The New Northern Central

[DKS]

Plus, I'm not stirring up a whole tub of the stuff. That just seems so silly.

So, we have micropayments. You have microsceneries?

(In all seriousness, I regularly mix up batches of a few tablespoons of groundgoop. Small enough for you?)

[DKS]

Coloring it is Better but if that prevents any actual work getting done we all lose out.

Honestly, I'm just not getting how the extra four seconds required to add a colorant becomes the enemy of good...

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Honestly, I'm just not getting how the extra four seconds required to add a colorant becomes the enemy of good...

Because I have a giant tub of the stuff that I work out of.



Splat some on, spread it out, and by the time all is said and done, in MOST places it's so thin there'd be no real color coverage anyway.

[DKS]

Because I have a giant tub of the stuff that I work out of.

I hate to say the obvious, but you ever try working out of smaller containers? As in, scoop a little out of the big one into a small disposable cup, do a quick stir, then slap it on? Or is that the enemy of good, too? Oh well, carry on...!

[davefoxx]

I agree with Ed.  Open the tub and smear it in place.  Close the tub.  Unlike plaster, lightweight spackling doesn’t chip like plaster.  It dries to a foam consistency.  Since I can’t pretint the 2” foam substrate, there’s no use in the extra work to pretint the spackling.  I paint it.  I never had damage exposing the raw spackling, but it would be a simple repair, if it occurred.

DFF

[DKS]

Okay, okay, okay! Y'all win. Whatever. I'll stick to my crotchety old man approach, thank you very much. And I'll enjoy every one of the extra four seconds per batch I expend, you lazy losers.



BTW...

I never had damage exposing the raw spackling, but it would be a simple repair, if it occurred.

Of course it would be simple, just throw on some more Kudzu! I have had damage, back in the early days of modeling... every time I drilled a hole for a tree. White dust everywhere. What a pain...

[Chris333]

Smack it up, flip it, rub it down. Oh noooooooooooo.

[davefoxx]

Okay, okay, okay! Y'all win. Whatever. I'll stick to my crotchety old man approach, thank you very much. And I'll enjoy every one of the extra four seconds per batch I expend, you lazy losers.



BTW...

Of course it would be simple, just throw on some more Kudzu! I have had damage, back in the early days of modeling... every time I drilled a hole for a tree. White dust everywhere. What a pain...

Haha!  I told you that I’m lazy.  But, there’s another difference.  I don’t drill holes in the foam.  I stab it with a small screwdriver to make a hole to, for example, plant a tree.  So, no white dust.

DFF

[DKS]

I guess y'all never had the want or need to revise a landform at some point, maybe raise an area an extra half-inch or more? I can mix up a batch of groundgoop and just lay it on. Virtually no shrinkage, no cracking, no fuss, no muss. Let's see y'all do that with yer lightweight spacklecrap...



Okay, I'll stop now.

[davefoxx]

Gotcha covered.  Lightweight spackling doesn’t crack nearly as much as joint compound, so revisions are easy.  A utility knife can remove any foam/spackling, and it’s easy to build up new contours with foam and/or spackling.

DFF

[Chris333]

I get my foam shaped with a snap off blade to about 80-85% of the finished shape. So filler is minimal. I mostly use filler when blending in rock work.

[davefoxx]

I get my foam shaped with a snap off blade to about 80-85% of the finished shape. So filler is minimal. I mostly use filler when blending in rock work.

^This.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Yep. It really is just filler for me. Model railroad scenery Bondo, as it were.

I could mix up a batch, but usually I save that for elsewhere in the house.

[milw12]

Honest question for the pre-mix/lightwieght spackle gang: have you noticed an unpleasant mildew-y smell from the product after it's been applied for a while? The temperature and humidity of the space was always within reason, but a slight odor would develop over time. Anything packed in the storage unit was strong and very off-putting, so that leads me to believe it's related to humidity and dampness. Dumpstered everything in the end and began exterminating with other products, haven't had issues with sculptamold + concrete dye and think I'll try ground goop next.

It could just be my experience as well, I liked the ease of application and clean up but the smell is a deal breaker.

Thanks,
Lucas

[davefoxx]

That’s odd, Lucas.  I have not gotten a mildewy smell with lightweight spackling, and I am running a dehumidifier 24/7 to try to keep the humidity under control.  Many years ago, I had a layout in my parents’ very damp basement, and the Sculptamold I experimented with mildewed.  Again, that was a very damp basement.

DFF