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Dakota, I concur with the other posts about hydrocal being very strong. I hand carved about 40 sq. feet of rocks on my last layout and I went through about four 100 lb.bags (I covered a layout 4x16 with mountains). I love hydrocal and found the whole carving thing to be very therapeutic. The stuff was so hard that when I was taking down the layout, it bogged down a sawzall. The only way to remove it was to wail with a sledge. It sets up hard enough to scrape your knuckles on it. I reccomend finding the supply house in town that services lath and plaster construction workers and remodelers. (not Home Depot) I think they use it to repair old plaster in houses built in the pre-drywall era. There is another product by the same maker called hydrostone: Avoid it. Takes longer to set up and has the wrong texture. I have several buddies who like casting plaster better than hydrocal. I personally still prefer hydrocal because it is so tough. This toughness can make things difficult because it is pretty difficult to carve or change things after the stuff has set up (unless you break it out and start over). On the positive side, think of it as building a layout that will last a looooong time.... have fun Guy
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