Hi,
I’ve been reading about using furnace filters as a way to make trees. No my problem is that I do not really know what to look for. I’ve never come across a furnace filter in my life. So what do they look like? Any online store that sells suitable ones? Any one got a picture of one close up so that I can see what I’m suppose to look for?
Thanks for any help.
Magnus
They are hard to find in the U.S. We all have filters, but most iof them are made out of a plastic or fiber glass material and DO NOT work for trees.
What works is called “naturtal fiber” furnace filters. They are blue in color here and are 1 inch thick. They are about 12" x 18" in size. They look like a bunch of little twigs all glued together and pressed into the 1 " thickness and then painted dark blue. I buy mine from Walmart when I can find them.
What may work is for someone here to find some and send them to you. The postage would be more than the filters, but I know of no other way to make these trees. I did a workshop on them last week and everyone wanted some.
I have made some, where when glued up and painted green, I put Knoch Static grass on them with the applicator and get really nice trees.
Let us know if you find them and where.
By the way, I really enjoy your posts and your work.
Here are a couple of pics
Gee, I would think commercial hobby products (such as Woodland Scenes’s poly fiber) would give better results and possibly be easier to obtain as I’m unfamiliar with product availability (furnace filters or otherwise) in Svensk land.
Mark
Wow Arthill! That tree looks great.
Mark
Art–
OHMYGAW–Noch static grass? I’ve been using WS Fine Turf. No wonder you’ve got pine trees and I keep ending up with Douglas Firs, LOL!
Seriously, thanks for the hint. REALLY appreciate it.
PS: If you’re having trouble finding them back there except for Walmart, if you have any Home Depot stores, they carry the natural fibre filters by the boatload. [:)]
Tom [:D]
Wow! That static grass makes it look like a whole different kind of tree!
Hard to find?
I bought some at Wal-Mart about a week ago (in The Colony, TX) and have made two trees so far with fantastic results. More are in progress…
Yes, it does, but be careful if realism is what you’re after.
In my scenery clinics and videos, I keep reminding modelers that the most realistic scenery comes from paying proper attention to both scenery color and texture.
Using 4-6 mm static grass fibers in HO makes a cool looking tree, but it’s texture is not right so it won’t look realistic in model photos. It will just look uniquely odd, because most conifers have needles that are 1-4 inches long, depending on the species of tree. Static grass fibers 4 - 6 mm long are 12-18 inches in HO – way too long to be correct. Even 2mm static grass fibers are on the long side, representing 6" long fibers in HO.
Douglas fir trees, for example, have 1" long needles. Even 2mm static grass fibers (6 HO scale inches) are way too long for HO Douglas Firs.
Fine ground foam does a better job of repesenting conifer needles when it comes to the proper texture – and coarse ground foam is a better texture for deciduous (or “broadleaf”) trees.
If you use fine ground foam on furnace filter trees, and also pay attention to things like bark texture, dead limbs, and moss, you can get a some eye-popping realism in your conifer forests, like this scene from my HO Siskiyou Line (and nary a static grass fiber in sight on the trees – but lots of static grass on the ground as tall grass, where 6-18" fibers are correct):
(Click image to enlarge)
For more details on how to make the super-detailed furnace filter trees in this scene, you can go here.
Poly fiber on any number of different natural or comercial armatures make great deciduous trees with WS Ground foam or Noch leaf material. I have found nothing that comes close to the “furnace filter on a stick” way to get “Christmas trees”. Casipia in a stick still makes the best large pine and fir trees.
Ever since I looked up Aggro’s original post I’ve tried to find the filter material.Not one store carries it up here in No. Wisc. I’ve tried regular filters ,THAT was ugly!Guess I’ll stick to oak, popples and basswoods[sigh]
Terry
Joe–
Don’t want to cause a rumble or anything, especially since I admire your incredible scenic talents, but there is an evergreen that seems to be unique to the high-country northern and central Sierra Nevada called a Ponderosa Pine. I grew up around them, and they don’t look like a ‘pine’ tree, nor do they look like a Fir. They have exceptionally long needles, large trunks and stand extremely tall. If anything, their general appearance is that of a ‘transplanted’ North Coast Redwood (without the reddish tinge of the trunk). They’re really difficult to model–I’ve been trying for a number of years, and actually Art’s Noch pine comes the closest I’ve seen to what a Ponderosa really might look like in model form–at least as a tree that can be modeled quickly and simply in large groves. The area I’m modeling around Yuba Summit is thick with them, and even though they’re probably ‘second’ growth, they just dominate the area. Actually, Art’s trees are the closest I’ve seen to what might make a really respectable forest of them on the area around my Yuba Pass.
Of course, I’m modeling evergreens in a different area than you are–Southern Oregon gets a LOT more moisture than high-country California Sierra–even if we get a higher snowpack during the winter, our summers are generally a LOT dryer. Makes for different trees, in some cases.
But that doesn’t detract me a whit from your own techniques, which I think are admirable.
Tom [:D]
Magnus,
I just remembered that I’ve meant to tell you that the snow is gone and I have a bag of coal.
Did have a look at walmart.com and homedepot.com and searched for “filter”. Didn’t spot anything that matched your description right away.
At lowes.com I found a couple of possibles:
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=171068-1361-LTADJ&lpage=none
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=149388-1361-MPADJ&lpage=none
Got any brand name on the stuff that works for you ?
Smile,
Stein
Stein, what Art shows is how they look, two to a pack, and rimless…no cardboard rim or frame as most furnace filters have, including the ones you linked to.
They are called “Natural Fiber furnace filters”.
If I can find a source, I’ll post a link. I last picked up some from my own local WM on Vanc. Island nearly two years ago.
-Crandell
I really am old enough that I should have learned to go to bed instead of staying up googling when I get curious (which I get all the time …), but anyways - I found a web page where a another modeller described the brand name he had chosen:
http://www.homeracingworld.com/cheap_trees.htm
The one he picked was by American Air, Wal-Mart #383-716-601, which comes in 20"x30"x1" pieces.
Didn’t see them on the walmart web page.
Guess I’ll have to try the closest couple of Wal-Marts when I and my family go visit with in-laws in Roseville, a northern suburb of the Twin Cities, this summer. There should be at least 6 or 7 Wal-Marts relatively close by.
Art - I see you are in New Brighton - which is pretty close to Roseville. Which stores have you had luck with finding this stuff at ?
Smile,
Stein
Something tells me they are not being sold nowadays by Walmart, but if you wish, I can check mine and send you a package or two. Same goes for whoever else might have difficulty.
-Crandell
Stein, I found some at the Fridley store 2 years ago, but they did not have them last year. I found them in the Minneapolis store last year, but I bought both of them. You can’t call, because the store people don’t usually know they have them. While you are here, do you visit Becker’s Great HO store. Any interest in having a cup of coffee and exchanging stories? I live across the street from Becker’s
Crandell - that is a very kind offer. But let me have a look-see around the Twin Cities this summer first. I don’t want to put you through the hassle of shipping this stuff overseas if I can find a mat or two myself and bring it back in my luggage.
Good grief - I must be getting old! I finally remembered that one of my brothers-in-law used to run a small A/C and heater repair business in the Cities only a couple of years ago - he might still have a ton of filters laying around, and if not, he probably know where to find some.
I’ll check with him tomorrow night - if I find a good source, I will try to post it here.
Smile,
Stein
I can get the elusive furnace filters at a nearby Wal-Mart.
Anybody wants some, contact me through dallasmodelworks.com as I’m not sure the PM thing here works.