Grass

[Davidglinn]

Hello, everyone.
I am very new to this forum but I can immediately see there is a wealth of experts here.
I recently saw the last few minutes of a tv program here in the UK which was about railway modelling and it showed a modeller ''planting'' standing-up grass.
The method he used showed him putting white glue on the baseboard and then using a plastic bottle to puff out the grass it contained. The grass flew out of the bottle and landed in the white glue in a standing up position. It was remarkable. As I only saw part of the program I have no idea what the actual ''grass'' was or from where it could be obtained.
Does anyone have experience or knowledge of this particular method of producing very realistic grass effects ?
Best wishes from the U.K.
David

 

[Fred_M]

http://www.altezeitgruppe.com/scenic_treatment.htm is the website describing such grass. Welcome to the gauge. Fred

 

[pjb]

Electrostatic Grass and Silflor

In the U.S. - VINTAGE REPRODUCTIONS, best known I
think for their various scenic snow types, sells complete
line of these materials. They have no web presence that
I am aware of. They are at 2606 Flintridge Drive,
Colorado springs, Colorado. Phone is (716)598-2274.

While this works as grassland/meadows, it takes
some practice to get it to work
as you saw it done. In point of fact, SILFLOR, a material made in Germany, but marketted to hobbyists in
U.K. by INTERNATIONAL MODELS who have it on their website:
< http://www.internationalmodels.net >

is a better material, that is easier to use. Supplementing
it with a combination of etched catails and rushes, with
the electrostatic grass in ditches or to make fens is about
as good as it will get for realistic meadows and silage fields.

Good-Luck, PJB

 

[Davidglinn]

http://www.altezeitgruppe.com/scenic_treatment.htm is the website describing such grass. Welcome to the gauge. Fred

Thank you Fred.
I have taken a quick look at the website and it seems just the ticket !!
Brilliant.
Thanks again, and for the welcome.
David

 

[Davidglinn]

PJB, Many thanks for that information.
I have taken a look at International Model's website and there is some pretty interesting items available. Spoilt for choice.
I constructing a new layout in my basement (16ft x 9ft) but I have not yet reached the point where grass needs to be applied, but, like all these projects we need to plan ahead.
The theme of the project is a fictitious town (very) near the Rockies or some other mountain range, including a lumber and mining camp. Should be ready anytime in the next 25 years !!!
Many thanks (to you and Fred.)
Best wishes from the UK.
David

 

[CharlesH.]

For that purpose I use fake fur. I bought a reasonable amount, dyed it in several shades of green and simply glued the mat to the layout. To hide the edges I use some loose strands and glued them straight into the ground cover. It has worked pretty fine to me.

 

[Davidglinn]

Charles,
Thanks for that information. I tried something similar some time ago and I never had very good results. Perhaps my fake fur was a poor imitation of yours. I seem to recall my effort looked very much like a squashed cat. In fact, I think our cat would have looked better.
I know of others who have tried the fake fur method and are quite pleased with it, but, as I say, I could never get it to work for me.
Many thanks and keep them wheels turning.
David UK

 

[Davidglinn]

I have just ordered a small quantity of the Heki grass and the appropriate puffer bottle. So watch this space !
David

 

[CharlesH.]

The trick to avoid that green roadkill look is to pass an old toothbrush through the "field" to make the fibers stand up.

 

[TrainClown]

The thing your looking for is a flocking gun. Lee Vally Hardware sells 2 types of flocking guns and an asortment of coloured flocks.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?SID=&ccurrency=1&page=44669&category=1,250,43298,43300

I hope this helps.

TrainClown

 

[Davidglinn]

Trainclown,
Thanks for that information. I have just taken a look at the website and the flocking kit seems quite interesting, but I have ordered the Heki grass and Noche bottle so I will give that a go first.
Flocking gun. I could probably get arrested for saying that in public here in the U.K.
Regards,
David,

 

[TR-Flyer]

"Flocking gun. I could probably get arrested for saying that in public here in the U.K."

Thanks David, I needed that!

Ted

 

[Davidglinn]

The Heki grass and bottle has just arrived. I have used it on a small piece of plywood and I am most impressed. I have never used this method before and within 2 minutes I have, well....... a small grass field !!! It is going to be fun deciding what colours to use, but I think I will definitely be using it for all grassy areas on the layout. I recommend that you all give it a go.
David.

 

[fran1942]

Hello David, can you please tell me where you purchased the heki grass and noche bottle from ?
Thanks very much.

 

[CalFlash]

Probably too tedious for overall grass, but doable for small areas is the use of cattails. You can take a pinch right off the pod (or whatever it's called) and apply it to a puddle of glue. It will literally expand when you release it to a nice full clump. After drying, it can be trimed as necessary. Before using it, the pods can be dyed with Rit dyes etc.