Killashandra - Irish Nn3

[DKS]

You want your Sculptamold really smooth? You can sand it when it's dry. In fact, you can work it like wood--saw, drill, carve...

[timgill]

I'm going to +1 my experience with the other posters'. The initial consistency is not ideal for working in the final texture/shaping; you need to let it set for a while, and then use wet fingers or a damp brush to start to massage it into shape. One of the best things about Sculptamold is its long "open"/working time, which really lets you perfect it as you go.

Here's a small diorama that I did as a first test run working with Sculptamold. The rock face was formed using aluminum foil as a former against the raw Sculptamold. All the other contours were formed with wet fingers as the material set.

[VonRyan]

It's a pleasure to work with when it's dry.
I'm going to have to try it in smaller, more controlled mixtures.
When it started to cooperate, it was nice to use. It filled in real well and using a putty knife with it was easy as well. I guess it is mostly just a matter of making sure it is mixed right.

If I ever get a chance to fire up my laptop, I'll get the growing number of pictures posted.


-Cody Fisher.

[Chris333]

If you put it on a vertical surface and work it with a butter knife you can make rock out-croppings with it too.

[DKS]

From--

...I really don't know if I want to use it again.

to--

When it started to cooperate, it was nice to use.

Glad to see a turnaround. All it takes is some experience. Keep playing with it--there is soooo much you can do with it.

[wazzou]

Keep playing with it--there is soooo much you can do with it.

TWSS

[DKS]

TWSS

[VonRyan]

Now I'll never be able to think of sculptamold the same way again.

Did you hear about the guy that got hit in the head with a can of soda?



He was glad it was a "soft drink". 



-Cody F.

[VonRyan]

Ok, so I've finally gotten the opportunity to sit down at my laptop and post some progress photos.

So first up, painting the track.
Tamiya "Red Brown" in a rattle-can.








Then the removal of the wood culvert-type bridge, and the wood supports and abutments of the small trestle.






Then came the landform smoothing.






After that, I once again painted the ground Duncan "Medium Brown"




Then I put the center hill in place to see how it looks.



I'm still up in the air as to whether or not I like it. Specifically the end closest to the camera (iPhone).
I think I went a little overboard with the surform and made it more of a gentle slope than I had envisioned being there.
I have yet to make the last corner hill since I have yet to decide if I want to keep the center hill.
Especially since I plan to have a road-bridge carrying the dirt lane over the tracks.


I'm also still debating on ballast. I only want to use real material. So it's a matter of what company makes the best looking ballast.
I'm debating between limestone, or cinders.

Once I have the ballast figured out, and before the base of ground cover comes a layer of soil. Which I still need to figure out...
After the dirt then comes a base layer of ground cover. And I'm starting to think that Woodland Scenics "blended turf" fine mixture is a bit inadequate.
My instincts tell me that a single light-ish green would be a good base, since static grass is going overtop. But I'll let the experience of others guide me.

I haven't gotten a Harbor Freight ad in awhile, but I know around the summer time they tend to have really good sales on electric fly swatters, which I plan to turn one into a static grass applicator.



That's all for now,

-Cody Fisher

[Chris333]

If you plan to run the road across the layout, I would carve that into the center hill and see how you like it.

[VonRyan]

If you plan to run the road across the layout, I would carve that into the center hill and see how you like it.

That's the plan. I just need to determine how exactly I want the road to go across the center hill.

[DKS]

Suggestion, FWIW: keep the carving to an absolute minimum. The hill offers a nice subtle divider to extend the visual space of the layout; chop it up with a road, and you lose some of that visual distance. Let the road follow the natural contours (as it would in real life, anyway)--it will end up longer, increasing the visual space, and it will reduce the impact on important scenic features. Like so:

[glakedylan]

if I remember correctly, what a friend advised me some years ago was that two or three droplets of dish detergent into mix of sculptamold would result in a smoother finish and less likely to crack. he also used a small plastic putty knife like tool that he kept the surface wet with water to work it into smooth roads and other smooth scenery.

fwiw...

btw, looking good! nice work!

sincerely
Gary

[VonRyan]

Suggestion, FWIW: keep the carving to an absolute minimum. The hill offers a nice subtle divider to extend the visual space of the layout; chop it up with a road, and you lose some of that visual distance. Let the road follow the natural contours (as it would in real life, anyway)--it will end up longer, increasing the visual space, and it will reduce the impact on important scenic features. Like so:

Well the siding is planned to have a cattle dock built kinda into the hill, so I want it connected to rather road without having to have its own seperate lane.  Plus the plan has always been for the road to go to the, currently unfinished, corner and cross the tracks on a stone bridge.

Plus I plan to put a couple good quality trees on the center hill to help act as a scenic divider.

[S Class]

Maybe make the corner closes to the camera a cutting but putting in another hill on the close side of the curve.