Can I use plaster of Paris and strips of bandages to produce the embankments on my little layout. :)

You can.
As a cheaper alternative I use polyfiller or an equivalent gap filler/plaster, bought in powder form in 1kg bags and mixed as required with water, a good dollop of PVA glue to give it some flexibility, some brown colouring (either poster paint or concrete tint) and a bit of sawdust to give it some texture.

Instead of bandages I buy a bulk roll of Chux or J-cloths and cut it into 1 inch wide strips.

Soak the cloth strips in the polyfiller mix and criss-cross layers over your landscape formers.

Very messy fingers buy great fun.

Trowel, spoon or brush some of the neat polyfiller mix (I call it ground gloop) over the top of the strip cloths to create a layer that hides the weave of the cloth and you have a thin and very strong hardshell that is already earth colour. 

Does that help.

cheers

Marty

Hi Marty thanks for your reply most helpful indeed can't wait to get my fingers messy.

Hi Kevin,

Kitchen towel or shop towel works as well. As does cheesecloth. Polyfiller will give you longer working times than POP. Wear disposable gloves, and watch the heat with POP, it can get above 100 degrees C.


Nigel

Welcome…. and make sure you don't leave any dried mix in your bowl/bucket/ice cream tub when/if you start a new batch as it really shortens the drying time of the ground gloop. How do I know this?  :shock:
cheers

Marty

AKA "Martys Gloop" - it's famous throughout the forum! :doublethumb

Please may I add a little warning? From YMR in 2013…

"Please, may I add a little warning about the 'gloop' process?

DO NOT do it from a deep bucket whilst wearing a wooly jumper, especially with the ends of the sleeves folded over. The double thickness of wool will unwittingly absorb even more gloop than a single layer and subsequent mis-applications thereby, to the arms of settees and kitchen tablecloths are truly frightening…….


Together with the N'Emlyn expanded polystyrene explosions, Monsieur Marty has a lot to answer for, Chez Chubber!"

Doug

I save the containers from shop bought Christmas pud ,because i find they are a little flexible and one is able to crack out any hardened residue easily before starting the next mix.   I use coarse casting powder (plaster of paris) the mix can be quite stiff to make a hard surface ,or a weak mix(lots of water for a finish that can be more easily "worked".

[user=312] Chubber[/user] wrote:

Please may I add a little warning? From YMR in 2013…

"Please, may I add a little warning about the 'gloop' process?

DO NOT do it from a deep bucket whilst wearing a wooly jumper, especially with the ends of the sleeves folded over. The double thickness of wool will unwittingly absorb even more gloop than a single layer and subsequent mis-applications thereby, to the arms of settees and kitchen tablecloths are truly frightening…….


Together with the N'Emlyn expanded polystyrene explosions, Monsieur Marty has a lot to answer for, Chez Chubber!"

Doug