# Something new for dirt



## inxy (Dec 10, 2010)

Playing around with Martha Stewart Living Terra Cotta Specialty Finish "Potting Soil". Looks like clay pottery with a sandy girt, apply with brush or putty knife, water cleanup and consistency is a little thinner than peanut butter. Looks similar to a non skid pattern. You can kinda of layer it or leave small ridges (1/32-1/16" ). Picture of a finish area below. They make a crackle finish which I'll try for a dry lake bed. Forgot the stuff comes in several colors at you local HD.

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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

It looks good, maybe some more earth colors blended in would give it more contrast?



A link,
http://milo.com/martha-stewart-living-10-oz-flat-terra-cotta-specialty-finish_12321391


What is it, a gritty paint?
Or did you apply it over a bumpy surface?

What was this intended for when Martha invented it?

10oz $7.00 bucks.


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## inxy (Dec 10, 2010)

Very gritty paint. Used a brush to apply on a flat surface. Instructions say you can use a putty knife to apply. I'm still learning what I can do with this stuff. Will try the putty knife bit for some small ridges. Pics to come. Also will try your idea of adding another earth tone for contrast. Martha probably copped somebody elses idea. It's a specialty finish line with glitter, crackling, metallic texture, velvet naps and other textures. Stumbled across it at HD looking earth tone paint. Price isn't that bad, get 10% off as I'm a vet and easier than buying paint + sand and whatever to get the end results. Right now am waiting for some of her crackle texture paint for a dry lake bed to dry. Pics tomorrow for a critique Applied with a putty knife, the thicker the application the larger the cracks. Bought a jar of "gravel" a gray texture to try for roads. Play time with this stuff now that track is finally down and my garage is cooler. Also have mixed gray coarse ballast coming in the mail. I have never done scenery, buildings and the like before. It's fun and games time - see what I can do.

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link for MS paints: http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&Ntpc=1&Ntpr=1


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## Massey (Apr 16, 2011)

I mixed some sand into some paint as an experiment with paint texture and I had similar results. The sand did like to stay on the brush more than on the work surface. I also found that sprinkling sand on the wet paint then painting over a second coat has about the same results with less sand in my brush.

Massey


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## inxy (Dec 10, 2010)

Finally got life out of the way. Some pics with color added for contrast. Not sure if I like the look/contrast.




















Also some pics of my attempt at a dry lake bed.



















Comments, good, bad or why cares are welcome.
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## inxy (Dec 10, 2010)

Back in the old days boaters would paint their decks and sprinkle sand on the wet paint for a non skid surface. Today they have premixed stuff that supposedly does the job. Fortunately on my past boats a non skid surface was molded directly into the fiberglass.

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## Massey (Apr 16, 2011)

The sand for non skid on some of my boats would have been about 1 scale foot high. I have a 1:200 scale Yamato, and 1:200 scale Container ship that would not go well with sand non skid. I just used flat paints to simulate the non skid areas on those boats. The larger ones I have like the Tito Neri still are too small for sandy non skid but I have tried to find something that would work on that boat since it is larger and the detail would be nice. I am also working on a scratch built push boat in 1:48 that needs non skid. 

Massey


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Just to add to the discussion ...

Sanded paint on boat decks was often put down on top of a layer of canvas which was stretched taught above the wood deck planking. The sand had a non-skid effect, and the sand/paint mixture help in waterproofing the wood decking a bit.

TJ


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## inxy (Dec 10, 2010)

So I find that "Yamato" is a Japanese battleship and at 1:200 is about 4'2". You have patience. Maybe a fine abrasive grit ? Gritwise you are into stuff that is put into lapping compounds.

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## Steve S (Jan 7, 2012)

One thing you might consider is Zip Texturing. I've never tried it myself, but the results I've seen have been very realistic. In the link below, scroll down most of the way and you'll see some pics of it.

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/3225?page=1



Model Railroad Hobbyist has an article on how to do it...

http://issuu.com/mr-hobbyist/docs/mrh-2010-sep-oct-ol/69?viewMode=presentation&mode=embed

Steve S


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

I think the blending you did on the dirt needs....something.

The dried river bed looks good though I think the color is not right?

Unless it is the camera?

What was that? Martha's crackle paint?


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## inxy (Dec 10, 2010)

Wow, I like this. Read the whole how to link. I like it and easy to do. Never heard of zip texturing before. I will give a try, simple enough for even me to do. Thanks for the links.

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## inxy (Dec 10, 2010)

Unfortunately it is not the camera. Martha did the job for crackle but not color. Need to pics of dry lake beds and repaint with a more lifelike color. The blending is gone and all is the same reddish-brown color. Soon (I hope ??) I'll add some dirt and rocks that I've had for a couple of months. Added some deciduous trees and need to order conifers. Need to add a pic to my layout thread. Got stuff for shrubs and such still in the unopened containers. Vacation and the holidays had slowed me down. Thanks for the critique. Not a word on my layout posts and I was hoping for some critique. This whole process is trail and error to see what works and looks realistic.

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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

inxy said:


> Unfortunately it is not the camera. Martha did the job for crackle but not color. Need to pics of dry lake beds and repaint with a more lifelike color. The blending is gone and all is the same reddish-brown color. Soon (I hope ??) I'll add some dirt and rocks that I've had for a couple of months. Added some deciduous trees and need to order conifers. Need to add a pic to my layout thread. Got stuff for shrubs and such still in the unopened containers. Vacation and the holidays had slowed me down. Thanks for the critique. Not a word on my layout posts and I was hoping for some critique. This whole process is trail and error to see what works and looks realistic.
> 
> B


After you put in the rocks, trees bushes and some grass and weeds it will look great.:thumbsup:

The dried bed looks good too, maybe the color is right.
I know how a camera makes things look different.
After you add the rest of the scenery around it it will be fine.

What color is the bed, a tan or white likes it looks in the picture?
I would think a mixture of browns white and tan would work. 

I guess it depends on which part of the country your in too.

Go to home depot and look at their color charts, they do have a bunch.

I would pick up a bunch of the sampler jars with different colors then experiment.
They last for years.


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## inxy (Dec 10, 2010)

Screw up two times switching browser tabs and lost two posts. If you look at the first post in this thread there are two pics of the dry lake and surrounding area. The actual color is a shade in between the two pics. 

The lake bed is a beige/tan as in: http://findnsave.bellinghamherald.c...rt-Living-10-oz-Flat-Crackle-Specialty-Finish

The surrounding area (also base color of layout) is a well rusted brown as in: http://findnsave.miamiherald.com/Pr...iving-10-oz-Flat-Terra-Cotta-Specialty-Finish

I will add field grass clumps of 1/2 to 3/4inch as in: http://woodlandscenics.woodlandscenics.com/show/Item/FG173/page/1

Colors are picked off the top of my head. Ballast is a mauve color which actually looks good. Guess I'm kind of shooting for colors not found in most everybody else s layout. Like in my lawn service everybody has green shrubs everything, I put in flowering stuff - we need color. Oh well, enough.

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## inxy (Dec 10, 2010)

Dry Lake bed with some landscaping--



















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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

It grew whiskers.

How come you didn't bring the bed all the way to the end of the table?


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## inxy (Dec 10, 2010)

"How come you didn't bring the bed all the way to the end of the table? "

Duh, never thought of doing that. It a started out because I wanted a bridge in the layout. Have a Lionel 280 which is too big for the layout so girder bridge. Not a long enough straight to elevate the bridge, so the dry lake bed is to make the bridge look somewhat realistic - bridges go over something. 

I'm kind of proud of the whiskers - didn't think I could get my fingers to do it. I have been a machinist for a number of years and always had problems with little stuff. Model trains are all about little stuff and I am doing very well with it. Amazing !!

Still have to add some packaged dirt around the edges of the lake bed. In time, first is adding more trees and then grass to my residential section then the dirt for walkways and downfall around the trees.
The landscaping is time consuming.

Post on residential section of layout is here: http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=9093

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