I gotta ask: with all the construction, ripping out, rebuilding, and demolition leading up to the purple foam, did the roadbed suffer any damage from all the carnage? Foamboard is stout stuff, but the paper can only take so much abuse. How'd it fare? The pics I see show very little impact.
I've used Drywall mud. It can crack if you apply it heavily. I would buy the powder stuff, not the premix and make it soupier than normal, not super runny, but just a bit less stiff, you could also mix in another product or Vermiculite or some such to improve the weight. Spackle is really only useful for small areas and patching as it isn't really plaster anyway. Or rather, not completely plaster.
I get it in the five gallon bucket for between $11 and $12 at Lowes...stays good for a long time - I've got 2/3 bucket now, and that'll suffice for all the detailing I want to do...plus any house damage the grandkids might do
2/3 of a bucket at my house might repair the damage my grandchildren do. LOL My oldest daughters 2 sons are nicknamed the twin tornados. Come to think of it the other grandson could be a third. The 3 girls, so-so. It is going to a great looking scene Mark. Gary
Well between your testimonials on Joint Compound and the attractive price over lightweight spackling, I'm sold. Off to the hardware store I go, pick up Joint Compound I will. I wonder if they discount mis-matched latex as well...
Thanks everyone for the suggestions to use Joint Compound! I've got the lower rock wall along the Ridge side of the river covered and I'm already glad with the decision to use J.C. Another question though. I stopped by the hobby shop on the way to the grocery store and scoped out the Woodland Scenic rock molds. At 5+ a pop, I'll definitely be passing. I'd either go broke, or end up with an ugly patter of the same few rock molds through out Thunder Ridge. Ok, that wasn't a question, but here is what I'm getting at. Will Joint Compound cure like plaster, where I can carve and chip away at it to create my own rock formations? On my final layer of application, I plan to press crumpled foil into the J.C. to get the initial rock shapes, then carve at it to make it more rock like. Will this work with J.C. or will I need to make the final layer of Plaster?
I think you'll see that JC is pretty easy to work with in most all respects, Mark. The only thing I LIKE better about plaster is it dries a lot quicker - but then it's also messier. If you need to, you can dampen JC and soften it a bit... I'm trying for a weathered look, and put Saran Wrap over a freshly applied rock face, then worked it with my fingers to give it more texture but a fairly smooth finish. Problem is that underneath the plastic the JC doesn't dry...two days, though, and I could get it off for the second coat.. Dunno if I'll have it ready for weekend pix yet, definitely a work in progress.
Mark, This rock wall was done with Lightweight Joint Compund: It carves much easier than plaster as it is softer. I still prefer the Lightweight over standard Joint Compound as it is easier to shape and work with. I've never been a fan of plaster as it always looks like plaster, overly hard and smooth. I still use plaster or hydrocal for rock castings though. BTW - The deep canyon is very impressive. It looks HUGE. It has a good massive feel to it, the way moutains should.
Mark, although the rock carvings in the pic below were done with plaster, you can achieve the same thing with JC. I found that working with plaster only allows you to work in small areas because of the quick setting time. JC allows a much longer time to work with it and therefore you can cover a larger section at a time. Look forward to the progress pics.
Thanks everyone! Your info and photos are tremendously helpful! It sounds like Joint Compound will accomplish all I hope it will when I carve the rock faces of the river valley. Here are some high resolution reference photos of the look I intend to achieve on Thunder Ridge.
Well it looks like I have to face the inevitable. To achieve the rock formations shown in the reference of the D&S High line, I'm going to have to use rock molds. The Joint Compound is doing great things filling in gaps, but to carve it the way shown in the photos is proving to be near impossible. I found this site with absolutely stunning rock modeling, and they achieved the exact results I want. I wont be able to cast my own molds like they did, but I asked my father to ship me all the WS molds we've used in the past on the layout back home. I'll also bite the bullet and purchase at least 2 more. Here's a photo from the Station Master's Journal that quite frankly is the best rock modeling I've seen. (It's also N Scale )
Mark, I have been following your progress and have really enjoyed watching and reading your updates. That scene is awesome looking and has taught me a few things to boot (using great stuff as an adhesive....who would have thunk it? I have experienced the stickiness whenI tried to "fix" the foam before it dried.....yuck). I am looking forward to see how the JC works out ....your thread has become an "how to" for rock scenery.
Today I planted the first tree on Thunder Ridge! This pine was made from a bamboo skewer and a shredded scotch-brite pad, sprinkled with ground foam. The only thing I'll do differently for the rest of the trees is add material to the trunks (I've read silicone caulking works), to give them texture and a more appropriate size. It should also allow me to make a few double trunk trees! Here's a close up view of the tree: I also picked up the first rock mold today and have the first cast drying.
More trees while I'm waiting for dad to send out our old rock molds. Some might also notice the new SD9 shell on my bargain buy loco. That new shell arrived today to replace the shell I melted by a failed attempt to remove paint. Close up of the trees: The tall one on the right is a scale 80 foot, short one is 16.5 foot.
