Roger, If you think the neighbors would scream over all the Homosote dust being made next to them, just listen to what my wife would have to say if I ever did that to her favorite kitchen tool, her blender! In a message dated 3/22/2012 6:53:30 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [email protected] writes:
Dave is accurately describing the Upson board that I used on one of my yards in San Diego. It was more available than Homasote, so I used the 3/16th inch thickness, the thickest they carried, and it worked well. Drywall guys use it to form curved surfaces, and finish it just like drywall. I now use 1/2” Homasote for yards, but I swear by Homabed everywhere else. By my calculations, it’s actually cheaper than cutting roadbed from Homasote, and a lot less messy! Ceiling tile is made from a material that resembles what we used to call “ Celotex”. A guy in Indiana (Jim Six) is using it extensively for scenery. BTW, if you want a scenery material similar to Homasote sawdust without the mess, you can grind up office blotters in a blender. Has the same characteristics as Lee described.. Roger Nulton The upson board I've used on layouts has the following characteristics: o Smooth paper finish (usually whiter on one side than other), not the rough finish of homasote. I think a single sheet of paper covers each side. o Holds spikes well (similar to homasote) o Can be cut with a knife o Consistent thickness (many complain homasote is not consistent) o Stiffer than homasote (on the HO eastern loggers layout we carved grades in phone and used upson board on top. o Does not "frey" as much as homasote when cut. I'm not sure how upson board would be used for Scenery. It is a paper product of thickness. It cannot be carved like a foam or a cieling tile. Personally, I prefer it to homasote, but it is harder to get.... I now use homabed for most of my trackwork for cleanliness, no need to cut, ease to obtaine... Dave K. www.sn2modeler.com
