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Hi guys
I got a crazy idea that just sorta popped in my head lol :dumb1:
Has anyone every used real cement like Portland Cement on there layouts? I am doing some highway bridges/ramps and i thought maybe it would be possible to make molds for the barriers on either side of highway bridges and ramps using Portland Cement. Portland Cement is the powdered cement with no aggregate in it. There is also Portland Plastic Cement which is used mostly for walls and such like that. I think either one would work for molds and i was also thinking of lining the walls of the highway ramps and then scribing i some expansion joints and such to simulate concrete. I had originally intended to buy cardstock from a Gal in Canada that sells cardstock sheets with various brick, concrete, street.... prints on them.
How does this idea sound? Am i to far out there on this idea? I dont think it would be very heavy at all since the barriers would be skinny and at the most 5/8" tall. What do you guys think?
how about drywall joint compound ? I know I have about a half of a 5 gallon bucket,at home.I been thinking about how I could use it on my layout.
It works okay, the dry wall compound that is, I've never used portland cement, but it should work too. My advice would be to dye the cement, otherwise any cracks will be bright white lines in the cement and look terrible. I've had that problem before!
Hmmm, how shall I put this...
Q1: Can it be done? Certainly!
Q2: Is it practical? Not sure about that one.
I tried using it as roadbed in some places where one part of my layout was slightly higher than another. While the track was temporarily suspended, I placed dry portland cement directly under it; then I sprayed a gentle mist of water over it until I was sure it was well-soaked. It hardened and did its job [of supporting the track] quite well, but in some places there was an invisible film of cement dust on the rails which interfered with electrical connectivity. That whole peninsula became unusable [90% maintenance -vs- 10% operation] until I finally applied the GLEAM treatment to all the track.
In a nutshell: Try to keep the cement as far away from your track as possible!
I have a product that is similar. I forget exactly what it is, but we use it at work to match concrete.
We sell concrete repair material and we sell it to hide the repairs, saying they turn green when they oxidize.
Your biggest problem is going to be cracking.
Just like any concrete slab or work, it isn't if it will crack, it is when will it crack.
I will run some tests on the stuff I have now. I could maybe package up a small amount and send you a sample. It is just add water. Best part is you can use it like paint once you mix up a batch
The ground goop I use for my scenery has Portland Cement in it comprising about 1/6th of the mass by volume.
I have heard of people using spackle, drywall mud (joint compound), sculptamold, extruded foam, expandable spray foam, and others, but never Portland Cement by itself. For one thing, it will be very heavy and dense, and it will also be brittle. You'll need a solid base below it.
I agree that you will want a masonary dye mixed in with it so that when it chips (not if) it will retain a more natural tone instead of the grey.
-Crandell
Fred, Ken, and Dan, thanks for the heads up on the cracking and such. That right there makes me want to use something else lol. I dont want to have to be repairing and re-doing this constantly lol.
Fred, thats an excellent idea to put dye in any material you are mixing, i do it with the WS Smooth-It sometimes
For one thing, it will be very heavy and dense, and it will also be brittle. You'll need a solid base below it.
Definitely doesnt have a solid base lol, the bridges and ramps are made out of cardboard, it seems to have held up okay with the WS Smooth-It material layed ontop of it though
how about drywall joint compound ? I know I have about a half of a 5 gallon bucket,at home.I been thinking about how I could use it on my layout.
I used to use Joint Compound for my roads, i have a large bucket of the stuff still that i picked up from Lowes when i worked there, it was a discontinued product so i got the large tub for about a buck or 2 lol
I mostly use the WS Smooth-it for roads though...
I was looking the stuff I have, and it wouldn't be good for casting, but if you brush it on like it is supposed to be done, it will have a concrete look to it. I am going to do some testing tonight on the diorama I have been building.
Josh,
Check out Lance Mindheim's "Voodoo & Palmettoes" Miami, Fl based layout. Lance has made use of Anchor Bolt cement from Home Depot for the construction of several loading docks on his new prototypical Downtown Spur Layout that is based on the movement of fresh produce in the outskirts of Miami. Lance's uses .060 sheet plastic in the construction of the majority of his loading docks and has been previewed in Model Railroader for his older layout. His "Down Town Spur" photo of the Miami Produce Center shows the loading dock that was cast from Anchor Bolt Cement. Also, One of the articles he did for Model Railroader showed how he made a loading dock and ramp from anchor bolt cement. I enclose a photo of the Anchor Bolt Cement Lance is using for the construction of his loading docks as well as his website for his work.
www.lancemindheim.com
I was looking the stuff I have, and it wouldn't be good for casting, but if you brush it on like it is supposed to be done, it will have a concrete look to it. I am going to do some testing tonight on the diorama I have been building.
Id be interested to see some pics of your experiments
Josh,
Check out Lance Mindheim's "Voodoo & Palmettoes" Miami, Fl based layout. Lance has made use of Anchor Bolt cement from Home Depot for the construction of several loading docks on his new prototypical Downtown Spur Layout that is based on the movement of fresh produce in the outskirts of Miami. Lance's uses .060 sheet plastic in the construction of the majority of his loading docks and has been previewed in Model Railroader for his older layout. His "Down Town Spur" photo of the Miami Produce Center shows the loading dock that was cast from Anchor Bolt Cement. Also, One of the articles he did for Model Railroader showed how he made a loading dock and ramp from anchor bolt cement. I enclose a photo of the Anchor Bolt Cement Lance is using for the construction of his loading docks as well as his website for his work.
www.lancemindheim.com
AHHHH HAAAAA, I knew i remembered something like this, i just could not remember where or when i saw it. Thanks so much for the info and the link!!
Lance is mover and shaker when it comes to trying new ways to do things. The use of Anchor Cement allows him to not have to worry how to color plastic sheets to look like actual concrete.
I believe that I have the directions that he used to construct the "Miami Product Center" loading dock that is on his website. I will check and post them for you.
Larry
Lance is mover and shaker when it comes to trying new ways to do things. The use of Anchor Cement allows him to not have to worry how to color plastic sheets to look like actual concrete.
I believe that I have the directions that he used to construct the "Miami Product Center" loading dock that is on his website. I will check and post them for you.
Larry
That would be great Larry. I have the issues of MR where he shows building the team track loading dock
Here is the email I got from Lance concerning preparation of the cement:
" A few tips:
-coat the mold by lightly wiping it with wd40 before the pour
-the stuff is heavy so make sure your mold is resting on a strong and very flat table. If you don't it will sag and you won't have a straight piece.
-after you make the pour, de-gas it by lightly holding a vibrating sander against the side of the mold to work a lot of the air bubbles out.
-Let it harden 18 to 24 hours.
-Don't panic if the pieces break, just glue them back with super glue gel."
Lance
Here are some pictures of the stuff I have. It is a latex cement.
The one on the left was a thicker batch spread with a 2 inch plastic putty knife.
The one on the right was a thinner batch spread with a 3/4 inch foam paintbrush.
The crack is there because the cardboard was cut. Otherwise no cracking would have happened there.
Also have a pic where it is applied to the edge of foam, which was roughly cut by a razor blade that is getting dull. I used the thinner batch and foam brush.
Portland Cement
I used DURHAMS WATER PUTTY and little plaster(sifted thru a strainer),
applied to a bridge on my layout using a foam brush. Then after drying sand
until smooth. You can re-apply another coat(s) until it looks right to you.
The bridge was made of acrylic and this mixture sticks to it and has yet to
crack! Durhams paints great!
Also you could try ANCHOR BOLT CEMENT.
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