Hi,
I have a piece of birch at home, will it work OK? Is basswood OK for a base material? I’ve seen those basswood plagues at the craft stores, will they warp? What should I seal it with, wood varnish? After I seal it, how do I get ground work to stick to it and what types of ground work is there? I’ve heard you guys mention styrofoam (what kind of styrofoam?), what else is there? How do I get the grass and rubble work to stick to the styrofoam or other ground work? I guess the best way to learn is to just do it. Thanks for the help. So many questions!
Base:
I am not very familiar with the wood types from North America as I come from Asia. However, I do know that for wood not to warp, it should be kiln dried and properly treated. If they are to be painted or varnished, sealing is a must. Many modellers use those ready-made plaques available in the shops. Other materials are plywood and mdf. But I guess there is no limit. As long as the base material is strong, light and presentable, it is ok.
Groundwork:
You can use celluclays, sculpting clays, modelling clays, plaster, putty and even styrofoam to make up the terrain. Styrofoam is available in shops in different shapes and sizes. Sometimes I use those that come with the new appliances. The important thing is that the texture of the styro should be smooth and do not shed its particles.
Glue:
Mix water and elmer’s glue. If you have one of those adhesives in spray cans, it is also applicable. Brush or spray it on the surface of your ground. Sprinkle or position the materials you want to fix. Let the glue dry. Blow away the excess materials.
Thanks Dwight, that was very helpful. Should I glue the groundwork (ie styrofoam, clays) to the base with the water/glue mix too? What ratio or consistancy should it be mixed to?These are my first posts as you can tell. I’m looking forward to giving and receiving help…Thanks!
Styrofoams need to be glued (water-based glue only) to the base. Use pure glue on this or you may also pin or nail it down for better hold.
Clays usually stick to the base on its own so no glue is necessary but you need to verify this because I have not used all the variants of clay available.
The ratio depends on the glue that you use. If you are using thin and slow setting glue, there is no need to add water. Glue that are quite thick like elmer’s glue need to be thinned down. Sometimes 2 part glue 1 part water is fine. Others may prefer other ratio so experiment to check which ratio you are more comfortable with.
Kevin, welcom to the site. I have only used those wood plaques thus far with my projects and so far have seen no problems. As far as the base I have used sculpting clay that you have to mold however you want it to look and then bake it and sand that I built up in layers directly off the base useing white glue. I have not done anything with any real elevation so i have not experimented with stryrofoam yet. Good luck and hope that helped some.
Many railroad shops sell a type of styrofoam that is very smooth and doesn’t shed that is used specifically for railroad layouts. Also, if you want to save some money, look in your backyard for many materials for your dio. Small sticks can be trees, small rocks can be boulders, and some rough dirt can pass for large rocks against some pieces, while dusty, fine dirt can be put down for dirt roads.
One more tip. You can also use wire mesh to form irregular terrain as it is flexible and usually stays in shape after forming. It will serve as a good skeleton for the terrain. You may cover it with paper or tissue paper dipped in glue-water mix to provide the final surface.
This is what has always worked for me:
The base material depends largely on how I want to show off a model. For most figues I use the basswood plaques, becuase the machined edge dresses up the presentation. For dioramas, I use plywood, or MDF. After determining the height of the groundwork, I cover the egdes with aircraft plywood or hardwood strips, both of which take a stain or varnish well.
For built up groundwork I used the kind of dense styrofoam used for flower arranging. It’s green, and can be found in most larger craft stores. It cuts with a hot wire, jeweler’s saw, or even a craft knife in smaller pieces. It doesnt crumble (although as someone else said crumbling might be a useful effect). To fasten it to a base I use a contact cement.
It’s not a good idea to just apply Celluclay or other papier-mache based groundwork materials directly to plywood, even if it’s sealed. It may be I have been unlucky, but I have never found a sealer which can stand up to several days of being under Celluclay while it dries. The boards always warped! I would recommend you use styrofoam under it first. Another alternative I have had some sucess with is using Woodland Scenics plaster gauze. Celluclay shrinks over time, I have discovered; imagine the surprize of large cracks appearing under the feet of the figures on a base (we’re talking foot-wide cracks in scale, guys… OK if the diorama is depicting an earthquake, I guess). The hydrocal plaster in the plaster gauze doesn’t shrink.