O Gauge Modelling on the GWR

A personal Journey

Scenery Work(2)

My first attempts were awful and the mess was all over the floor, I made a mould, poured the raw latex into it and suspended the form into it. Latex welled out all over the floor and it didn't dry off as the form created an airtight seal over the remaining latex. fortunately once the latex is dry you can peel it off the places where it shouldn't have gone! Back to the drawing board! My next attempts were more successful though:- For supplies, see the Casting and Moulding Link in the Useful Sites page.

I used a latex mixture with a thickener added to make it like thick cream. This then spreads nicely over the form you have created. I have mixed and poured in a fine plaster and used a reinforced surround to stop the mould distorting due to the weight of the plaster. Its all a bit fiddly but the mould can be used again and again. I have yet to get it straight and square though!
The form was made by gluing a plastic brick sheet over a piece of wood. This was made the size of a buttress as used to support long stretches of brick walling. I then covered the form with the thick latex mixture. Use a spatula and take your time building up the layers as you go. You can wait till this coat dries then apply extra coats on top they all stick together nicely to make a thick mould. Keep the mixture in an airtight container to stop it from 'going off'.
I repeated this successful attempt by making a couple more and then once dried I painted one with the antique pine stain as you can see here.

On the back of this initial success I built a much bigger mould. Again I made a box to hold it secure to support it when the plaster was poured in and allowed to set. Unfortunately this is a much bigger undertaking and needs much more plaster. I made it in two batches but must have got the water to plaster ratio wrong as the result is 'powdery' and even after it dried I could rub the brick impressions flat as can be seen from the images here.

 

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