I'm now finishing up my foam mountains, and trying to figure out should I:
1. paint, glue landscape grass directly onto the foam?
2. Use plaster wraps on top of the foam?
Looking for any advice?
If your foam surface is finely sanded/shaped, and the layers are nearly imperceptible...the gaps between them are very fine,...you can slather on a sticky spray, a white glue mixture, or whatever you want and then cover directly with at least two colours of ground foam...and maybe some coarser stuff ove those two.
However, the foam is coloured, so you should find a mis-matched paint in the local hardware store that is available cheaply...a light tan would do, or get some latex white and add that to the tan. Make it quite light, and add a small bit of grey, too. Then add a bit of white glue, maybe 2 tbsp per 2 liters of the mixed paint, and blend it all nicely. Use a foam brush directly on the foam surfaces, and sprinkle ground foam immediately so that the paint/glue mixture holds it there before it dries very much. When it is dry, say in a full 24 hours, overspray with a white glue mixture, maybe matte medium diluted, to which you add a couple of drops of dish detergent. Let that dry. Add bushes, trees, etc.
If your gaps are obvious, use plaster cloth, layered in at least two strips crossed at 45 deg. When they dry, you could add a light layer of plaster of paris drizzled over it to make it solid and strong, but that is not usually necessary...your glue and ground foam will cover most of the little holes.
Even though it takes time, sand your foam. That way, if there are a few gaps between layers, you can fill them with much cheaper latex caulk. But you don't need the plaster so much, and if you sand the foam, your application of ground foam will look very smooth and natural, and you will save $ on the plaster cloth...not to mention time.
interfx wrote: I'm now finishing up my foam mountains, and trying to figure out should I:1. paint, glue landscape grass directly onto the foam?2. Use plaster wraps on top of the foam?Looking for any advice?
Depends upon the look you are going for and the final finish. I generally use plaster but have done it with just paint.
Engineer Jeff NS Nut Visit my layout at: http://www.thebinks.com/trains/
There are lots of options.
Just Paint it: If you have shaped and sanded your styrofoam to just the right shape, then a good covering with a LATEX (Acrylic) water based paint will give you your ground cover. Colour it to the colour of dirt you want. Paint a layer of white glue (thinned if you like) and then sprinkle on your ground cover (grass or whatever passes for ground vegitation on your layout) You can also sprinkle on sand (caution with real sand, ensure it is iron free).
Get Plastered: Well actually I prefer Polly-Filla but whatever you like to use for plaster. Plaster of Paris, joint compound, plain old plaster - they all work. I paint it on and then do more detailed shaping in the plaster, both as it goes on, and later when it is hardened when it can be carved. Then go back up to the Paint instructions. Plaster layer does not need to be thick. In places I also soaked paper towel in a soupier mix of the plaster and laid that over the foam, this can cover a multitude of errors. The paper towel can be a bother if you try and carve it later, plaster carves well - paper towel does not.
Attach Rock Castings: I made my own latex molds using Woodland Scenics Latex and some nice hunks of slate with jagged strata showing. You can buy premade molds but where is the fun in that? Anyway, these rock outcroppings can be glued right onto the mountain side. "Clamping" them in place is tricky, especially if you are dealing with an overhang or vertical cliff. I used long bamboo Shishkabob scewers to hold the molded plaster castings against the cliffs. It worked. I'm sure there are many other ways to hold your rock up. This pic is from the Mountain Making section on my website (url below).
Here's another shot before I went overboard with the dark paint washes (Note to self: Remember is is harder to get lighter than it is to get darker).
I've had good results with Gypsolite. It's a gritty plaster material. I mix in a few squirts of dark brown acrylic paint, so the plaster comes out tan with a rough texture. Then I use a greenish wash (I use a color called "Foliage" which is kind of pale olive) over some, but not all of the surface. Finally, I brush on scenic cement (1 part white glue to 3 parts water) with a paint brush, and sprinkle on turf and ground foam. I try to use multiple colors of turf, as suggested above, to get away from the "golf course" look. I like to use greens on the green painted surface, and browns on th unpainted tan gypsolite.
Think about how the natural world looks. The gullies and brown spots tend to be from erosion, so they run downhill, not across, and are more common on the steeper slopes.
I've used Gypsolite both directly over pink foam and on top of plaster cloth. I find it sticks to the plain foam much better.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Simon Modelling CB&Q and Wabash See my slowly evolving layout on my picturetrail site http://www.picturetrail.com/simontrains and our videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/MrCrispybake?feature=mhum
Dont know how many people have seen it, but on You Tube some guy made some instruction Video's on using extruded foam. Here is the link... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1D4KBB_GC4 . I found it very useful. He tells you what tools and materials he uses and what not to use.
I hope everyone finds this useful.
Big Beast wrote: Dont know how many people have seen it, but on You Tube some guy made some instruction Video's on using extruded foam. Here is the link... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1D4KBB_GC4 . I found it very useful. He tells you what tools and materials he uses and what not to use. I hope everyone finds this useful.
Amazing videos... I watched all of them, and it all make so much more sense... Thanks again for the link. This is such a great reference...
Update:
the process described in the videos works great!!!
Here's what it turned out like for those of you who had asked...
http://www.ihoff.com/projects/train/train.htm
grayfox1119 wrote:Mr. B.......do you buy the Gypsolite by the 80# bag at HD or Lowe's ?
My LHS, Maine Trains, has it in 10-pound containers. I'm on my second container now. I may need a third, or I may not. I find that a lot more convenient and easier to store.
Layout is lookin' good! You fellas are about ready to tackle a garage sized one now, aren't you?
JaRRell
jacon12 wrote: Layout is lookin' good! You fellas are about ready to tackle a garage sized one now, aren't you? JaRRell
If I could only get my wife open to the idea... I built it in 2 end modules, so I can always later build more center sections to connect... I was really surprised how easy the foam was to create. Painting was fun using $0.50 paint containers from Michaels... Really cheap, and looks good... (also must also give credit to my 2 daughters also who helped my son paint the mountain)
Have more work to do, roads & details are next.
In Lionel Strang scenery articles he first paints the styrofoam a light green color and then attaches stretched tufts of black polyfiber to the hillsides with spray adhesive. Once the polyfiber is down, he sprays the polyfiber with cheap hairspray and then sprinkles on Woodland Scenics ground cover, usually in various greens. This gives the illusion of dense hillsides without having to model individual trees. Various rock formations can also be added prior to putting down the ground cover.
Larry