Geodesic Foam Scenery™ Instruction Manual

    Geodesic Foam Scenery™ is a revolutionary, modern scenery system for making strong, realistic, super lightweight scenery in any scale.

Introduction

    Scenery constructed of Geodesic Foam is extraordinarily lightweight and reproduces incredible detail from rock molds and is practically indestructible. It is easy to make and it is economical and frugal in the use of materials. One square foot of Geodesic Foam Scenery™ hard-shell will weigh 2 ounces and is far stronger than a full pound of plaster or hydrocal hard-shell of the same dimensions. Add rock castings and the weight increases to only 4 or 6 ounces. This system uses no plaster, hydrocal or other heavy materials and is easy to work and color. Beautiful, convincing scenery can be quickly created rivaling the best plaster work which would easily weigh up to 15 or 20 times as much.

    The scenery terrain surface (hard-shell) is a light tough sheet of of cast foam resin made over a ready made "mold" of fiberglass window screen fabric. The hard-shell sheet weighs only 1-2 ounces per square foot. It can be formed to any contour and covered with any scenic material or with rock castings. this unique method allows rock castings to be placed on the hard-shell while they are still soft and pliable. They later set hard with a tough, highly detailed outer skin. Because the materials are so light in weight the hard-shell panels and castings can be made very large with ease. this allows scenery construction to progress at a very rapid pace; many times faster than with plaster, hydrocal, carved foam sheets or other traditional scenery methods and materials. The resulting scenery is very strong but remains somewhat flexible. This resilient landscape is very resistant to damage.

Suggested Materials and Recommended Suppliers

1.) Polyurethane Foam -- TAStudios
2.) Cast Satin™ -- TAStudios
3.) Cardboard strips, 1" wide x 4' long and Masking tape -- Hardware store
4.) Petroleum Jelly (Vaseline) -- Grocer
5.) White Gloss ENAMEL (lacquer based) spray paint -- Hardware or paint store
6.) Plastic disposable drop cloth or tarp -- Hardware or paint store
7.) Fiberglass door screen -- Hardware or building supplier
8.) Kitchen plastic wrap (Saran Wrap) -- Grocer
9.) Paper cups -- Grocer
10.) Disposable Latex Gloves -- Hardware store
11.) Stir sticks or plastic spoons -- grocer
12.) 1 ounce plastic measuring cups (disposable) -- Grocer
13.) Cardboard strips, for use as disposable brushes 1" x 4", 4" x 4" squares -- scrap
14.) Latex or Rubber rock molds -- TAStudios (or any existing molds you may have)
15.) Hot glue gun and gun sticks -- Art supply/craft store
16.) Staple Gun (optional)
17.) Artist's acrylic gesso -- TAStudios
18.) Artist's acrylic tube paint (burnt and raw sienna, burnt and raw umber, Payne's gray, midnight blue, yellow oxide and medium green) -- TAStudios
19.) Powered black tempera paint -- TAStudios
20.) Rubbing alcohol (optional) -- Drug store
21.) Large sponge -- Grocer
22.) Pint spray bottle -- Grocer
23.) Assorted inexpensive stiff brushes -- art supply store or hardware store
24.) White glue or acrylic matte medium -- art supply store or hardware store

Planning

    Nothing saves time and frustration like a little advanced planning. We suggest that you have your track work laid and wired prior to beginning the scenery. We also suggest that you clearly mark out all areas where you will have structures, etc. This will allow you to visualize the entire scenic area. perhaps a small model of the scenic area would be helpful, made from clay or cardstock and tape. this will allow you to visual the landscape in 3-D and keep the number of unexpected surprises to a minimum as the full size of the project takes shape. We also highly recommend that whenever you are trying a new scenery method that you learn to use them on a small sample area before plunging into a larger more expensive project.

Building Scenery

    Profile and Lattice Contours

   Hot glue or staple profile sheets of foam board or cardboard strips onto the benchwork to form the underlying support and limits of the mountains, canyons and other terrain contours for your layout. Add a few long strips of cardboard and stick a masking tape lattice over these to give the terrain some form. This will also help you visualize the overall form of the hard-shell. The contour areas may also be stuffed with wads of newspaper to form and hold a particular shape. These methods are the same used to form a base support for traditional plaster or hydrocal hard-shell and are covered in numerous books and articles on the subject. The substantial difference here is that the Geodesic Foam Scenery™ system is so lightweight and durable that only a bare minimum of support is required and it can be removed once the hard-shell fully cures.

photo here

About Polyurethane Foam

   Foams are two part A-B liquid resin sets and are formulated to expand 30-40 times in volume when the parts are combined, then harden into a tough plastic foam. It is laminated with other materials that will contribute to the overall strength of the finished scenery while adding a minimum of weight. We do not recommend using the spray-can insulation foam sold in hardware stores for two reasons. First, it is much more expensive than it's liquid counterpart and second, it comes out of the cans as an already expanded, fast setting foam which is very difficult to control. Foam resins are temperature sensitive. this means that the user can control the working life of the product by controlling the temperature of the liquid resin. If the resin is cooled in a refrigerator or ice chest to between 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit the resin will react more slowly and give more working time. Cooling the resin before use is strongly recommended for beginners. The warmer the resin the faster it will react; giving less working time.

Scenery Shell (Hard-shell)

   There are two methods for making the hard-shell. Both rely on tough, lightweight polyurethane foam resin as their major ingredient. Described is the first, lighter duty hard-shell typically used on small to medium sized indoor projects. Second is a heavier duty shell used primarily on outdoor projects and very large indoor work where floor to ceiling scenery is planned or where very high strength is required. we recommend that you compare both methods so you can compare their qualities. You can learn to to handle the materials by making small practice panels one or two square feet in size.

Hard-shell Method #1

    To make the standard duty hard-shell begin by placing a piece of plastic kitchen wrap or  a thin plastic tarp (cut into a workable size) on a flat, smooth work surface. The plastic wrap should be a little larger than the hard-shell panel that you plan to make. Cover this with a double layer of fiberglass door screen fabric that is slightly smaller than the plastic sheet. About two square feet is good for a first project.

    It is best to wear disposable latex gloves when handling resins as the resins are difficult to remove from skin and may rarely cause an allergic skin reaction in some individuals. It is also a good idea to cover your work surface with a disposable tarp or drop drop cloth.

    One ounce clear disposable plastic condiment cups are very convenient for measuring the resin. Mix only a total of one ounce of foam per square foot. For a tow square foot area mix one ounce of A and one ounce of B foam resin together for a total of 2 ounces total. Combine the two parts; A and B together and mix thoroughly with a mixing stick or plastic cup. Pour a stream of mixed resin over the screen and squeegee it evenly over the entire surface with a 4" square of corrugated cardboard. Place another sheet of of plastic sheeting or film over this and press it smooth with your hands. Please note window screen fabrics from different sources can vary slightly in thickness. These variations can affect the amount of resin needed for full coverage. You may need slightly less or slightly more than one ounce of resin per square foot. The hard-shell can now be lifted off the work table and attached to the benchwork and contour boards with hot glue. The outer layer of plastic film should be removed after 10-15 minutes when the foam is soft set and no longer sticky. The shell panel will remain flexible for 20-30 minutes and the surface can easily be manipulated to set the exact contours that you want. the surface will stiffen in 30 minutes or so, but will not reach maximum strength for at least 24 hours.

    Additional panels can be made in any manageable size and attached and formed in the same way. Join two panels together by overlapping the edges slightly and bond with hot glue. If a very smooth joint is required spread a thin bead of inexpensive acrylic/latex paintable bathtub caulk over the seam (we use DAP). Smooth the caulk with a damp brush or sponge. Many silicone caulks will not accept paint and are not recommended; check the label.

    If you only want grass or earth covering rolling hills and slopes and if no rock work is desired; the rigid hard-shell is now ready to paint. paint the shell with a coat of earth colored acrylic or latex paint and allow to dry thoroughly. Now brush undiluted white craft glue or acrylic matte medium over the painted shell. Select any desired loose ground covering materials such as ground foam turf, sand, decomposed granite, gravel or real dirt and sprinkle it onto the wet glue. Usually a combination of colors and textures gives the most realistic effect. More information on ground cover is in the section on Final Detailing.

Hard-shell Method #2

   This method produces a heavier duty hard shell and is recommended for outdoor projects and very large indoor projects with floor to ceiling scenery. This heavier shell uses bubble wrap packing sheets to control the expanding foam resin. It uses twice as much foam resin as its lighter duty counterpart. For learning purposes we recommend that you make a hard-shell panel no larger than two square feet to begin with.

    Start by covering a flat work surface with a piece of disposable plastic drop cloth or wax paper. Place a piece of 3/16" thick bubble wrap about 12" x 24" bubble side up on the work surface.

    The bubble wrap serves several functions. First, it contains and controls the polyurethane foam resin while it is in a liquid and expanding state. Second, it serves as a mold to form the foam into a honeycomb grid sheet about 1/4" thick that uses a minimal amount of resin. Only enough to fill the space between the bubbles in the wrap is required. Additionally, a grid provides much better strength than a solid sheet of foam of the same thickness and dimensions while using less material. This system was named Geodesic Foam Scenery™ because the underside grid of cast foam resembles Buckminster Fuller's geodesic domes.

    Next, cut a piece of fiberglass door screen fabric about one inch larger than the piece of bubble wrap and set it aside along with a roll of kitchen plastic wrap or thin painter's tarp sheeting. About 2 ounces total of the polyurethane foam liquids will be needed for each square foot of bubble wrap to be covered. (1 ounce each of parts A and B per square foot). One ounce clear disposable plastic condiment cups are very convenient for measuring the resin.

  It is best to wear disposable latex gloves when handling resins as the resins are difficult to remove from skin and may rarely cause an allergic skin reaction in some individuals. It is also a good idea to cover your work surface with a disposable tarp or drop drop cloth.

    A 12" x 24" piece of bubble wrap is two square feet, so measure 2 ounces of each part of the foam resin. A and B are always mixed in equal proportions. While learning these procedures it is also important to use the resins at a temperature between 50-70 degrees Fahrenheit. Warmer temperatures will cause the foam to set very quickly. You can control the amount of working time you need by controlling the temperature of the resin. On warm days keep the resin bottles in an ice chest.

    Pour the two measured liquids into a larger paper or plastic cup and stir with a disposable stick for about ten to fifteen seconds. Immediately pour it in a thin stream over the bubble wrap in a circular or spiral pattern to distribute it as evenly as possible. Spread the liquid thinly and evenly to within 1/2" of the edge with a square of cardboard. It should not overflow the bubble wrap. Spread the foam as fast as possible because it will begin to expand quickly. Place the fiberglass door screen fabric on top of the foam and cover it with the sheet of plastic film you set aside earlier. press the layers together with your hands (the plastic film will prevent the sticky foam from getting on your skin). An optional step is to place a piece of plywood on top and weight it with a heavy object such as a brick, a smoother finish may result. This needs to sits for 30 seconds or so to allow the foam to expand into the screen. The foam behaves something like waffle batter in a waffle iron; filling in the spaces between the bubbles to create a grid.

    Lift the soft, laminated bubble wrap/foam/screen blanket off the work table. It will remain flexible for about 15-20 minutes depending on the temperature. This will give you ample time to apply it to the scenery forms and benchwork. It can be attached whole or cut with scissors. Sometimes small pieces or narrow strips are needed to form over complex shapes.

    The blanket must be attached plastic film/screen side up. Hold it in place with hot glue or a construction grade adhesive such as "Liquid Nails". If your forms and benchwork are made out of wood it can be mounted with a staple gun. If you are working outdoors do not use hot glue as your primary adhesive, because it will melt on a hot day. If outdoors use hot glue as "spot welds" only; to tack the sheet in place. Use construction adhesive such as 'Liquid nails" for the primary adhesive. The profile boards, cardboard strips and wads of newspaper will hold the Geodesic Foam™ sheet to the desired form until the foam sets hard. After a few minutes the plastic wrap is peeled off, exposing a fairly smooth surface. Additional sheets are prepared and attached to the forms and to one another by overlapping and gluing the screen border or edge of the laminated sheet. Seams and abrupt edges can be feathered out with paintable latex caulk if desired. Continue these procedures until the desired portion of hard shell is complete. Once a prepared blanket is applied; work can stop and resume at your pace. The foam will be stiff in a half hour or so. The shell will cure to maximum strength in about 24 hours. Paper wads and cardboard strips may be removed after the foam cures.

    Large sheets can be made to cover broad areas in a very short time. It helps to have an assistant when working with pieces over eight square feet. Groups of two or three people can prepare and handle very big pieces; as large as four x six feet or even more. A four by six are of plaster or hydrocal would require hours of labor instead of minutes and would weight 10-15 times as much.

     If you only want grass or earth covering rolling hills and slopes and if no rock work is desired; the rigid hard-shell is now ready to paint. paint the shell with a coat of earth colored acrylic or latex paint and allow to dry thoroughly. Now brush undiluted white craft glue or acrylic matte medium over the painted shell. Select any desired loose ground covering materials such as ground foam turf, sand, decomposed granite, gravel or real dirt and sprinkle it onto the wet glue. Usually a combination of colors and textures gives the most realistic effect. More information on ground cover is in the section on Final Detailing.

Rock Castings

   Where exposed rock cliffs, outcrops, cuts and retaining walls are desired; rock castings can now be made and applied to the hard-shell. Light, hard rock castings are made in latex rubber molds using two different plastic resins in turn. An outer coating is first made in the rock mold from Cast Satin™ resin. This is an odorless, white polymer casting resin. This unique, specially formulated, fast setting resin produces every detail of the mold and produces bubble free castings of excellent quality (it also works great casting cars, structures, portals and detail parts in rubber molds). Unlike the foam, Cast Satin™ does not expand. It sets into a hard plastic. Once the Cast Satin™ coating sets up to gel it is backed up with the same foam resin that is used to make the hard-shell panels. This makes the casting strong but light. The casting is removed form the mold and applied to the hard-shell panel while it is still soft and pliable. It sets hard in about half an hour. Castings may be applied to an already existing plaster hard-shell or other scenery materials as well as to the Geodesic Foam™ hard-shell.

    Rubber rock molds made from any material may be used. Commercial latex or vinyl molds or homemade latex or silicon RTV molds will all work as well. Even molds of a very large size can be used because the casting materials are so light in weight that the molds can be handled easily. In fact, if large areas of scenery need to be covered with rock castings, large molds will make the work progress very rapidly. While any mold will work, relatively flat molds rather than deep bowl shaped molds are the easiest to use.

    You can make molds from liquid latex by brushing the latex onto rocks, coal or "living" rock outcrops. Allow the latex to dry thoroughly between the coats. Most molds need four to six coats of latex before being peeled from the pattern. TAStudios has a large selection of of ready to use latex rock and retaining wall molds available for purchase.

    Any molds that you plan to use must be coated with a mold release prior to each use to prevent the Cast Satin™ from adhering to them. The best method is to coat the mold with a thin, even layer of petroleum jelly (Vaseline). Rub the jelly all over the mold with your fingers and work it into all the nooks and crannies. You may want to wear thin Latex gloves while doing this if you do not want to get the jelly on your hands, but DO NOT use a brush, as you will get too heavy a coat of jelly on the mold. The coating of jelly on the mold should appear shiny, but should otherwise be invisible. If there are any visible globs of jelly continue to work it in. You should be able to feel the slick, greasy coating on the rubber mold surface. Next, spray gloss white enamel (lacquer) based spray paint all over the inside of the mold. (DO NOT USE WATER BASED PAINT) Lacquer based spray paint is the best because it dries quickly and the mold can be cast right away. Spray lacquer is available at all Home Depot or Lowes stores. It is also available direct from TAStudios. As the paint dries it combines chemically with the petroleum jelly to create an excellent mold release that allows the casting to be easily removed from the mold and leaves a non-greasy, paintable surface. The used molds do not need to be cleaned but do need to be re-coated with mold release just prior to each cast. There are a variety of mold release sprays on the market; some of which will work well. they should first be tested on the back of a mold before risking a valuable mold. Non-stick cooking spray and fabric protecting sprays such as "Scotch Guard" are not very effective and are not recommended.

    We strongly recommend that the Cast Satin™ resin be used for the next step because it is safe and was designed specifically to do this job. Like the foam resin, the Cast Satin™ is temperature sensitive. The warmer it is the faster it sets; the cooler it is the more working time you will have. There are other casting resins on the market but most have some undesirable qualities. they can set too fast or too slowly, stick to the molds, turn brittle or refuse to adhere to to the foam. Most have a foul odor that can linger for months and some release toxic formaldehyde or other noxious fumes. Do not be tempted to cast your mold with the foam resin by itself. Polyurethane foams are VERY adhesive and will ruin your molds after a very few casts, even with a mold release. Foams do not take mold detail very well and the surface of the casting will remain soft and fragile.

    It is best to mount the mold in a frame holder as described below or pin and clip it to a sheet of cardboard, plywood or foam core before casting. A mold frame can be simply four strips of thin wood glued or nailed at the corners. The frame should be a little larger than your largest mold. Loop some rubber bands over the sides of the frame and place a spring clothes pin over each rubber band loop. Clip the prepared mold into the frame with the clothes pins. It will look something like an animal hide in a curing frame. The frame is quick and easy to make and will allow you to handle the mold during casting without spilling and wasting resin. The mold frame works best for molds up to about two square feet. larger molds are more easily handled if supported on a sheet of this plywood.

    Very small amounts of Cast Satin™ will be mixed; only enough to give a thin coat to the mold. Usually an ounce or less is all that is necessary in a typical 4" to 5" diameter mold. Of course the amount needed will vary depending on the size of the mold. Also the amount of and depth of textured detail in the mold affects the surface area and thus the quantity of resin needed. Only experience can guide you here, but a good rule of thumb is two to three ounces of mixed resin per square foot. Pour a small amount of A and B Cast Satin™ resins into two small measuring cups (again, equal portions). Pour these back and forth several times to mix them thoroughly or pour into a third container and stir 10-15 seconds. Pour a thin stream of resin around the inside of the mold. make some brushes from 1" x 4" strips of cardboard with a 1/2" long fringe cut into one end to serve as bristles or use short pieces of fiber rope as disposable brushes. Brush the resin even over the entire mold surface to within 1/2" of the edges of the mold. After 2-3 minutes the resin starts to harden into a thick syrup. Pick up the mold by its frame or board and carefully tilt it back and forth to keep the resin from collecting in the low spots. The resin will rapidly thicken and turn a milky color in another minute or two. The idea is to coat the entire mold with as even a layer as possible. At the point when the resin is still slight fluid, but will no longer flow freely, the mold can be inverted. This will help the high spots to to get coated, but the resin will be stiff enough not to drip out of the mold. Until you gain enough experience with determining the amount of resin needed you may need to give the mold a second coat. Usually this takes less resin than the first coat and you should concentrate on covering the thin spots. Areas that are thick enough will turn a slightly milky color.

    When the resin is no longer fluid, but still sticky it is ready to be coated with a backing layer of of foam. Remove the mold from the frame and set the mold on your work table generally about 25% to 50% less foam is needed than the Cast Satin™ that was used in the previous step. Pour the mixed foam resin over the soft, gelled Cast Satin™ layer and spread it to nearly the edge of the Cast Satin™ with another cardboard or rope disposable brush. A thin yellow-brown layer of foam is all that is needed. The foam will expand in just a few minutes to form an 1/8" to 1/4" thick coat. The casting is ready to remove from the mold when it is soft set. The foam should be soft but dry to the touch. This should take between three to seven minutes depending on the temperature. If it feels tacky wait a little longer. Peel the soft, dry casting away from the edge of the mold all of the way around. Then place the mold and casting mold side up on a work surface. The mold should be bent away from the casting with one hand while supporting the still soft and fragile casting  with the other. Gently pull the two apart. The casting should be quite flexible.

    The casting is now ready to apply to the hard-shell scenery base. Decide where the casting is to go and in what direction it will lie. You may cut or tear the casting into smaller pieces and use them in several places. Turn the casting face down and apply a bead of hot glue or Liquid Nails around the edge of the casting and some across the middle. Turn it over and press it onto the hard-shell before the glue sets. Be careful as hot glue can burn your fingers. You may want to wear gloves or use a blunt stick while pressing the hot glue/casting in place.

    The possible size of the resin/foam rock casting is limited only by the size of the mold use. It is no more difficult to a large mold than to cast a small one once you have some experience with the materials and methods. Large castings make it possible to cover a large area in a short time.

    Additional castings may be made and applied at any time. The castings can be overlapped slightly and jointed to make a rock wall that appears seamless. The rock castings come out of the molds with jagged, irregular and flexible edges. This desirable and will aid in camouflaging the edge of adjoining castings so they appear like a solid, seamless face. A little extra glue will be needed, particularly at the seams to hold the still soft, flexible edges of the overlapped castings tightly together. The castings will remain soft and pliable for 10-15 minutes after coming out of the mold. They can be kept softer longer if necessary by keeping them warm with hot air from a hair dryer or electric hot air gun.

    As confidence and skill are gained with these processes several castings can be made at once and the work can proceed at a more rapid pace. The finished castings have a hard, durable surface but they can be easily cut or drilled. If a resin rock cannot be used right away it will harden and will no longer be flexible enough to form. It can be re-softened at any time (even years later) by heating it with a hot air gun (on low heat) or a hair dryer (on high heat) and then applied to the scenery base with glue.

   Use a little paintable latex caulk here and there to fill small gaps or smooth transitions between castings and other areas and also to create roads and trails. Apply the caulk with a brush or small spatula or stick. Latex caulk is easy to smooth with a damp brush.

    You can cut, drill, alter and patch your Geodesic Foam Scenery™ easily and at any time add structures or make other changes from your original plan.

    If you are working outdoors keep in mind that hot glue will re-soften on a hot day, so a construction grade adhesive such as :liquid nails should be used instead.

    Painting the Scenery

   When the hard-shell and rock castings are in place it is time to paint your scenery. Painting the scenery is the most important step in making it look convincingly realistic. It is quick and easy to do if you use the right materials. Scenery painting is often a little intimidating to model makers who have had little or no art training. This system was developed to work for you and to provide professional quality results even if you have never held a brush in your hand. Just use the recommended materials and follow the steps below.

    Before you begin painting, consider the lighting conditions under which your scenery will be displayed. Colors appear many times darker in artificial light than they do in sunlight. they also look different under incandescent light than they do under fluorescent light. Whenever possible it is best to paint under the same lights that will be used for the displaying the item.

    We do not agree with the common school of thought that suggests that rock work should be painted with flat latex wall paint or opaque spray paints.These paints are designed to be washable and to resist stains; they really are not an ideal primer coat for coloring model scenery. Colored, opaque latex wall paints are definitely NOT suitable for finishing model rock castings. Instead we recommend priming your rocks with white artist's acrylic gesso. gesso is designed specifically to accept paints and stains with ease, subtlety and control. It is what artists use to prepare a surface prior to painting a picture. There is very little difference between the inexpensive house brands of gesso and the more expensive name brands. Gesso is available in art supply stores or by mail from TAStudios.

    Apply the gesso full strength to the rock castings with an inexpensive stiff brush. gesso is not needed on the hard-shell areas that are to be finished with ground cover. As the gesso begins to dry, brush it out of any deeper pockets where it tends to accumulate in your castings. You will need a thin, even coat. be careful not to cover subtle details in the rock castings with a thick layer of gesso or they will be hidden. Allow the gesso to dry thoroughly before continuing to paint your scenery. Clean your brush with warm soapy water.

    Full size rock outcroppings in nature are large enough to create deep shadows of strong light and dark contrasts. Your miniature rock castings are too small to do this without some help. There are several ways of creating the illusion of shadow in miniature. One commonly prescribed method is to first color the rocks and then spray them with a mixture of rubbing alcohol or water and India ink. The ink wash collects in the deeper areas and crevices and makes the detail stand out. The drawback of this method is that the ink darkens everything and is hard to control. You won't know the final shade and darkness of the rock color until the ink dries.

    A better, more controllable approach is to create shadows first with black powered tempera paint, before the other colors are added. Dry tempera is available from TAStudios and in some art supply stores. Dry tempera is the same material mixed with water to paint signs and decorations on store windows.

    With a stiff one inch DRY brush apply the DRY powder to the DRY gesso covered rock castings and brush it in. At this point the rocks will be gray-black, as if covered with a layer of soot. Next, mist the tempera with water from a spray bottle. Then use a damp sponge and water and wash as much of the tempera as possible from the rock castings. Rinse or change the sponges frequently. Leave the dark tempera only in the crevices and deep cuts of the castings. About ninety percent should be cleaned away leaving white gesso exposed and some very strong contrasts of light and dark.

    When the scenery is completely dry it is ready for some color. Begin by squeezing very small blobs of four or five different colors of earth tone acrylic artist's tube paints onto the rim of a plastic bowl or cup. This will be your palette. These colors will vary depending on the region and type of rock being modeled. Burnt and raw umber, burnt and raw sienna, yellow oxide, Payne's gray and perhaps dark blue and green will handle nearly any situation. Fill the container about half way with water.

    using a stiff one inch brush touch the tip of the bristles in one color, getting only a small speck of paint on the brush. Then dip the brush in the water. Brush it randomly onto a rock casting. The acrylic colors will combine with a little of the black tempera giving a pleasing, slightly grayed look. If the color looks too intense, brush on more water. The idea is to apply very, very thin washes of transparent color. Use several or all of the colors applying them randomly. Allow them to bleed or overlap somewhat. The first thin coat should dry before continuing. Add several layers of very thin transparent washes in the same manner. Use several different colors on each wash coat. Greater depth, subtlety and realism is created by building up the color with layers of washes rather than with one or two heavier coats of color. You cannot put on too little paint because you can always add more. Allowing the paint to dry between layers gives you more control.

    Vary the colors as you apply them over previous layers. In other words, do not put yellow over yellow or brown over brown. Which colors you use, and in what order does not really matter with the first couple of coats as long as there is some variety. When you apply the the third or fourth coat think more about the final colors you want and begin to define strata, streaks and other details. It is important to keep in mind that each layer of color is making everything darker; be conservative with the intensity. By applying the color in thin transparent layers the rock work will take on a luminosity, richness of color and appearance of realism that cannot be achieved in any other way! The color can be lightened by washing it with rubbing alcohol. f you do not like the colors that have been applied, the scenery may be recoated with gesso and painted again.

    It is not difficult to master these coloring methods with a little practice. We recommend learning on a small section of scenery or on a small diorama. Practice until you are satisfied with the results. The thin film of color that you add to your model scenery is the most important single aspect of making your miniature world convincing to the viewer.

Final Detailing

   When the paint is dry and finished to your satisfaction it is time to add ground cover, trees, water, figures and various other details. If you have left area of the foam hard shell without a covering of rock castings you can give them the appearance of of bare earth or grassy hillsides by sprinkling granulated ground covering materials over a white glue or acrylic matte medium coated surface as described at the end of the section on making the hard-shell. For tall grasses and weeds glue down any variety of model grass mats that are sold in hobby shops or individual tufts made from natural plants or fiber rope. For bare earth and aggregates nothing beats the real thing. Some loose earth, sand and gravel in appropriate colors may be collected in the wild in your area. A wide variety of ground cover and aggregate products are available in hobby shops.

    Heavier accumulations of loose material collect as tallus piles at the base of cliffs or as screed on steep slopes. You can also prepare stream and river beds with loose gravel, small stones, twigs and other debris. An undercoat of glue or matte medium alone will not hold all the loose material in place. Spray over all these areas (after the undercoat of glue is dry)with a light spray of "wet water" - a mix of water with a few drops of dish washing soap. This will prepare penetrate and dampen even thick accumulations of of the surface soils. Next spray with a mixture of approximately 50% white glue or matte medium and 50% water with a few drops of dish washing detergent. This will soak into the solid and hold everything down once it is dry with an invisible bond. This same combination can be used to hold track ballast down, but be sure to protect switch points and moving parts from the glue spray.

    If you are planning to add "water" to your scenery, this is the best time to do so. There are so many choices available for modeling water. Regardless of what material you choose be sure that the water's bed is completely sealed to prevent leaks. For deep water such as streams, lakes and harbors we suggest using casting resins. Either polyester or epoxy resins will work. Polyester casting resin is the least expensive and the easiest to use, but it has a foul odor that lingers for several days. It is best to pour it out of doors or in a very well ventilated room. Epoxy resin does not have the foul odor, but costs more and most brands yellow slightly with age. Either are available from art and craft supply stores. Most cast resins shrink when they harden so it is best to cast then no more than a 1/4" at a time rather than thicker casts, as the material may develop shrink cracks while hardening.  Dyes added to the resins are generally not recommended because these colors are difficult to control and results are often unnatural looking and unpredictable. Better control is maintained by painting the bottom of the streambed or pond allowing the color to show through the clear resin. Paint the bottom of deeper areas with a darker color and feather the color as you get closer to the edges or shores. Puddles and shallow water are easy to model with artist's acrylic gloss varnish. It is water based and air dries rather slowly so it is best when used for shallow water. Acrylic gloss varnish is also great for representing rapids and waves because it holds it shape without settling flat after it is brushed on. It can be applied over your thicker pours of casting resin to create texture and also to seal in the odor released by polyester resins. After it dries the high points can be dry brushed white to give the appearance of white caps or white water foam.

    Geodesic Foam Scenery™ is plastic, so it is 100% waterproof. Real water may be used. Paint colors must be sealed with a clear waterproof varnish. All electrical wiring must be protected from the water.

    Trees can easily be planted by simply drilling a hole in the Geodesic Foam Scenery™ and "planting" the tree in place. You may want to add a dab of hot glue to the tree to ensure a steady firm position in the foam.

    Clutter, details and figures are very important in creating interesting and convincing scenes. These small details are fun to add and to change as long as you have your railroad. Detail parts and clutter and figures are available from a wide variety of vendors. Most detail parts and some structures can be held in place with a repositionable glue such as Aleen's "Tack It Over And Over".

   Geodesic Foam Scenery™ is fun and easy to make. Not only is it stronger than traditional plaster or hydrocal scenery but it is so light that it should give new freedom to module builders who want to make massive, realistic mountain railroads that are light enough to transport effortlessly. Model builders making "permanent" layouts can reduce the mass and weight of the scenery support structure and will be able to move layouts in sections and reassemble if the need arises. Best of all the results look great!

Technical assistance is available weekdays from 9am-5pm EDT by calling TAStudios at 330-533-7181.