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 Posted - March 23 2009 : 8:36:21 PM
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Back when we built our first HO Layout, you used window screen and joint compound to make hills and such. Nowadays, I have read that "Plaster Gauze" is used.
I hate to spend $$$ if I don't have to, but does anyone know how I could make DIY Plaster Gauze? I bought a roll of gauze, now what do I do?
I guess it has the consistency of plaster cast you have on a broken limb?
Please help this (young) old timer
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Posted - March 23 2009 : 9:02:55 PM
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Well, you can certainly still use anything you were used to! I think the newer materials primarily save weight and mess, and perhaps aren't as vulnerable to temp and moisture fluctuations.
I'm really not sure how you would make "plaster gauze" in the same manner as the stuff you can buy. That is... you can buy a roll of (expensive) woodland scenics gauze that already has some form of semi-cured plaster in it. So it's flexible enough to lay down and once you get it wet, it forms a contour and dries like normal plaster.
But I'm not sure how to get plaster into that "half-cured" or whatever state...
...So your best bet is probably to just mix a batch of plaster when you're ready to use it, then dip the gauze in there and lay it down.
BTW instead of wire mesh, stacked foam seems to be the popular method these days. But it all looks the same under the plaster!
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Posted - March 23 2009 : 9:03:28 PM
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| Mix your plaster to a soupy mixture and dip gauze into it or paper towel. Mix only enough to work with. I would use cheap bottle water also if you are on a well. I am on a well and due to mineral content can affect plaster dry/setting time
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Posted - March 23 2009 : 9:14:58 PM
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Not sure about plaster, but I made some great mountains out of paper mache a little while back.
Just be sure to add a little salt into the mix so your mountians don't grow moldy!
    
- Matt -
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 Posted - March 23 2009 : 9:23:38 PM
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ooooh natural fuzzy grass on them hills!
~anna
-----------------------------------
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Posted - March 24 2009 : 7:34:06 PM
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I used almost all the methods listed here on one hill For my little mountain I built the shape out of crumpled up balls of newspaper. I then placed window screen over top to make it a little smoother and then put down a thin layer of paper mache so the mountain would hold its shape. Then came a layer of paper towels soaked in plaster. The final layer was a very thick mixture of plaster smeared over top of the first, just to hide the lines in the paper towel.
-cheez
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Posted - March 25 2009 : 7:57:02 PM
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I guess I'll use the window screen as a base and make the plaster mixture and roll the gauze thru it. I'll try to use Lake Michigan water since I live in Chicago. I'll also hold on the salt, don't want my blood pressure to go up.-LOL
Thanks guys again for your ideas.
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Posted - March 26 2009 : 09:03:49 AM
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| Try a medical supply store. There was one in the Chicago area (Fitzgerald's, I think) that carries a plaster gauze that can be used for casts. There is a quick set type of plaster that is impregnated into the gauze that gets activated with a little water. I've been told it works out to be much cheaper per foot than the Woodland Scenics stuff.
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Posted - March 26 2009 : 1:50:54 PM
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Ok thanks, I'll try them too.
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