Thunder Ridge: A Freelanced Focus on Scenery

Mark Watson Apr 12, 2010

  1. Mark Watson

    Mark Watson TrainBoard Member

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    Take 2

    My apartment looks like a plaster war zone. :D

    It's amazing how little 60 yards of 2 inch tape covers..
    [​IMG]

    No worries, I taped over the weakest parts first, so the exposed lattice should be (and was) able to hold up.

    Here's the river valley, about 60% finished. Just have to plaster that little bit on the right then give it a quick second coat:
    [​IMG]


    Bombs away:
    [​IMG]
     
  2. MOPMAN

    MOPMAN TrainBoard Member

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    That looks like it will be fun to clean up. I take it your not married.
     
  3. NorfolkSouthern9708

    NorfolkSouthern9708 TrainBoard Member

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    Now I see why railroads are in basements....
     
  4. Packers#1

    Packers#1 TrainBoard Member

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    Dang Mark, think it's messy enough ;) seriously, plaster work looks good man, looking forward to future pictures!
     
  5. RBrodzinsky

    RBrodzinsky November 18, 2022 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter In Memoriam

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    Mark,

    Two words: drop cloths
     
  6. Mark Watson

    Mark Watson TrainBoard Member

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    Naw guys. Ya gotta get a little dirty to have some real fun! :D :D :D :D
     
  7. YoHo

    YoHo TrainBoard Supporter

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    Depends on who owns the floor, you or the landlord.
     
  8. fatalxsunrider43

    fatalxsunrider43 TrainBoard Member

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    Oh no ! Look at the mess on that nice hard wood floor !!! Putting down a drop cloth is so easy, and it eliminates all that clean up. I just paid $1200.00 to have our hardwood floors redone and when I saw this picture titled bombs away, it sent a cold chill up my spine. I guess all I can do is just shake my head in silence.

    fatalxsunrider43
     
  9. fatalxsunrider43

    fatalxsunrider43 TrainBoard Member

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    Now that I have recovered from the shock of seeing that floor being abused, I can mention something about the scenery. What looks like a lot of work with all those cardboard strips and all, you could have accomplished the same thing much easier and much stronger with foam. Still can't get over that poor floor, yikes !

    fatalxsunrider43
     
  10. fatalxsunrider43

    fatalxsunrider43 TrainBoard Member

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    I just now noticed you say you live in an "APARTMENT " ? So that means you are renting ? Even more reason to put down some drop cloths, if I was the landlord and saw that....well, I better not say what I'd do....good luck dude ! LOL !

    fatalxsunrider43
     
  11. Mark Watson

    Mark Watson TrainBoard Member

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    Yes, however the limited availability of extruded foam in San Francisco and my limited ability transport any foam I could find pretty much ruled that option out. :(

    No worries about the floor, a little plaster wont hurt it. A damp cloth cleans it right up. :)
     
  12. YoHo

    YoHo TrainBoard Supporter

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    Yeah, getting Styrofoam in California is not an easy thing.

    And even if you could get it, it adds an aweful lot to the cost. In this case, I think Linn Westcott got it right all those years ago.

    Me, when I build scenery, I tend to stuff whatever junk I can find in there to make the form. Boxes, cardboard strips, foam, styrofoam packing from electronics. Whatever will get me a basic shape, then I use tape and Plaster soaked paper towels to finish the form.
     
  13. SimRacin14

    SimRacin14 TrainBoard Member

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    If the landlord asks about the plaster on the floor,just say you had your window open* and a bird flew in and did its business before flying out. ;)


    *Not applicable in colder or more humid weather
     
  14. NorfolkSouthern9708

    NorfolkSouthern9708 TrainBoard Member

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    I suppose there will be a lot of rockwork in the canyon? Lookin' good! :tb-biggrin:
     
  15. RBrodzinsky

    RBrodzinsky November 18, 2022 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter In Memoriam

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    Mark - the Home Depot down here in Union City has plenty of pink foam. If you need any, just let me know -- I'll gladly run it up to you. But, I am enjoying watching you do Thunder Ridge with the plaster.
     
  16. Mark Watson

    Mark Watson TrainBoard Member

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    Well that's certainly a generous offer... if things go south with the plaster, I may have to tear it out once again and take you up on the help!

    By enjoying watching me do Thunder Ridge with Plaster, do you mean enjoying the different techniques, or enjoying watching my aggravation? :p :p


    It's been a cold, overcast few days here in the city. These low clouds keeping the atmosphere moist have effectively kept my plaster from drying out. I thought this was summer.

    Well I have the basic shell complete. Dipping paper towels in plaster hasn't been as easy as I remember it to be. I think tonight I'm going to mix up another batch of plaster to the consistency of melted ice cream then use a paint brush to apply the second layer. :)
     
  17. RBrodzinsky

    RBrodzinsky November 18, 2022 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter In Memoriam

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    Enjoying the whole gestalt :pbiggrin:

    You've lived in SF long enough now to know that June, July and August are cold, gray, foggy months. It is Sept and Oct that are the clear hot ones around here. Of course, come a few miles down the bay and inland, it is a completely different story. (Yes, I heard it has been "the coldest June/July in 40 years....)
     
  18. Mark Watson

    Mark Watson TrainBoard Member

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    Well gosh darn it Rick, ya got me trying to calculate how much foam I'd need. :p

    I'm already so far along with the plaster, yet I'm remembering just how much easier the whole deal is with foam.. argh, I'm all confused now! :p I'm even looking at the mesh thinking "If this was foam, I could easily adjust the shape right there."

    Do you remember the price for a 2" 4x8 sheet? I'm thinking I might be able to get away with two but I'd definitely want to overestimate to be safe.

    Hmmmm.
     
  19. HOexplorer

    HOexplorer TrainBoard Supporter

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    Hi Mark, I've caught up on your thread and what a fine mess you're in?? Foam should be about $24 a sheet up your way. If you can find it here in SD County it is twice that! On the otherhand collecting newspapers and folding them as instructed in the Woodland Scenics Scenery Manual will cost very little, no mess, all you need is some light platform for the newspapers to lay on. Check back to the photo I sent you and the mountain in the picture is over 2.5' high and weighs only a few ounces. If you go with foam, I've done it that way also, you still have cover the foam with plaster cloth or some plaster-like material. Unless, you are moving your layout across country in the back of your MG Midget then I would use folded newspapers. Jim
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 22, 2010
  20. Mark Watson

    Mark Watson TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks for the encouragement Jim. :)

    All my past scenery experience has been straight foam with a coat of latex earth tone paint, no plaster overcoat. I've always preferred that way for ease of planting trees as my experience with the plaster shell is that once the hole is poked, unless the tree is glued in place, it can flop around. With foam, I poke the hole for the tree armature and it closes back in, holding the tree in place with out glue. Then later on, if I decide I don't like the tree there, I can move it and the hole will close back up.

    The other reason I'm starting to consider going back to foam is to create that scenic fascia. Right now, I messed up and the board with the track extends all the way to the edge of the base board, making the fascia a vertical drop. I'll have to cut the top board back a few inches and put in more plaster to make the fascia at an angle, which I'm growing less and less enthused about. With the foam, I could just stack several layers than carve it all out.

    :/ Gonna to have to make some executive decisions I think.
     

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