Woodland Scenics "Smooth it"

[Chris333]

Did the pour. The spackle just sucks as far as smoothing it out. It is like a slimey gel that won't lay down. i did get it flat though.

The cement goes on like thick water so you'll need a dam on all 4 sides. It smooths out easy though.

Should all be dry tomorrow. I'll take pics.

[davefoxx]

Did the pour. The spackle just sucks as far as smoothing it out. It is like a slimey gel that won't lay down. i did get it flat though.

The cement goes on like thick water so you'll need a dam on all 4 sides. It smooths out easy though.

Should all be dry tomorrow. I'll take pics.

I'm curious to see your report.  Remember, though, spackle can be sponged (no dust) or sanded (dusty) after it dries to smooth it.  I'll be interested to see how thin you can pour concrete without it being too brittle and fail.

DFF

[wcfn100]

Based on Ian's article it sounds like it can be as fine as you want.  Right down to it coming out too shiny when used in styrene forms. 

Or am I the only one that actually read Ian's article?   

Words are cheap and meaningless and opinions vary (especially from mine).  If any of the pictures on that article where big enough to see anything...

I need to see how it compares to this.




Jason

[Chris333]

What is "that"?

[SkipGear]

Chris,
 As far as applying spackle, it works best over a painted surface. I try not to work it too much. Typically, make a form, lay it in heavy then use a flat sheet of styrene as a squeege to smooth it. Don't worry about making it perfect when wet, just reasonably smooth without pot holes. After it dries, I sand it smooth with a foam sanding block. If smooths the texture and gives it a more natural, weathered look.

Here is a closer shot on my son's 3x3 N scale roundy round layout:

[wcfn100]

What is "that"?

It was a texturing experiment I did for some styrene bridge piers.  Basically dabbing acrylic paint with makeup sponge. The texture is still heavy which is why I'd like to make the comparison.   




Jason

[DKS]

For myself, I've always found that rattle-can spray paint on plain styrene produces a nice concrete texture.



(Yes, I know the numbers should be indented instead of raised. Everyone tells me that.)

[diezmon]

Another fan of good 'ol spackle here.

I put down a layer of the mesh tape first, which helps with avoiding cracks in thin layers.


I mix in latex paint, and apply.. sand when you're done and draw in the cracks.  easy peazy, and way cheaper than any WS products.

[MichaelWinicki]

That looks very good!

Even if it were finished off in concrete-color, I think it would look great.

I don't think coloring any product to look like concrete is all that difficult.  There are many colors that will do a very good job, even a rattle-can color like Dave pointed out (and that bridge is outstanding Dave!).

[DKS]

Back when I was building the WR&N, I used a mix of Sculptamold and Hydrocal for road surfaces.



The texture is too coarse for Z Scale, so for the James River Branch I used spray-painted styrene.

[diezmon]

The texture is too coarse for Z Scale, so for the James River Branch I used spray-painted styrene.

wow, now THAT looks great.

[MichaelWinicki]

The road Dave Vollmer did on his Enola extension is another example of a great road done using painted styrene.

[DKS]

A lot of times, color and context are all that's needed to establish the identity of a surface (concrete versus blacktop, etc.). Working in Z Scale has been a good lesson for me on how to avoid going too far when creating physical textures. Once in a while I'll mock up a photo like this one to help me keep my "eye" in check.



This helps me gauge how much texture to add, such as decaying concrete. It also happens to illustrate just how far off our modeling can be, too, unfortunately. Notice how oversize the bricks are, and now many of the structure's joints are off-kilter.

[Blazeman]

Great idea to use the mesh.

[MichaelWinicki]

Once in a while I'll mock up a photo like this one to help me keep my "eye" in check.



This helps me gauge how much texture to add, such as decaying concrete. It also happens to illustrate just how far off our modeling can be, too, unfortunately. Notice how oversize the bricks are, and now many of the structure's joints are off-kilter.

Solid observation David.

Every once in a while I'll go out to the layout and rapid-fire a boatload of pictures getting up close and personal.

The result is I find a lot of stuff that needs a small amount of attention to make it look that much better... But I also uncover some things that make me go "Ewe" because they're so far off.