Terrain base question

I wish you the best of luck on your diorama, Dirkpitt. I have done only one dio with plaster and it was a disaster!  I am sure someone here can help you fix this problem.

 Regards, Dan

I use the plaster bandage technique myself. Here's what I'd do. Mix a somewhat thin slurry of plaster and use it to cover the holes in your base. I use a old, 1/2" wide paint brush and randomly stipple the plaster over the hardened bandages. Before the plaster sets, take a kitchen strainer, tea strainer or piece of window screen and lightly sift dry plaster onto the still wet plaster. This will produce a very fine grained texture when dried, much more realistic than the smooth plaster surface you would get if you don't do this. You can cover this with whatever ground material you wish, but you won't have to worry about covering every inch with it because the textured plaster looks great on it's own, especially for bare rock. I paint with a series of washes, allowing each one to bleed into the others, so that you produce a mottled color effect on the ground work.

This small diorama was made using this technique;

The large sections of bare rock were cast in a Woodland Scenics rock mold, then glued to the hardened plaster bandage. Rubble was glued in various places, then wet plaster was added around it, sprinkled with dry plaster, allowed to dry and painted.

To answer your question, yes you can place the plain mixed plaster over top.  Get it as smooth as possible using a popsicle stick or other flat surface.  When nearly dry take a large fine haired brush, dip it in some water and "smooth" your surface.  Wait about 10 mins the do it again.  When dry smooth it even more with fine grit sand paper. 

This technic will achieve a baby smooth surface. 

If you want to "rough it up" a little, leave a little plaster mix (about 1/4 to 1/2 in depth) in a flat tin or paper plate.  Wait till it's completely dry, then break it off in random chunks, attach these chunks in random patterns on your flat surface.  Brush some wet plaster to fill in the gaps.

Just another tip I learned from my model railroading days. 

     Great tips guys.  Thanks!

       I may make a test base to try these on before I do the real thing.  This is going to call for a little experimentation.

     Wait, what about grass?  I will be needing to add some shin length or knee length grass  (1/48 or 1/35 scale figures).   Would  you do this when the plaster is wet so I can just jab clumps of grass in?  Or should I wait and glue it on after the plaster has dried?

 

    Ok, I think I'm done bothering everyone now.  At least for a little bit.  Thanks again!

 

  Chris

I'd plant the grass after I've painted the plaster. That alliteration was even hard to type, much less say.

Steve

 

 

Yep wait till after you've painted/treated the plaster. You can form grass "clumps" using two part putty (I use AVES) or even clay.  The attach the "clumps" using white glue.  Using a micro drill to drill holes in the plaster will also work, but thats a lot of work.