Making mountains from paper & wallpaper paste

[Anonymous]

Decades ago I had the greatest success building mountains by soaking strips of brown paper shopping bags in a bucket of wallpaper paste and draping the wet mess over a wire mesh framework of mountains and tunnels. When dry a couple days later the hardened mountains could then be landscaped. I want to make these mountains for my grandkids layout now, but cannot recall the mixture of water to the powdered paste mix. Can anyone help me?

[Anonymous]

Yeah that is a fun if messy way to make mountains. I have found I can make marvellous mountains using plaster cloth and just wadded up newspaper and have it ready for color scheming or even melding into the landscape in less than 2 hours. Try it, the plaster cloth is cheap enough ad you may find it gives you more versatility.

[detting]

One time I tried using paper towels soaked in liquid starch - same idea. Can you even buy starch anymore??

Scottydog is right - you just can't beat the plaster cloth. It is hands down the best way to make mountains.

Later...

[Anonymous]

I use shredder waste to make paper mache mountain and profile material. It works well, is light and forms a great surface for later work. I add resorsenal resin glue to the mix to make it waterproof after drying...

[Anonymous]

What is plaster cloth and where can it be purchased?

[Jetrock]

Plaster cloth is a roll of gauze impregnated with plaster--it is used to make plaster casts for broken bones. It is commonly sold in hobby shops but can also be found at bigger drugstores and medical-supply houses.

[Anonymous]

Why not just read the back of the packet of wallpaper paste? Basically all yu need is a really thick wallpaper paste.

When you mix it it will seem quite thin at first. leave it for 2 minutes so the powder can absorb the water and then stir it. It will thicken up a lot.

The plaster guaze is good but if this is for children then you want something more robust and flexible than plaster which will just break. I would go for papier mache as it is so springy and virtually child proof!

good luck, Neil

[Anonymous]

I made mountians with plaster cloth, and foam with paper mach`e over it.
I like the looks of the paper m. better because it has depth to it because you can make it smoth or bumpy whatever you want. It is also holds my many trees much better.
Good luck
Dck50

[cacole]

There are as many ways to make mountains as there are modelers. I made mine out of the styrofoam slabs that came out of computer boxes, glued together with caulking compound and then covered with an old blanket. Casting plaster was then poured or painted over the blanket until it got thick enough to withstand being poked or prodded -- then the whole thing was painted and decorated. This is a floor-to-ceiling mountain scene on the Cochise & Western Model Railroad Club's layout.

[on30francisco]

I used to make mountains and landscapes using strips of newspaper soaked in either wallpaper paste or flour mixed in water. I would layer them over crumpled-up window screen. They came out great and the price was right. I'd sometimes use industrial paper towels layered over the newspaper.