Beverly's and Chris's Slab Door Layout

Dudes! You hijacked my thread

No worries. It gave me the chance to rename the thread and to let you know the link in my signature now works

Google search of "Marienbrücke" gave up these links:

- Neuschwanstein Castle and surrounding area photos

- Queen Mary's Bridge 360 Degree views showing Neuschwanstein Castle

- Flickr 51 photos of Neuschwanstein Castle and German town scenes

- Artist's rendering of the Castle and surrounding area

- excellent photos of the Castle and area

I hope to add more links to this thread as I find them.

... last off-subject mail within this thread

Michael, thanks for the link of the Viessmann undertable drive.
I tried to find out about it, but all g**gle shows is hits of people complaining since 2006 or so about Viessmann not coming forth with this new product. It seems they encounter probs with the reliability. The official website shows "new product, not in stock" ...
(www.viessmann-modell.com/en/produkte/elektr.php?typ=antrieb&gr_nr=7&sprache_nr=2)

I looked further and found this site:
users.skynet.be/pro-rail/ukcafam0.htm
about slow actuators made with memory wire. I ordered their trial kit. Will let you know if I can make it work in Z.

Sorry Beverly , we zapped from your layout to a different subject. Further mail on this subject will be in an new thread.

back to Beverly....

Matt

Matt,

Glad you guys had the chance to talk about your subject here No harm done

Just a quick note to let folks know that my track, inclines and other Z goodies are now on their way Should be here in a few days, or early next week. I almost can't imagine what it's going to be like having real track to arrange and re-arrange. I'm going to have so much fun!

I'll post photos of my progress

The last few days have been devoted to getting ready to work on the layout while the track and other Z goodies are in transit.

700 Heki trees are now being modified. Modification means that:

- I'm rubbing off the paint that's currently on the trees so I can re-colour them
- the trunks are being trimmed so they can be placed on the layout easier
- each tree is given a quick trim to make the foliage less dense

I'm testing CelluClay, a product that is similar to another paper-based material suggested by someone on this board (if memory serves me, I think it was Loren). Two tests have been conducted so far:


A round piece of blue insulation foam left over from another project was carved and CelluClay was smoothed over the carved area. The CelluClay was then sculpted and carved with various wooded tools normally used for sculpting artist's clay To keep the CelluClay moist during the carving process, small amounts of water was added. The results were unsatisfactory because when the CelluClay dried it contracted and therefore distorted the flat shape of the foam.


This is my second stab at using CelluClay and for testing the use of Lepage's wood glue to hold the layers of foam. The photo shows the CelluClay shortly after it was applied to the foam. While the glue took 24 hours to fully set and cure, I find that it holds the foam layers very well. The knife shown in the photo is what I used to carve the foam. A utility knife is not stiff enough to get the details in the foam that I wanted. The CelluClay in this experiment was mixed as follows:

- two parts grey CelluClay (about a 1/2 cup)
- one part white CelluClay (about a 1/4 cup)
- one tablespoon of brown latex paint (used to both colour and hopefully help reduce contraction)
- enough water to make the CelluClay doughy (I believe I may have added too much water and the clay was somewhat sticky, though the paint may have added to the stickiness)
mixed the mixture first with a spoon, then with my hands to evenly distribute the paint throughout the mixture
- this CelluClay mixture was glopped onto the foam with my hands, but it kept sticking to my fingers
- a piece of aluminum foil was then used to press the CelluClay into place and to add texture
- drying time for the CelluClay should be about 24 to 36 hours and we'll see then how much it contracts and what colour it becomes

Beverly, you may want to give Sculptamold a try. It has similar characteristics to CelluClay, but it doesn't shrink as much.

You can make some nice realistic rock effects with it:

David,

Yes, Sculptamold was the product suggested, though it isn't readily available up here. I was able to buy CelluClay at a very reasonable price 15 minutes away from home, so I bought quite a bit of it last year. I'll experiment with it until I find a suitable mix. The instructions say it can be mixed with dry plaster, so I might give that a try if I can't whip up something with materials I have on hand. Though you can't see it very well in the photo, using aluminum foil gives very nice rock effects, and that's another thing I'll be experimenting with

Bev,

You are exactly right. We have used it on our table and it is great. Just used a measure of water with no plaster just had to give it about 8 to 10 hrs to really dry. It is very moldable and I'll have pictures posted tomorrow.

Beverly56 wrote:

David,

Yes, Sculptamold was the product suggested, though it isn't readily available up here. I was able to buy CelluClay at a very reasonable price 15 minutes away from home, so I bought quite a bit of it last year. I'll experiment with it until I find a suitable mix. The instructions say it can be mixed with dry plaster, so I might give that a try if I can't whip up something with materials I have on hand. Though you can't see it very well in the photo, using aluminum foil gives very nice rock effects, and that's another thing I'll be experimenting with

Bev, really, listen to Dave....Sculptamold is superior in working characteristics than the Celluclay. I use it over plaster cloth, foam, painted wood, anything actually.

You want Sculptamold? I can send you a package of it for cost plus S&H. Try it, you won't be disappointed. It has my 5 star rating......if that means anything:laugh:

Loren

Eric,

Looking forward to your photos and whatever else you have to say about the subject



Loren,

For now, I'll keep tinkering, but will keep your offer in mind. Thanks

Bev,

They are up for you to look at.

Beverly, are you sure that the warp is from the celluclay you added and not just from cutting away a piece of the foam? I'm wondering about it because I bought some of those polystyrene panels this weekend (for insulation, not modelling) and they seem to have some inbuild stress. Probably from manufacturing as they are extruded. I can imagine that it wraps if you cut out an assymetric chunk.

David,

Can you please explain how you created the rocky texture?



Eric,

Thanks for all the photos!


Questions:

- what was the consistency of the CelluClay when you applied it to the layout? For example, was it slightly watery, kind of mushy, or somewhat stiff?

- how thick did you put it on?

- what kind of tool(s) did you use to put it on with?

- what tips do you have for mixing it an applying it?


My observations with it are:

- don't put it on too thick. 1/4" thick, or less, is enough. If it's too thick, it takes forever to dry and it cracks if applied too thick.

- break up the little CelluClay clumps before adding water.

- don't make too much at one time to make it easier to mix.

- use your hands for just about every part to the mixing stage.



Johan,

I suppose the foam might have warped when I scuplted it. I don't recall what it looked like at that point.




Chris made four 10" x 10" mini wood bases using the same construction method used on base of our layout. I'm going to use these for testing various things, such as making water features (when I get that far), testing various CelluClay mixtures, and experimenting with surface treatments that simulate mountains, rock, fields, country roads, and cobblestone town roads. I'll post photos of my results as they become available.

It was kind of mushy and we used the rock forms from Woodland Sceneics, we let them dry over night to let them solidify. The rest was just applied over old towels that we formed for the based of hills and also used some stiff thin cardboard.

Beverly56 wrote:

David,

Can you please explain how you created the rocky texture?

First, I always tint the Sculptamold with brown and/or black powdered dyes, sometimes with some cheap acrylic paint thrown in. This prevents bright spots from showing through the scenery, or from white flecks appearing if the surface is nicked or damaged. Usually it dries to a nice light earth color that often needs no painting for areas of plain dirt; this same pale color makes a good base for rockwork.

After applying about a half-inch or so of Sculptamold to the subsurface (layers of Foamcore laminated together) and roughing out the terrain contour, I allowed it to just begin to set, at which point I started pressing a rubber spatula into it repeatedly, all the while holding the spatula at the same angle. Then I jabbed it lightly with the spatula turned 90 degrees to break up the striations here and there into rough, rocky chunks. I usually work very fast, as speed tends to make more natural variations than trying to plan and control the shape every facet of a rock face.

For finishing, I first brush on some cheap off-white latex paint thinned with water about 50-50. Then, after wetting it with some rubbing alcohol, I brush on some India ink wash, followed by some Rustall dribbled on here and there.

The rockwork in the photo is not what I consider "foreground" material; it's roughed-in for a background area, and will be mostly covered with vegetation by the time the area is finished. But with a little extra care, the same techniques can be used for foreground rock.

By the way, you can pile on over an inch of the stuff and it never cracks or shrinks. It just takes longer to dry. Typically a thin layer dries overnight; thicker areas may take a couple of days. This bit of rockwork (just to the lower right of the tapered stone wall) is a solid blob of Sculptamold that varies from a half inch to over an inch thick.



To the right of that same area, a few months earlier, you can see how I'm building up the terrain with solid blobs of Sculptmold shaped while wet with a small spatula and a screwdriver. It was faster and easier than trying to build any kind of filler or support.



Except for cast rockwork, where I'll use Hydrocal in rubber molds, Sculptmold is the only scenery material I use. I've been using it since the early 80s and have never found anything better.

David K. Smith wrote:

Beverly56 wrote:

David,

Quote.....
First, I always tint the Sculptamold with brown and/or black powdered dyes, sometimes with some cheap acrylic paint thrown in. This prevents bright spots from showing through the scenery, or from white flecks appearing if the surface is nicked or damaged. Usually it dries to a nice light earth color that often needs no painting for areas of plain dirt; this same pale color makes a good base for rockwork.

I was listening to the super bowl while working on some shrub planting today and I was lamenting that I hadn't tinted my sculptamold before applying it, as I had little knicks here and there. Nothing brings it home like while spots in gray granite rock:laugh:

So, what am I to do? Well I have two choices......either get out a little paint and touch up, or #2, plant a small shrub over the offending spot. I chose door #2.

It's simply amazing how quickly those newly planted bushes and such take root and thrive no matter what time of year you plant them.

I've also learned to plant my Woodland Scenics shrubs with a little medium CA. I dab a bit of CA on the rock work, or ground surface and just press fit a little shrub onto the CA. It holds immediately and you can plant a zillion of them very quickly.

I'll be demonstrating this technique along with evergreen tree making 101 at the convention.

I remain, a very dedicated Sculptamold fan........but next time I'll add that cheap Walmart acrylic paint when I make a batch,

Loren

David,

Thanks for your detailed descriptions and photos. Seeing the building process is invaluable

I did a test yesterday on one of the mini wood bases. I used 3 parts CelluClay with latex paint and a tiny bit of water to hold it together and 2 parts drywall mud. I'll post photos and details of what I made and how I made it later. (It's still dark here.)

What I found was minimal cracking with the addition of the drywall mud and the use of latex paint to hold it together. This got me thinking that Sculptamold must have dry plaster mixed in it. And the more I think about the recent discussion about subroadbeds and the use of wood, the more I believe that Sculptamold is not totally a wood/paper-based product.



Loren,

Yes, I learned from my mini-layout that chips happen easily. Colour in the Sculptamold, CelluClay or plaster is very useful




I'm off to set up my second experiment - and eat breakfast

Beverly56 wrote:
This got me thinking that Sculptamold must have dry plaster mixed in it. And the more I think about the recent discussion about subroadbeds and the use of wood, the more I believe that Sculptamold is not totally a wood/paper-based product.


Bev,

The package of Sculptamold says it is like paper mache in that the cellulose material won't shrink. I don't think there is any plaster in it at all. Could be wrong, but I couldn't see any ingredients marked on the package.

My 3# bag cost less than $7.00. Great stuff.
Loren

I still cannot find Sculptamold in the San Diego area. Cheers, Jim CCRR

Jim,

Have you tried Blick Art Materials? I was looking for where I could get it near me (NJ) and noticed that the Amaco website had a clickable map (www.amaco.com/shop/distributors.php) to find distributers.

Blick Art Materials
1844 India Street
San Diego CA 92101
Phone: (619) 687-0050
www.dickblick.com/vendors/amaco/

Mike

Thanks Mike, I will go there the next time I go downtown. It is in the heart of our "Little Italy" and there are many resturants in the area. Cheers, Jim CCRR:)