Realistic trees from under $5.00?

K

kf4jqd

Active Member
Jan 13, 2001
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Vonore, Tennessee Foothill's of the Great Smoky Mo
www.geocities.com
Hello Everyone:

Here's another cheap idea for all of you! How about 30 trees for under $5? I did it! The local train club had a class on how to make them. I am going to pass this on to you. Here is the materials you will need.

1.Elmers spray glue. Comes in a spray can.
2.Foliage from your hobby shoppe. ie Senic Mountain.(Use any color for any season).
3.WEEDS!!! You heard me right, weeds! You want the kind that grows alone highways and on empty farmlands. Thank God we have a farm!
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4.Empty box. (Your spray booth for glueing).
5.Empty plastic icecream container. (For your foliage).
6.Stirofoam. (Place your tree after glueing to dry).

Steps in making your tree:
1.Take the weed and spray the Elmers on it. Use your box. You don't want a sticky desk!
2.With the foliage in the plastic icecream container. Row it around or sprinkle the foliage on.
3.Respray it. Add more if you want. Make your you respray it again.
4.Place your new tree on the stirofoam to dry.
5.Cut the "trunk" of the tree to your scale!
6.Place them on your layout.

Let me tell you something. They look like the real thing! I will have pictures of them on my website in a few weeks.

Andy
 
There is an article in the Academy/Archive here in the gauge on Tall timber (18" tall)tree making.
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[This message has been edited by shamus (edited 03-31-2001).]
 
Andy,
There is an article I wrote called
"Tree making" here in the gauge under the Archive/Academy. scroll down main page, bottom left called "visit one of the archives" It's in there.

have fun, should have 1000 made by Christmas 2001 if you start now!.

[This message has been edited by shamus (edited 03-31-2001).]
 
Guys, I hate to say it, but I find the hardest part is making a convincing looking decidous tree, either green, or defoliated.
It's awfully hard to find the right weed root that looks great when held upside down, not to mention useable weeds and twigs in abundance.

I hate to say this in front of a group of talented artisans, but for US$20, I like the BIG box of assorted trees from HEKI. They're more than slightly passable and it saves a lot of time for other things. I really have to salute these people who grind out 500+ trees from wire and ground foam for a layout. I don't know how they can sit and do it.

One thing I found by accident you might find useful. If you lay down a row of lichen and place a HEKI poplar tree down on it's side behind it, the look is quite convincing. As ROW's have become grown up over the years, the low brush ends at a low developing treeline before hitting a mature tree line. The small poplar branches resemble sapling growth in a nice way that works.
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As for pine trees. Isn't it a horror that most of the ones you can buy resemble bottle or toilet brushes? A friend once said; "Look at my artificial Christmas tree farm!" I like the dull plastic ones that ROCO makes for their Minitank line. Again, great in the background, but what do you put up front for realistic pine?
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George.
 
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