I have used toilet paper and tissue paper for making mountains. I used this technique and entered a diorama in the SER (Southeast Region) NMRA regional convention model contest in 1973 in Nashville Tennessee, USA. I was the only diorama entered, and I won third place. This has been a massive psychological trauma ever since. I don't recommend the technique.
IMHO an overated very hard easily broken plaster that is also very expencive. As to your question sounding dumb,How else ya gonna find out if you don't ask? There are no dumb questions,just answers
It was explained to me that hydrocal is but one product on a spectrum of products that goes from marble on the hardest end to soft chalk on the other end. Hydrocal is somewhere in the middle. These products can be purchased to order at art stores depending on what you want to do. Some hardnesses take dyes easily and others carve easily. Others are better for casting. It all depends on what you want to do. Hydrocal is marketed as such because someone else has decided for you what you need. If you visit an art supply, you will hear about 30 minutes of the various attributes of the 30-40 various mixtures. Choose what you like and you can purchase it in 5-100 lb (approx 2-50 kilo?) bags.
Generally i use whatever is scrap and waste for filler followed by Nylon netting or screen like you get with onion bags or orange bags.Then i use an industrial paper towel dipped in Plaster for skinning over laying 3 layers in opposing directions followed by a few rock castings and a slurry of additional plaster.
I also use Paper for my hil's!! First a mesh of Painter-Tape and over that paper strip's suked in very thin gypsum.
Gosh, what is it with these Europeans and their fantastic models of American railroading? Eugen, I loved the pic you included of your scenery. Fantastic work. I wish I could do so well. One suggestion, I know for many hydrocal seems very pricey, but if you can get it in a 50 lbs. bag, the price drops significantly. Go to a building supply house and see if they carry it. That's what I did a number of years ago. $9 for a 50 lbs. bag. I'm still carting around 40 unused lbx. at this point in my life (I model on a small scale - N - with limited space in the house. - though not for my 5 gal. bucket of plaster. ) Anyway, I agree, not a dumb question. This was a great thread. Regards, Clifton Linton
Hi Johnny, yes, I have somme more Pics. You can see them in the Photo-Album on Rail Images. http://www.railimages.com/gallery/eugenhaenseler Thank's for your answer.
