Florians Eisenbahnseite

Semolina As Plaster

Before large style production of plastic kits became usual, firms like Faller or Vau-Pe released model houses with walls consisting of cardboard or of wood, which were plastered with semolina.

This procedure resulted in a very realistic roughcast structure. Soon, these new kits replaced the old, unrealistic tin plate buildings, a relic from an era when miniature trains were only a toy for children. The manufacturer extended their programe. However, these cardboard kits were short-lived; it should last only a few years, until they were, themselves, replaced by plastic kits. Often, the manufacturer released exactly the same houses as plastic kits they had produced as cardboard kits before.

Semolina as plaster was forgotten by most model-makers, only a few continued practicising this method.

When rebuilding my layout, I also refered on model houses from my very early scratchbuilding days, which urgently needed some rework. So I decided to try this old semolina technique.

First of all, I applied PVA glue on the walls.

As the next step, I applied the semolina on the glue. Underlay a piece of cardboard, because there will always be a certain amount of semolina which won't "hit the target" - so it will be easier to put it back into the receptacle after work has been finished!

Afterwards, turn the part around, hold it over an open receptacle and shake off all the loose semolina.

No look at the wall, if there are still "holes" in the plaster, i.e. if there are points where no semolina has stuck. Patch them with semolina - but dose semolina carefully, to prevent ugly upwarps!

If the wall part is already fitted with windows and doors, handle it with even more care. Use fine brushes to apply the glue, so that no glue gets on doors or window frames. Should this happen, nevertheless, and you're realizing it only after the application of semolina, ake a screwdriver and abrade it carefully, before the glue has dried!

Now, we put the house aside for drying and wait.

On large parts, it can be useful to apply another layer of diluted PVA glue on the semolina to prevent cracks in the plaster. But only use sufficiently diluted glue - otherwise, the roughcast structure could be covered with a layer of glue!

Finally, the house is being painted with white Plaka colour. The colour should being diluted as well, otherwise the roughcast structure could be covered with a layer of colour and would not be visible any longer.

	Now, we put the house aside for drying and wait. On large parts, it can be useful to apply another layer of diluted PVA glue on the semolina to prevent cracks in the plaster. But only use sufficiently diluted glue - otherwise, the roughcast structure could be covered with a layer of glue!



Finally, the house is being painted with white Plaka colour. The colour should being diluted as well, otherwise the roughcast structure could be covered with a layer of colour and would not be visible any longer.