouring.Some scenery materials have now been added. I also got rid of those nasty Woodland Scenics 'realistic tree kits', there OK but not for me Im afraid.
Gary,
Very, very nice! Quite an improvement over the original area..... I really like the blending of the rockwork to the terrain as well as the coloring of the rocks. You've done a job to be proud of!
A large amount of progress since the my last post on my first properly completed rock face. Ive added more texture and colur to this scene, something that Ive learnt is key to good scenery building. I dont in any way profess to be an expert at this stuff. Theres been many hours of frustration along the way for me here aswell as lots of wasted material. Take a look at the first failure. Ive gathered many pictures of rocks and rock faces in general over the last couple of years but it seldom gets any easier until lately perhaps. Give me a brass loco kit to build and paint, no problem. When it comes to this, I struggle.Anyway, this is how it looked 12 months ago.I wasnt happy!This is what it looks like now. (please excuse the masking paper!)Theres still abit more vegetation to add but its nearly there. I removed the tunnel mouth retaining walls in the end.Looking from the other side before the trees were added.Im still pondering wether to use these trees or seamoss trees.This last picture shows some Woodland scenics polyfibre, its an excellant product that you can add a green blend fine grade foam, fixed with hair spray to add a good, dense medium ground cover.
The following area has been a thorn in my side for the best part of 3 years. After 2 false starts, its now looking something like it.This is how this area started out after 10 minites with the wall board saw. Before I cut it, I'd had a disaster with some Sculptamold, the less said about that little excursion the better :oops: The next shot shows the basic rock face in situ. By this stage its also had a coat of Gesso.Ive now skipped a couple of days after the 'soot' stage, soaking, drying and colouring.Some scenery materials have now been added. I also got rid of those nasty Woodland Scenics 'realistic tree kits', there OK but not for me Im afraid.The pines you see here, Ive made myself. Im sure they look better than the WS lodge poles.Whilst I was at it, I gave the area around the tunnel a refresh and alot more texture.Thats basicly it for that bit but if theres one thing I do want, its trees, lots of em!I can make some myself but I find the process tedious. Ive also got a fair few Seamoss/Super trees to prepare, Im quite looking forward to doing those as soon as I get some more materials.The next piece I'm currently working on is this-I decided to make this part removable as theres a crossover under the masking tape to the right of the boxcar. The boxcar is there for abit of scale. Its tricky, but I'm getting there. This will be the first time Ive tackled making a removable section that obviously has to be hollow!
Don,
Your molds are similar to our large one. I never thought of trying something besides the geodesic foam. Thanks for the idea.
Sue
Anything is possible if you do not know what you are talking about.
Where did you or what did you use to make your aspen trees with? They are more realistic than the ones that I have found or tried to build.... It would be a great help to know how to build them as I have a few hundred to make.
Thanks
Glen
I'm glad to hear you're going to use the Bragdon molds. I think they're one of the best products available for rock casting! Here are a couple of photos of plaster castings I made from 2 different Bragdon molds...both are shear granite walls with plenty of fractures and crevices. I used White Art Plaster to cast these molds.
My . I think they look great. The only thing I would change is you have too much vertical distress in the rocks. Rock formations usually form in horizontal layers.
twhite Gary--I like it. As a couple of other posters said, maybe just some highlighting and a little more vegetation. But it sure looks good to me. Those Bragdon molds are terrific--I picked up a couple of more big ones at the Roseville train show in November, and this spring when I set to my Buttes again, I'll be using them. I thought about using their geodesic foam, but unfortunately I have a lung problem and even Joel said I'd be better off sticking with the Sculptamold. But that foam really turns out some terrific rock faces, as you can see in Sue's photos. But that looks GOOD! Tom
Gary--I like it. As a couple of other posters said, maybe just some highlighting and a little more vegetation. But it sure looks good to me.
Those Bragdon molds are terrific--I picked up a couple of more big ones at the Roseville train show in November, and this spring when I set to my Buttes again, I'll be using them. I thought about using their geodesic foam, but unfortunately I have a lung problem and even Joel said I'd be better off sticking with the Sculptamold. But that foam really turns out some terrific rock faces, as you can see in Sue's photos.
But that looks GOOD!
Yeah, Joel is a realy helpfull guy. He's even managed to narrow the choice of molds down for me which was a great help. Im looking forward to trying them out with the sculptamold. Its gota be better than my first effort on that big piece i stripped out.
Thanks Tom
ARTHILL I agree with you. It looks pretty good, but not quite perfect. I do now know what material you used. A lot more greenery will help as has been suggested. The other thing for me is that face seems too flat and the grooves or crevaces are too neatly crisscrossed. If is is foam, I would just cut a couple of larger revines in it, mix up the starta lines a little and repaint it. The white highlights are very good to my eye.
I agree with you. It looks pretty good, but not quite perfect. I do now know what material you used. A lot more greenery will help as has been suggested.
The other thing for me is that face seems too flat and the grooves or crevaces are too neatly crisscrossed. If is is foam, I would just cut a couple of larger revines in it, mix up the starta lines a little and repaint it. The white highlights are very good to my eye.
Thanks for the replys guys. I done this with Sculptamold, Art'. Now you guys have pointed these things out, i can now see the flaws in it! I may try and distress the surface abit more, maybe abit difficult now with this stuff, failing that, il try more vegetation. The big rock face earlier in this thread is now completely stripped out, i gave up as it looked just like a bumpy mass of Sculptamold. I guess you can either do this stuff or you cant!
I had a good talk with Joel Bragdon about his molds, for the big rock face, il use his molds instead for that one.
Looks great. I might suggest adding some ground stuff build up maybe some old trees that have fallen doen and is laying in the crevices, build up of ws polyfiber with weeds and stuff as a topping.
Kinda like this mess
Lynn
Present Layout progress
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/p/290127/3372174.aspx#3372174
Ok, this is where im at now. The scene that ive finished used to look like this-
It now looks like this-
It looks ok but im not 100% happy. Something is wrong with it but i cant see what
Maybe its the colors or something. It looks better in that picture than it does in the flesh
Any idea's guys?
Anyway, just for fun, thought i'd post this-
Atleast thats one area thats going ok is running trains.....
I didnt use molds on that piece bud. I simply made a former out of some plaster bandage and screen netting and slopped on the sculptamold, followed by some "ruffing up" with a blade. when it was all but dry i gave it all a going over with a stiff brush, bit like a scrubbing brush to further distress the surface. I used a photo but i find you gota use your imagination aswel.
Im still waiting for it all to fully harden before i stain it with dilluted washes. It wont take it to good yet, as its still quite damp. When ive stained it, il post some more pictures.
Gary, what molds did you use for the pictures you posted where you took a hammer to the old section?
I used Bragdon molds and the geodesic foam. The nice thing about the foam is that it can be reheated with a hairdryer if you don't like the shape. Joel has a great selection of latex molds.
This uses 3 different molds. I bought 1 large mold and 2 small molds
The great thing about the foam is cutting with craft scissors and attaching with a hot glue gun. If you have a hole, you soften and stuff a piece of rock in the hole. Check it out at www.bragdonent.com . If you have questions, Joel is quick to return E-mails.
Looks good Gary, once you put some color to it it'll pop.
1train1 I don't know what you are complaining about, but the rock (even in white) looks great. Once it's coloured and foilage clumps, errrant grasses and some rock talus are added - you'll have a winner !
I don't know what you are complaining about, but the rock (even in white) looks great.
Once it's coloured and foilage clumps, errrant grasses and some rock talus are added - you'll have a winner !