Monstro Makes - material glossary

I have attempted to collect some of the terms I use, generally, when I talk about what my products are made of, as well as any relevant information for durability (for my customers) and availability (for other scenery designers).

Recently I had someone correct some of my numbers. I think they're right so I'm changing up what I've got. Anyways, here's some reading material if you're interested.

Editorial Comment from Monstro

Two things, though, first of all: thanks Elliot Saunders for this info. Elliot posts over at Hirst Arts forum which is a good place for tips if you already know what you're doing. Second, you should be warned about these numbers. At Elliott's expert advice, I have lowered my previous numbers. This will probably mean I'll get an email from somebody else suggesting that the numbers are actually much higher than what I've listed (I already received a few such emails before I changed the numbers). I'm going by charts. The people who write me are all going by years of experience. Who's right? Answer: plaster of paris will snap, hydrocal will too but requires a little more pressure, and in my experience, Merlin's magic you have to try to snap in order to break it, and Excalibur will only snap at junctions of less than a 1/4" thick unless you're really trying to snap it. That's just my experience of using the stuff and handing it to our most destructive War 40k player. Numbers? I don't know. But I do know broken scenery, so that's what I can give.

This chart is a bit misleading, however. I reinforce both my plaster of paris and hydrocal with silicon (sand). Depending on who you ask this either increases the durability by 150% to 200%. I don't know. It makes it more durable, but I don't have a Mack truck to drive over my scenery to find out. I think, obviously, that all of these are short of resin (and are definitely less durable than fiberglass), but resin costs significantly more than other casting materials and requires a lot of ventilation. I live in Massachusetts where the temperature drops below thirty degrees for months on end. There is no way I could work with resin without getting brain damage, so...

Sometimes abbreviated POP. You can buy this in large amounts from any good hardware or industrial supply store. In a pinch you can buy this in smaller amounts from art stores or Walmart. If you pay more than $.50 a pound for the stuff, you're being ripped off. Plaster of Paris is fairly brittle if it isn't reinforced, but is quick, painless, and will take paint fairly well (though it will dull the paint out like mixing white into the paint).

Also known as Casting Plaster. Hydrocal is tougher than plaster of paris. I cannot tell you why. I'm not a chemist. My bet is that it's some powdered version of something harder than gypsum (which is what I think they make POP out of). Hydrocal can be bought at some art supply places, some industrial supply places, but your best bet is the internet. I use Clint Sales, they're nice and they seem to have a pretty solid business ethic. In terms of durablilty, check my chart on this page for Casting Material Strength, which will give you a number, but I'll tell you this, I've burned out drills hitting silicon reinforced hydracal wrong.

Don't ask because I don't know. All I know is that this stuff is really solid. You can throw it at pavement and it doesn't really break. The only problem is that when you cast it, you have to check up on it every five minutes to fiigure out when to siphon off the water. I have never tried to mix paint into the batch so I can't tell you what happens. I began by casting in Die stone, but I eventually switched over to Merlin'sMagic. It's just less of a hassle.

There are a lot of plastics out there. Just as there are a lot of different kinds of rubber. Some plastics, like the toys found in vending machines are flexible and rip rather easily. I do work with those kinds of plastic, but when I refer to industrial strength plastic, I mean specifically the kind of plastic used in the construction industry. Generally, I mean the kind of plastic used to cover electrical fuses and things like that. This kind of plastic takes a rotary saw to cut, and even then it's still rough. An item built with industrial plastic is highly resistant to blunt damage and can take heat (270 degrees for 30 minutes did bow it, but not much; I cannot say the same for lead).

Balast is another name for little rocks. It comes in a number of sizes and colors. You can pick it up at most hobby stores.

Flock refers to fake grass. It comes in a number of textures and colors. You can pick it up at most hobby stores. Note: Flock is not the same as static grass. A lot of people use the two terms interchangeably leading me to wonder whether the actual stuff is interchangeable in their scenery building. If you cover something with flock, it looks like grass, or some kind of green ground cover at any rate. If you cover it with static grass it looks like felt.

Static grass is composed of little green filaments that have been magnetized. It comes in a canister that will last you for years for about $10-$15 at just about any hobby store. GW also sells some, but they charge $5 for about a 1/20th the amount. Evidently magnets are rare in England. Static grass is used to make little tufts of grass.

I tend to use this term a lot. No one ever really asks what it means, but it's important. When casting, you have a number of choices for durable materials. Hydrocal, die stone, etc., are extremely durable, but it is also possible to reinforce a less durable material by adding a silicate (more often than not, sand). The effect is a lot like the difference between cement and concrete.

Aka Styrofoam insulation, aka the pink stuff. When I say styrofoam, most people balk. They picture the packing pellets or thin strips of the stuff that will crumble into little white bubbles if put to too much pressure. Styrofoam insulation, however, is not that material. It's related--but in the same way that balsa wood is related to press board. Sheet styrofoam is an industrial building supply and is expected to survive as insulation, to take heat, and a moderate amount of physical damage. Can you break it? Yes. But you have to really try. It won't break from you stepping on it, I'll say that. It requires some force. Generally, the pink stuff also comes in Blue (better for ice worlds). The two materials are the same, they're just made by different companies.