Ok this is a new material to me. I have just used it to make a mountain. Easy to use. Now my question is since it is very perforated. How have all of you that have used this stuff cover up all the holes so they are not visible? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free
You can use plain plaster, paper mache', or even spackle. You might even dream up something better. If you do, let us know.
I will try different methods and see which works for me. I am planning on making a few rocks from molds. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free
Kevin, When I used this method I had the same issue, I bought a 100 lb bag of Hydrocal, and mixed it to a kind of thin paste consistency, used a 3" paint brush and just started painting the stuff on, top to bottom, make a couple coats if needed, and you should be in bidness. Like others have said you could use spackling or similar too. The best rock molds I have ever seen were made from lump coal. A friend of mine painted latex rubber on a bunch of lump coal, a dozen or more heavy coats and walla custom rock molds. Or you could stop by and maybe borrow some of mine LOL.
Someone in the N-scale forum a few years ago mentioned using drywall mud. I can see how that might work too after doing a lot of drywall work last summer! I just picked up a couple 3 lb bags of sculpt-a-mold from a craft store using a discount coupon - $6 per bag. I see you can order it into Walmart stores for about the same price.
If you have any significant amount of scenery to build, Hydrocal purchased outside of a hobby vendor is far, far cheaper.
I will just echo all of the above. The first time I used plaster cloth, I fretted over the holes. Then, learned to simply use whatever I had handy. I like switching up between hydrocal, spackle paste, plaster, etc., as each takes the earth-tone stains differently.
I have one package of sculpta mold and some plaster of Paris. Today I try my hand at using rock molds. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free
I have both. Sculptamold where I need more texture and hydrocal to cover and fill in the netting or tiny holes.
Well here is what we did today as a test. I used spackling to cover the cloth then we made a couple of plaster casts. On the smaller section above the small narrow gauge line we covered the cloth with plaster. Here are the results. We ran out of plaster for now. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free
I did a bunch of drywall work this summer and you can get a large bucket of drywall mud for $15 at Home Depot - very similar to Spackle. I may try it on the layout.
The problem with drywall mud is that it will crack as it dries when laid on thicker. It can make a good smooth surface like a road or for patching small areas, but I would not personally recommend it for a base coat. Hydrocal is more flexible and doesn't crack.
It is a bit late now, but when you do the plaster cloth, you can use your finger to snooth the plaster out and fill the holes. Just go back and forth over it. I also used a soupy plaster mix with good results.
I haven't used mine yet so not too late. Thanks for the tip. What are some good lower cost sources for plaster cloth since Woodland Scenics is purty expensive.
I posted a unit price comparison of plaster cloth and it was deleted. Is that in violation of rules? I mentioned it to my wife and she was surprises as was I. We are both forum moderators ourselves. I ordered a roll from amazon. Good deal for sure.
Yes. That has been in place for many years now, due to numerous troubles incurred. See our Support Forum for rules about Retailers, as posted by our site owner.
