Well here is the decision it is option nr. 3!



I am planning to put a little spring in there (see picture) where there is a little water seeping thru (not a waterfall)
Also a little plant life but not to much, just to keep it appealing for the eye.

I was planning to make a Latex mold and cast the rock in plaster, but, I do not have enough latex

I want to make this diorama on a tight budged (meaning virtually zero) and use whatever I have in the house.

Is there a way (after removing all the dust etc..) to seal the bark and than paint it? or is that just impossible?

Oh, pictures of the rockclimber can be found here
Any constructive comments are welcome.

I wonder of this posting would be better placed in the Rivet Board?

Cool, nice deal.
As far as sealing it - you can get a clear shellac at a hardware store to seal it. It may go by another name, varnish, sealer... depends on the location and brand.

General RoadKill, Sir,
I tried this technique once and had pretty good results. First, wrap the piece in a fairly tough trash bag, then use a vacuum cleaner to remove as much air as you can ( without tearing the bag, of course)Secure the piece to a board then use the cheapest ( since your only trying for an approximation of the surface details) automotive body-filler [ Bondo] you can find . Mix per instructions and apply to the trash bag, covering the piece as well as possible. work quickly and mix only what you think you'll be able to work with at a time. After a couple of layers of body-filler, you can apply the "mother mold" layers of thick Plaster of Paris, just to have a little more strength. If your gonna use ithe mold more than a couple of times. you may want to use the plaster-impregnated bandages for the last couple plaster layers.
As for casting media, I'd try either colored tile grout or DryWall mortar mixed with sand and "Quick-Crete" brand concrete dye.
These are from trial and error experience and worked pretty well to capture rock-surface details for me. Just be sure to dust the mold with Talc or a commercial mold release agent first.
I hope this helps and if I can help further, don't hesitate to give me a shout at :
[email protected]
Later,
Chuck

Excellent dio developing here Ronny!
I have just one suggestion: if you decide to use a safety line, it would be a very nice element. You could use very bright coloured rope, going up diagonally, splitting the rock surface. Your layout looks brilliant, everything is right there in the right place!

Looking forward to seeing the finished piece!



Toni

roadkill,
dont mean to be rude but why not use some real rock yes it'll add to the weight of the kit but you can find it for FREE! and will save you painting it or get 3 or 4 peices and
glue them together to gice a bigger rock face

Ronny,

in hardware stores (bouwmarkten) the sell "rigips" plaster primer (diepgrond). It's thin like milk , but with two layers (that cure withing the hour) it's sealed forever, without damaging your structure.

Antother thing that works, is to use very heavily thinned white glue.

Just my two cents, but they might just be worth a couple of $'s

mikeli125 you are not rude, I used real rock on my first diorama (see the Diorama Feature section) and yes it is free but Bark is also free :-)

Tnx for the tip Danny but I have found a even better and cheaper solution.

I took my bark to a carpenter and ask-ted him if there was a good way to seal the bark and then paint it.

Well according to him you can use simple wood varnish, 3 coats would be enough, but the bark has to be completely dry.

He tested the bark with a moisture-meter and it is perfectly dry.
So when I am ready with the figure then I can give him the bark and he will put it in a varnish bath under high pressure so that it is totally protected inside and outside.

And best of all, free of charge. there are still nice people out there

I really like the background to this diorama. Looks like a good job you're doing!!! My hat's off to you!