Covering vertical surfaces ?

I have a section of my layout where I have a very steep slope that I’d like to cover somewhat with Woodland Scenics turf. Obviously pouring the turf is difficult and most runs straight to the bottom. I’ve tried ied painting it and then pouring the turf but still a lot ends up at the bottom. I’ve also tried to brush on glue. Any suggestions ? And yes, before you tell me, I know you shouldn’t have vertical surfaces but hey, we live in a compressed world.

Here’s a sample of what it looked like a couple of days ago. I’ve since gotten more material on.

http://www.thebinks.com/trains/images/DSCN11582077.jpg

The white sections are rock molds that will be painted. Suggestions ?

Two suggestions- one to do what you say you want to do. You might get the turg to stay in place with SPRAY ADHESIVE. Another idea is use something with some texture that the “turf” can stick to, such as the stretch foliage material Woodland Scenics has to fill in the tops of their tree armatures before ground foam is added. That would make it look like your cliff is covered with small brush. On the same line, you could small sprigs, shrubs etc into the cliff face thart will help catch the turf.

Do you want it to look like your cliff is covered with grass?

Another suggestion- go ahead and color your rocks, make sure there is a lot of unevenness. DON’T try to cover your cliff uniformly with turf, but let it catch more here where is a catch in the suface that allows some plant to grow, and let it be bare where the cliff is more vertical. (spray the cliff first with diluted cheap white glue or expensive matte medium and a drop of detergent/“wetting agent”…the diluted glue or medium dries so it looks like the turf material is loose in place but it is actually llightly bonded.)

You will “automatically” create a more realistic and “detailed” cliff than trying to make it uniform. If you decided that is what you want to do.

I had a similar problem with a vertical cliff on an N-scale layout and I do mean vertical, straight up and down. I carefully coated the surface with clear silicone a 5" patch at a time and gently blew the turf onto it. I know it sounds crazy, but it worked.

First of all, I would suggest that you get all the rocks painted and looking the way you want them first. Give all the exposed cliff some color. Once it is all dry and perhaps inwashed for some shadow depth, then you can think about plant life.

Grass rarely will grow on a near vertical surface anyway, so you want to try and get ground foam and other plants into places that look realistic. Brush on some whiteglue in the places you want foam, then spread some foam out on a piece of paper, hold it up against the cliff and blow it into place. If it does not stick in the model world, it most likely won’t grow there in the real world!

When you brush on glue, do you brush it on full strength ot dilute it with water ? I have stopped tonight and am going to color the rocks now. Then I will touch up anything that doesn’t look right. No, I am not trying to get the vertical surface all covered with green grass. I do have brown turf and earth colored turf. Of course brown paint looks about the same. I do think the earth color I chose is a little too pink looking for my taste. I think the brown by the track is more realistic of an earth color. Thanks for the feedback. I did think of spray adhesive.

I have just done what you are asking. First paint those rocks as you will probably want ground cover right up to the edge. next, mix white glue and water at about 2 glue to 1 water. Apply the glue with a small brush over the surface (about 12" x 12" at a time). Fold a piece of paper in half and put your ground cover in the crease. Gently blow the ground cover onto the glue and,voila, it will stick.
Ron K.

Thanks. I’ll give it a shot. I’ll post the results, when I am done.

If it’s vertical, then it should be a rock casting, or painted to look like rock. If you have castings with narrow horizontal ledges, by all means put turf there. As a homeowner with a lawn, I can tell you that getting grass to grow on a 30 degree slope is difficult. Soil will not stick on a 90 degree slope, so nothing can grow like that.

Stone walls or various kinds of retaining walls are another option.

OK, here are the initial results. I may still work on some of the rock coloring and there are trees yet to be planted in front of the near vertical face.

All of this is still a work in progress.

And there is a PROBLEM? Looks good!
Try this I am turning out all lights and using a flashlight to simulate the sun at the angle to give me a shadow. I mark it with a penciel and then DARKEN that area to give a shadw effect. This will make the rocks look deeper and give some contrast.
You are headed in the right direction and will have a fine scenery job.

I’ve never gotten the “blowing” to work very well . . . it goes EVERYwhere for me. I’ve had better luck applying glue with a brush, then putting some ground foam on a piece of cardboard or styrene, holding it right next to the slope, and using a bru***o sort of flip small puffs of foam onto the surface. Works for me . . .

Here’s the final results.

Still need to add a few more trees and bushes but I am satisfied with the final outcome.

Looks good to me! Have you tried using a very thin wash of a dark color like umber and just ‘flowing’ it down the ‘rocks’? The trick is that it is kept thin and you simply dab with a brush here and there, not trying to control the wash but let it flow down finding it’s own way. One mistake I’ve made is trying to paint it on and that doesn’t look quite as natural. When done right the dark wash settles into the ‘cracks’ and low areas of the rock and makes it look more natural plus takes away some of the overly bright colors and makes it look more ‘weathered’, just like nature does.
Jarrell

I haven’t tried to let it flow itself yet. I’ve got other areas, which aren’t quite as vertical and allowing it to drain might work. I’d epect you’d need to thin it almost to the point of being like water. If you have any pictures of the final outcome, I’d live to see them.

Making relistic looking rocks:

Make sure you cover your tracks first - Painters tape will do.
Next you need to make (3) very thin washes of , indian ink , a Sierra color, and
yellow ochre. Apply the color washes first.

DON’T PAINT or SPARY on, Use a 1" brush, dab and slop the color on in RANDOM spots ( For N gauge make spots like a lepord has ) and let the color wash run. Then apply the thin black ink wash and let it run down where it wants to… The more color the lighter the rocks will be when dry. Make sure the Black ink wash runs down into all the cracks. Don’t use thick washes, a second wash can always be applied after the first wash has dryed, if you want it. The above makes very relistic looking rocks and it’s fast and easy. You can try on a pieces of plaster first to see the out come.
I know you will like the results of the finish rocks.
Good Luck…