VSSD - Warzone of Rubble for Romeo and Juliet

Hearthfire

Member
My design for Romeo and Juliet consists of a rubble field and my TD has created all of the platform understructure. I've added some chicken wire covered with duvetine (a lovely gray color) for structure (this is not walked on). A small raked platform that is walked on. I was planning to create "stone" and "bricks" of blueboard and attach them to the rake and cover with VSSD to provide walkability. Will this work, do y'all think?

Another part is "stone" bricks on plywood. Will VSSD work for creating the bricks?

And the exact formula to start with is eluding me. . . I've read so many on here that I'm all confused! Anyone have some help for me?

Thanks!

Hearthfire
 
Click on the underlined VSSD (or VSSSD) in your own message or this reply to read the wiki article that includes the formula. It will work well for bricks. I can't comment on it's walkability. You may want to clearcoat it to provide a more durable surface.
 
I've used it as a walk-able surface the 'tiles' below were LDF particle board, textured with a chisel then textured with a thin coat of VSSSD. we then came back with a texture hopper gun and added a bit more dope in a spatter pattern. It with well as long as tit has a good substrate. I would not use it for a walk-able surface on a flexible substrate.

This particular formula had a bit of "rock hard" water putty in it. "VSSSD, It's not a formula, it's an ever-expanding Universe of Possibilities" <that's my secret marketing plan right there.>

The field stone in the back was EPS <blue foam> applied to luan then the whole panel was covered in a thin coat of VSSSD; different formula with no water putty, less drywall compound so the edges of the foam would keep that sandstone texture that broken EPS has. The Giant Beehive in the background was erosion cloth, tied into a bundle with hemp the dipped through a vat of vsssd. Spiral stacked into shape with more hemp cord holding the layers together until it set up < which took forever. Hated that piece>.

"Humble Boy"
Artists Repertory Theatre
Set Design by Jeff Seats
Lighting design by Jeff Forbes
 

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Oh, and the tiles were textured with a "Maulmaaker" it's a 1" chisel welded to an 18" piece of 3/4" scd 40 pipe. Use it like an Adze, on Wood, MDF, Chip board, the Possibilities are endless!
 
I've also used it plenty for walkable surfaces, using ldf or homasote. held up fine for me.
 
I've used it as a walk-able surface the 'tiles' below were LDF particle board, textured with a chisel then textured with a thin coat of VSSSD. we then came back with a texture hopper gun and added a bit more dope in a spatter pattern. It with well as long as tit has a good substrate. I would not use it for a walk-able surface on a flexible substrate.

This particular formula had a bit of "rock hard" water putty in it. "VSSSD, It's not a formula, it's an ever-expanding Universe of Possibilities" <that's my secret marketing plan right there.>

The field stone in the back was EPS <blue foam> applied to luan then the whole panel was covered in a thin coat of VSSSD; different formula with no water putty, less drywall compound so the edges of the foam would keep that sandstone texture that broken EPS has. The Giant Beehive in the background was erosion cloth, tied into a bundle with hemp the dipped through a vat of vsssd. Spiral stacked into shape with more hemp cord holding the layers together until it set up < which took forever. Hated that piece>.

"Humble Boy"
Artists Repertory Theatre
Set Design by Jeff Seats
Lighting design by Jeff Forbes
@Van Your mention and photo of "Humble Boy" caught my attention. How did you / they handle the bees within the hive? In a local amateur production, the group elected to locate their set flat on the finished hardwood floor of their 75' x 75' black box. (They have a collection of four-levelled tiered aluminum risers and upholstered seats with every second seat equipped with arms allowing them to perform fully in the round or in practically any configuration they can dream up) They laid a 24' x 24' square of 1/4" double tempered hardboard in one corner of their space. I routed a 1/2" wide 3/16" deep groove from the nearest off-side edge of the hardboard to beneath their hive. A 4-11/16" square electrical box housed 3 x 1/2 Amp fuses and served to join three 20 Amp 120 Volt dimmed circuits, through the 1/2 Amp fuses and carried the combined neutral and three individually dimmed live leads out and up into the hive via a single run of flat, four conductor, cable similar to the type of cable used to power TV antenna rotors. The flat cable rested flat within the hardboard spaced above the finished hardwood floor by 1/16" and was covered by three layers of 2" white masking tape which was painted along with their floor. This was in place for at least two weeks prior to opening followed by three weekends of 5 performances per week. The masking tape was essentially flush and went unnoticed by patrons seated as close as 10'. The tape was also subjected to very little foot traffic. Within the hive were three strings of small, clear, wedge-based Christmas tree lights controlled by a Strand Century MX24 driving 3 x 3.6 Kw 30 Amp dimmers through a slide "hard-patch" outputting 20 Amp breakered circuits via a variety of different chases. Chases could be overlaid upon steady-state low levels and could also have their maximum intensities adjusted by inhibitive sub-masters. Thus the bees could have various levels of frenetic activity and illumination to suite the director's wishes and whims. The three dimmers were chosen from three different phases and all grounds terminated to the 4-11/16" square deep box and its cover. The four conductor flat cable was easily capable of handling the neutral current and the 1/2 Amp fast-blow fuses had no problems with the chasing dimmed 120 Volt clear wedge-based lamps. There was nothing to be grounded within the hive which was basically constructed of burlap potato sack material supported over a combination of "hardware cloth" and chicken wire mesh. I'm an IBEW and IATSE electrician with zero prop pixie experience and skills to fall back on. Don't ever ask me about paint and / or painting. In my opinion, the soft, comfy, end of a brush goes in your hand, you stir with the wooden part and apply by blowing through the little round hole near the end. I've never gotten a blister handling brushes by their bristles.
Seriously: How did they handle the bees within their hive?
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.
 
@Van Your mention and photo of "Humble Boy" caught my attention. How did you / they handle the bees within the hive? In a local amateur production, the group elected to locate their set flat on the finished hardwood floor of their 75' x 75' black box. (They have a collection of four-levelled tiered aluminum risers and upholstered seats with every second seat equipped with arms allowing them to perform fully in the round or in practically any configuration they can dream up) They laid a 24' x 24' square of 1/4" double tempered hardboard in one corner of their space. I routed a 1/2" wide 3/16" deep groove from the nearest off-side edge of the hardboard to beneath their hive. A 4-11/16" square electrical box housed 3 x 1/2 Amp fuses and served to join three 20 Amp 120 Volt dimmed circuits, through the 1/2 Amp fuses and carried the combined neutral and three individually dimmed live leads out and up into the hive via a single run of flat, four conductor, cable similar to the type of cable used to power TV antenna rotors. The flat cable rested flat within the hardboard spaced above the finished hardwood floor by 1/16" and was covered by three layers of 2" white masking tape which was painted along with their floor. This was in place for at least two weeks prior to opening followed by three weekends of 5 performances per week. The masking tape was essentially flush and went unnoticed by patrons seated as close as 10'. The tape was also subjected to very little foot traffic. Within the hive were three strings of small, clear, wedge-based Christmas tree lights controlled by a Strand Century MX24 driving 3 x 3.6 Kw 30 Amp dimmers through a slide "hard-patch" outputting 20 Amp breakered circuits via a variety of different chases. Chases could be overlaid upon steady-state low levels and could also have their maximum intensities adjusted by inhibitive sub-masters. Thus the bees could have various levels of frenetic activity and illumination to suite the director's wishes and whims. The three dimmers were chosen from three different phases and all grounds terminated to the 4-11/16" square deep box and its cover. The four conductor flat cable was easily capable of handling the neutral current and the 1/2 Amp fast-blow fuses had no problems with the chasing dimmed 120 Volt clear wedge-based lamps. There was nothing to be grounded within the hive which was basically constructed of burlap potato sack material supported over a combination of "hardware cloth" and chicken wire mesh. I'm an IBEW and IATSE electrician with zero prop pixie experience and skills to fall back on. Don't ever ask me about paint and / or painting. In my opinion, the soft, comfy, end of a brush goes in your hand, you stir with the wooden part and apply by blowing through the little round hole near the end. I've never gotten a blister handling brushes by their bristles.
Seriously: How did they handle the bees within their hive?
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.
Ron, as much as I remember about the set and rigging the apple that had to drop from a tree on cue every night and construct a pond with live fish in it, and making leaves drop on cue from multiple locations. I don't remember a thing about the bees....
 

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Van,

Excellent! Thanks! I've created some VSSD and it works really nicely for creating the bricks/stones texture on the arch - haven't tried to attach the blueboard, yet on the walkable rake. . . that's the next step! <ba dum bum ching>

That's some marketing plan, for sure.

Hearthfire
 
the apple that had to drop from a tree on cue every night and construct a pond with live fish in it, and making leaves drop on cue from multiple locations. I don't remember a thing about the bees....

What Sadist wrote this Play and why do they Hate their Techs!!

Seriously though, I'm going to need a little VSSD in the upcoming weeks so figured I might as well comment so I can find this thread again easily. Need to make a 'concrete' Garden bench that my high school techs can easily move.
 
Completed project and my first attempt with VSSD. Mixed up well, took a long time to dry. This is two coats over some scrap 2 x 12 that the kids put together to make a bench. Light enough for one person to move and looks like it belongs in a garden so I'm happy. Made one batch mostly following the recipie and used about 3/4 of it to do two coats letting it dry over night in between coats.

bench.jpg
 

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