Nice looking hill Marty. With a touch of greenery, some sheep and a couple of miles of slate walling it'll look just like Wales.

[user=22]Wayne Williams[/user] wrote:

Marty,
Could you please elaborate a little more on the way you made up your mixture of goop?

I'll do my best Wayne… nothing scientific in it,

Like how much PVA to the amount of water, and how much paint to the amount of water.

I've been using about 250g of pollyfilla, maybe 20 - 40g of Diggers Oxide colouring (a Chocolate Brown powder), a good 80 - 100mls of PVA and then water to make it up to about 800 - 100ml of milky Goop. If the mixture isn't runny enough it doesn't seem to get into the cloth as well.
Be careful not to add water later on as the mixture starts to go off, it will take days, nay weeks, to dry… how do I know this!

How long did you soak the cloth in the mixture?

With the mixture so runny I just dip it in, turn it over and dip again and then run the cloth through my fingers to a) remove the excess, b) ensure an even coverage and c) to enjoy the process more.

Did your mixture fill in all of the little holes that are in the plaster cloth?

Yes and no, mostly they appear full while its wet but as it dries some of the weave can come through and the holes open up, at this stage having some roughness to the dry  first layer helps subsequent layers of either cloth or just plaster "key" into the surface.

When you laid down the cloth on the mountain, did you smooth out the cloth, or just lay it down?

Definitely smoothed it down, that's half the fun and why T has to open the back door and turn on the outside tap for me :lol:  The rough shape  of the terrain that I am trying to achieve has already been carved, hacked, scraped and vacuumed out of the polystyrene below.

The overlapped strips show through once the goop has dried but as I will use a less watery ground goop without the cloth as a final surface, sculpting the landforms, rocks, etc as I go, it doesn't matter.

The number of cloth layers to do is something I'm not sure about, for the Pentrecourt Halt diorama and the Three Rivers test bed three and two layers respectively were used. This makes a very hard shell but also adds weight. I think this time I'll just try it with the original layer and plaster over the top.
If I were to do a second cloth layer I'd lay the strips at different angle to the original layer for strength.

I am really impressed with what you have done here. I have a very large project coming up that just may turn out much better if I follow what you have done.

give it a go, the materials don't break the bank and can be used around the house/layout for other things as well if it doesn't do what you want it to do.

Thanks, Always happy to help… Marty

Wayne

That looks excellent, really comeing along. Have you access into the hill incase of problems?.

Phill

Very impressed Marty and am looking forward to the next stage.   Even without vegetation it looks good!

Ken

if the piccy above the hill/mountain is what you are doing,then you have done an excellent job,
if not , still an excellent job…

:doublethumb:lol::lol::cool:

Great job on the hill,Marty.The brown plaster goop will provide you with a first class base for your greenery!
  Can't wait 'til I get to the goop stage with my layout!!!

Cheers,John.B.:thumbs

:thumbs ……………….. now that hill is looking brill, Marty! :doublethumb

Thanks so much Marty for your full description of the process.

I'm not sure it will work for what I want. The pollyfilla may price it out for me. I have 1500 lineal feet  by 10 inches wide of plaster cloth to apply. That sounds like an awfully lot of pollyfilla to buy, but then so was the plaster cloth! :shock:

Thanks Again Marty!

Wayne

Wayne,plaster of paris is reasonably priced,or you can even use finishing plaster well thinned
cheaper still.( the stuff builders use on inside walls )you might have a diff name for it .

thumbs:lol::lol::cool:

[user=19]Marty[/user] wrote:

… and through the "to be constructed" road bridge at the up end of Henllan the signal box and goods shed..

Its been nice catching up and I really like this picture

John

If you don't want to buy cloth you can also use kitchen roll.  Kitchen roll and finishing plaster, can't get much cheaper.

Crackin' bit of hill work Marty.

Cheers
Dave

First class stuff, Marty. No surprises there!  I just love that brown!

Mike

Marty, what make is that signal box, it looks great.

Ken

[user=34]Ken[/user] wrote:

Marty, what make is that signal box, it looks great.

Ken

I think its a Hornby - Skaledale model Ken

John

[user=34]Ken[/user] wrote:

Marty, what make is that signal box, it looks great.

Ken

Hornby Lyddle End range to be precise Ken, my mistake in the earlier post John.

http://www.kernowmodelrailcentre.com/product/19782/N8083_Hornby_Lyddle_End_Signal_Box

I'll be using a fair bit of it as place holders until the scratchbuilding can be done.

Ah yes, OO Skaldale - N Lyddle End!

Yup, although, interestingly enough, and just to confuse us, the box name is Skaledale Junction.

[user=423]ElDavo[/user] wrote:

If you don't want to buy cloth you can also use kitchen roll. Kitchen roll and finishing plaster, can't get much cheaper.

Crackin' bit of hill work Marty.

Cheers
Dave

Thanks Dave, might have to give the finishing plaster a go as I've got a fair bit to do, not as much as Wayne mind, and it could get a bit expensive using pollyfilla.

[user=15]owen69[/user] wrote:

if the piccy above the hill/mountain is what you are doing…

The valley and tunnel in the photo above the first picture is on the other side of my hill Owen, I am modelling it but just haven't completed the de-snowing process yet.

Photos in due course once "browned".

cheers

I don't know if this information is of use but here goes:

There is a product in the UK called "101 Lightweight Filler".
Polyfilla do a similar product but much more expensive.
The "101" brand can be bought in pound type shops and the like.
I've not used it for modelling because my stuff is usually mailed but I have used it for interior decorating purposes.
The main thing is, it's cheap and lightweight.

Don't know if they export it or if there are similar products overseas.