Plaster gauze scenery techniques

[Richard Gude]

I have made a matrix of cardboard strips to support plaster cloth. I have several rolls of WS plaster impregnated gauze. I have some questions:

Do you place the gauze in place dry and then spray it with water. Does this technique work well?

Do you dip it in water first and then drape it over the matrix. Does this work better?

Do you apply a thin coat of hydrocal over the plaster cloth after it hardens. How many coats?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

rhg

 

[Relic]

I put my gauze/plaster right on the styrofome, mix the Pollyfilla pretty thin ,paint it on the foam then lay the gauze in it soothe it out with a brush then give it however many coats of plaster to get the texture your after

 

[nachoman]

I've used this stuff few times, and would be my preferred method of mountain buildign if it were cheaper. You definitley need to dunk the strips in water first, otherwise they will not stick to the landform you are building. Dunk the strips in a bowl of water long enough to soften the plaster, then hold the strip above the bowl a few seconds to let excess water drip back into the bowl. 3 layers should be plenty strong unless the gauze is old. I have covered some with additional plaster for strength and smoothing, others I have simply painted and added groundcover.

kevin

 

[jim currie]

shades of the past Kevin back in the 70's i used strips of old sheets dipped in to a watery plaster mix to make scenery base.

 

[steamhead]

Hi,

I use these plaster-gauzes but lay them on the surface to be covered dry, and then spray them with water. I've found that once wet they're hard to handle and make a mess.

Gus (LC&P).

 

[Glen Haasdyk]

I 'inherited' a roll of the plaster guaze. It worked well for my logging area and didn't make as much of a mess as the plaster and paper towel method I had to use for another area of the layout.
I simply made my scenery forms, cut the plaster cloth into 4" squares, dipped them in water and laid them on the layout. Later when they were dry I brushed some thinned plaster (or hydrocal) over to make a solid surface and give a little more strength (not that I'm going to walk on it mind you!)
One trick you can do with your brush that you're using to spread the thinned plaster is to 'stiple' the wet plaster with the brush bristles. This gives you a 'gravel-like' texture to the finished product. Just remeber to keep a bucket of water nearby to clean the brush out as it will load-up with paster while doing this.

 

[eightyeightfan1]

I always cut mine into strips, then soak it in water. I squeegee the excess water off between my fingers.Yeah...Its messy. Then I use a thin layer of Sculpta-Mold over the top of that. Paint with earth tone base and scenic.
Makes for a nice light-weight scenery base. Good for moduals.