I received a sealed roll of plaster cloth from a commercial friend of mine. There are no instructions on the bag, just a logo I do not recognize.
I want to hide the straight seams in my yard area. What is the procedure? Do I wet the foam first? Do I soak the cloth in water? Things like that.
Thanks
73
Bruce in the Peg
Cut the cloth into small strips wide enough to fit the area, then dip them in a shallow pan/plastic container but don't let them soak in it, just dip in and out. Then place the wet cloth on the area you are work and smooth it out, especially at the seams where the next piece of cloth joins it. I use latex gloves as they are very thin and give great 'feel' when workng with the plaster cloth. Just smooth the plaster out so it fills in most of the cloth/gauze 'holes'. You may want to use a second layer, depending on what you are supporting it with. I use cardboard strips for most of my scenery. In the yard area I have been using Sculptamold (?) to fill in some of the 'ditches' between tracks and then covering with cinders. Hope this helps.
-Bob
Life is what happens while you are making other plans!
I used the Woodland Scenics stuff and it says to lay it so the side with the most plaster is up. This makes smoothing the plaster across the cheesecloth grid easy.
I put mine over cardboard strips mostly. I though I'd need two layers but since I added a layer of Sculptamold I don't think 2 layers is needed, unless perhaps the spacing between cardboard strips is relatively large. I don't plan on leaning on it excessively (unless I slip).
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
I have quite a lot of first hand experience, received from watching doctors putting casts on my broken ankle and arms and wrists. It's really quite simple. I don't use latex gloves, I like getting my hands right in the stuff, it washs off! I keep a warm bucket of water nearby, dip one hand in it and spread it around, just like playing in mud.
Frank
I use one of those disposable foil loaf pans for the water. That way I can dip a full width strip of the gauze in it and I can throw it out if it gets too much plaster residue in it. No more than a second or two in the water. Lay it down and smooth it lightly with your fingers to cover the holes in the gauze, but don't work it too much or you'll drive the plaster into the gauze and the holes will be more obvious. I usually use two layers to get a hard surface. Disposable rubber gloves are a good idea to keep the hands clean.
..... Bob
Beam me up, Scotty, there's no intelligent life down here. (Captain Kirk)
I reject your reality and substitute my own. (Adam Savage)
Resistance is not futile--it is voltage divided by current.
I use a pan that is used for paint when you're painting with a roller. It's nice and shallow, but about 16 inches long, and just about as wide as the plaster cloth. Perfect!
The alternative way to use it, is to cut in strips, put it where you want it, and then spray it with water from a spray bottle and smooth it out.
I apply mine both ways depending on where it is going.
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.
I always put two or three coats of watery plaster over the plaster cloth using a small paint brush. This seals and hides all the holes and seams.
I had my first experience with the stuff today. First scenery work I've done on a layout since 1996 in my early teens!
It was surprising how easy the stuff was to work with. I found that the old clamshells from the Walthers Modulars sets made a great "dish," if you cut the flap/lid/whatever off. The area I as working on is only about an inch tall, two or three inches wide, and three feet long, so I made lots of little narrow strips. I waited about six hours and it seemed all dried up, so I went ahead and slopped Sculptamold over it (also first time going there).
I cut it to shape to fit the area, then brush with a wet brush, always moving away from the center of the last piece I put into place.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
When you work with plaster cloth make sure you wear the thin latex gloves. You can buy them by the box at the drug store. If you don't use them, the plaster will suck all of the moisture out of your hands.