01-18-2011, 08:21 AM
Well, last night I finished getting the basic landforms in. As I predicted I used a combination of methods to get some terrain in place. I had some rather tricky tight spots that were giving me some cause for hesitation, but in the end I stumbled on through. A couple of key things I figured out for my self.
1) Durabond is messy. However that should be a given. I am not 100% sold on whether or not I like it for creating landforms however I cannot deny its strength and the fact that you can apply it as thick or as thin as you like. Being able to work it while its wet also has its advantages as you can either smooth it out or rough it up. I took a lot of care using it as I was creating the shoreline right up to the edge of the roadbed for my track and didn't want to get any of it on the track work so I used painters tape to cover all the track work in the vicinity. I also made way too much and ended up throwing out half of the batch I made into a plastic bag. So now I have a big lump of hardened Durabond in a bag. Perhaps I can smash with a small sledge hammer and use it for rip rap?
2) Woodland Scenic's Plaster Cloth was ridiculously easy to use. It almost seemed too easy at first and I thought I had to be doing something wrong. I used it on a small narrow two section to finish up what I started a few nights ago and was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to cut into specific shapes and apply it to some cardboard forms I had cut out put in place. Definitely the material of choice if you need to have absolute control over where your plaster cloth goes. I thoroughly enjoyed using it as a product.
Sorry Gary, still no photos yet. By the time I got done last night I was covered in plaster cloth dust and just wanted to shower and go to bed. However, tonight everything should be fully dried and I can get some pictures snapped off before I start painting or making adjustments to the landscaping in certain areas...
Thanks to everyone for their comments and motivational words. I can actually see where I'm going with this and the creative juices are starting to flow again!
1) Durabond is messy. However that should be a given. I am not 100% sold on whether or not I like it for creating landforms however I cannot deny its strength and the fact that you can apply it as thick or as thin as you like. Being able to work it while its wet also has its advantages as you can either smooth it out or rough it up. I took a lot of care using it as I was creating the shoreline right up to the edge of the roadbed for my track and didn't want to get any of it on the track work so I used painters tape to cover all the track work in the vicinity. I also made way too much and ended up throwing out half of the batch I made into a plastic bag. So now I have a big lump of hardened Durabond in a bag. Perhaps I can smash with a small sledge hammer and use it for rip rap?
2) Woodland Scenic's Plaster Cloth was ridiculously easy to use. It almost seemed too easy at first and I thought I had to be doing something wrong. I used it on a small narrow two section to finish up what I started a few nights ago and was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to cut into specific shapes and apply it to some cardboard forms I had cut out put in place. Definitely the material of choice if you need to have absolute control over where your plaster cloth goes. I thoroughly enjoyed using it as a product.
Sorry Gary, still no photos yet. By the time I got done last night I was covered in plaster cloth dust and just wanted to shower and go to bed. However, tonight everything should be fully dried and I can get some pictures snapped off before I start painting or making adjustments to the landscaping in certain areas...
Thanks to everyone for their comments and motivational words. I can actually see where I'm going with this and the creative juices are starting to flow again!