The book above has an article on Glue shell construction that remains a little more flexible than plaster. I'm trying to experiment with this and am having some problems. Has anyone out there tried this, other than the author. I started by using glue soaked paper towels on top of a piece of blue foam board. Getting the towels on and soaked was no problem but after three days of drying it was still too flexible and peeled right off the blue board. When I tried it again on styrafoam using cloth strips the author recommended I had a little better luck but hesitate to switch from the blue foam board to what I consider as less durable (styrafoam) underneath. So many of you talk about using the blue or pink foam board, but my attempts have been dismal failures and I'm very frustrated. Nothing drys, nothing stays together. Maybe its the glue, maybe it's the guy using the glue. But your all so generous with ideas that I thought I'd come to the greatest resource. My original intent was to build something like the little Marklin Z scale pre made set up shown in Walthers catalog (#441-510). I started by determining my size and lay out in N scale on the kitchen table. Then moved on to the board and frame. After building it, filled nail holes, sanded, stained it and Polyurethaned it for protection. Then a short lay out base of 3/4 styrafoam inside the frame that I can cut channels into for wiring paths. Now want to top with 1/2 blue board (or pink) with sceneary constructed on top of that. Total height of lay out will be 6" or less so I can slide it under a bed for storage. 1-1/2" is taken up by the frame and foams so now that I can build up from there. But as I can't leave my railroad set up all the time (a very small house) my layout has to be very movable while not sustaining a lot of damage that requires constant maintainence. Thus my reason for wanting to try the glue shell route. Plaster cloth is just too brittle and I'd rather run trains that spend all my time fixing scenery. If you've done it and liked the results, then any suggestions as to how to make it work with the blue/pink foam would be appreciated. Please be specific. I originally thought I'd goofed by not taking the clear cover off the foam board but when I did, I got the same results. So I tried the Woodland Scenics Grass mat to start on top of blue board, just to jump start the process, but it was even worse. The non permeable backing of the grass mat against the blue board was even worse. I waited two weeks for it to dry and still it peeled off like wet wall paper. My best guess is it's the glue. Elmers just doesn't cut it for permenently adhering the grass mat, and Elmers soaked paper towels right on the blue board aren't much better. I want to get it the first layer and track down and have it stay there so I can move on to the next step. Don't have a lot time or money for trial and error so I'd prefer to get it right as soon as possible.
Thanks in advance for all your ideas and suggestions. What a great group of people in the "WGH"
Viking54 in the Chicago area.
I don't have much luck with white glue and foam board either. I've only seen people use that method on a screen skeleton. I've been using 2 products that stick to foam great. Sculptimold and Claycrete. Your not going to peal THIS stuff off foam very EZ. It's VERY hard and durable when dry. They're made by a company called Amaco. Just Google it and you'll find it. I'm using a bunch of it. Here's a couple examples.
All these hills and ridges are blue foam underneith.
pbjwilson wrote:What you are doing basicly is Paper Mache. It used to be popular for school projects when I was a kid. The thing to keep in mind is to not make it to goopy. Better yet if you can find wallpaper paste that is made by mixing a powder with water.
What you are doing basicly is Paper Mache. It used to be popular for school projects when I was a kid. The thing to keep in mind is to not make it to goopy. Better yet if you can find wallpaper paste that is made by mixing a powder with water.
There is such an inexpensive powder mix called: Wheat Paste.
I have used it in the past and it is a gooper. It worked fine by molding a few layers of wheat paste soaked paper over chicken wire hills "by attaching it" to a homosote scenery base which bonded just fine.
Needless to say, foam was not available as a model railroading technique at the time.
Conemaugh Road & Traction circa 1956