Link

I think you missed the point Marc

Some others were asking how to save this particular post. Rick did the work of creating a PDF so he and others could easily file this gem away for later use. Thanks Rick!

Cheers,

Bill nailed it!

Thanks!

That is perfect, thanks for doing it. 

Randy

Yes ...

... thanks for the .pdf Rick.  

You guys are welcome! I

An easy way to save a webpage

An easy way to save a webpage (pics and all) is to right-click on the page and select Save Page As from the pop-up window.  Make sure that under Save As Type that Web Page, Complete is selected.  This will save a copy of all the images to your computer.   Before you save the page you'll want to create a separate folder for it because there will be a lot of files to save.

Steve S

Thanks, Steve - for posting

Save Page As from the pop-up window.

But if there are 10 pages to a thread/tutorial, do you really want to do this 10 times?

Maybe there should be a button to download an entire thread as a PDF.  Probably wouldn't be hard to do, and if the designers of the forum software get wind of it, they might just add it to the base software... maybe

I like your idea Walt. If

Has anybody done a similar

Concrete roads are poured one slab at a time, so I've played around with making slabs of plaster using simple molds.  The 'wall' of the mold is just 2mm depron foam with a rectangle cut out.  Those foam trays in the meat department at your grocery store are Depron.  A good hobby shop should also carry sheets of it.

To get some texture to the surface of the plaster you can use various things as the base.  Waterproof sandpaper will work.  I found a plastic Tupperware lid that had a nice texture to it that also worked.  In the school supplies section at Target they have some subject organizers with plastic covers that had the same type of texture.  The brand was called Up&Up and they cost a few dollars.   If you have a lot to do, the plastic is probably going to be more durable than the sandpaper.

Here's the sandpaper.  (anything above 220 grit isn't going to leave a noticeable texture.

Here's the plastic lid...

You'll want to make up 4 to 6 molds so you can mass produce them.  I mix up the plaster so it's a bit watery compared to what the instructions call for.   After pouring it into the molds, place a pane of glass over it.  This gives the slabs a nice flat bottom.

The slabs can be removed from the molds after a couple of hours, but they take a couple of days to fully cure.  The color will probably lighten to off-white as it cures.

To paint the slabs, I cover the floor of the workshop with newspaper and set the pieces on the floor.  I use a couple of shades of light and medium brown spray paint (Valspar Sagebrush and Krylon Brown Boots work well, or something similar.)   Hold the spray cans about four feet above the plaster parts and give a few bursts of each color.  The particles will settle on the pieces and give them a speckled look.  Do a little at a time and then inspect them.  You can always add more.  Also, all the slabs shouldn't be the same color.  Remove a few after the first burst of paint to represent newer slabs that haven't weathered much. 

Then I dunk the pieces in a bath of alcohol and India ink.  Set them on some newpapers to dry. 

Note that you can use the Depron foam itself as the concrete slabs.  The problem is that it's not very durable.  If it gets bumped it can leave a permanent dent in the foam.

Steve S

Has anybody done a similar

Yes, I have. Here's the link: https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/how-to-make-concrete-roads-out-of-foamboard-12191483

Wow!!!

Mind wondering here....

The sandpaper? I wonder if one could spray a clear flat on the back side of the paper to make it more resilient?

And would tinting the plaster affect the drying time or stability of the plaster?

That stuff looks awesome either way. I'm going to have to try this method.

Concret Roads

Thanks Steve and Michael. I belive I like the poster board / foam core board the best, but I suspect  that I will try both eventually. I put the slash in as I know the material as foam core. I even have 2 sheets of  the stuff from a place I used to work. They used it as signs at seminars.

Jack

There was another on pouring

There was another on pouring concrete right on the layout. It was in one of the posts dealing with a model railroad known as the city edge and was mentioned in one of the great model rail roads special issues from MR I think.

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/3198

Here is a link that showed up when I Googled it that initially has some good info.

Rob in Texas