Boston & Maine Eastern Route Progress

[jbvb]

Granite block wall with mortar applied. The rest of the scenery is pretty washed out; my camera's exposure compensation was still set to show detail in the "painted black" view.



I brushed Wood Putty powder on, rubbed it in with my fingers, scrubbed it off the flat surfaces with a coarse brush until it looked like the adjoining pieces done by my kid.  Then I misted plain water on to activate the glue. It dried quickly in the heated space. I'll tweak some areas a bit over the weekend, but it's a pretty good match.

Wood Putty was a "fish glue & wood flour" product made by the Massachusetts firm Savogran. I learned to use it at Tech Model RR Club, and bought a case when I heard it was being discontinued. I've wondered if Durham's Water Putty could be used the same way, though its MSDS says it's Plaster of Paris and Dextrin derived from corn starch.  If you try it, let me know how it goes?

[Mark Dalrymple]

Looks good, James.

I tried Selleys spakfilla rapid on my first challenge structure.  I first sealed the acrylic paint with Tamiya flat clear.  I then watered down the spackle to the consistency of milk, painted it on and wiped it off with a damp cloth which I wrung out in a bucket of water periodically.  It worked well.  Photos will be coming soon to the challenge thread.

Cheers, Mark.

[deemery]

Isn't spackle water soluble?  Wood Putty would not be, once it's cured.

James, the wall looks good!

dave

[Mark Dalrymple]

Isn't spackle water soluble?  Wood Putty would not be, once it's cured.

James, the wall looks good!

dave

From AI
No, conventional spackle is not water-soluble once fully cured. While it is water-soluble during application (allowing for easy cleanup with water), the binder (often polyvinyl alcohol or latex) undergoes a chemical change as it dries, turning the paste into a hard, solid, and water-resistant compound.

[friscomike]

Howdy James,

The stone wall looks terrific.  I plan to follow your technique on a foam wall that I am building.  Thank you for the description of your process.

Have fun,
mike

[jbvb]

Thanks, Mark, Dave, Mike.  I first discovered meat-tray foam masonry from Ralph DiBlasi's (LVRalph) posts about it on RR-Line. He'd shifted his focus to FB long before RR-Line vanished, so I doubt he saved any of his content. But I did show Ralph's posts to my stepson before he started on his walls. I asked about meat tray foam on Ralph's FB group a week ago but no response yet.