I started applying grass (woodlands scenics green and burnt) to my layout yesterday. I painted a tan coloured base of interior latex and sprinkled the grass material. Then I sprayed the dry grass with wet-water (water with a few drops of liquid soap) and finally using my dropper bottle applied 50/50 diluted white glue.
Are there other…less work involved…methods for fixing grass in place? What are they? Have I used the most common method? Should I keep going with this method?
I always use a spray bottle for applying the 50/50 diluted white glue. Although you need to use a dropper on ballast, I think the spray bottle works just fine on Woodland Scenics foam grass and is much faster.
Trevor–I use a slightly different method if it’s a large area I need to cover. First I spray the area with Woodland Scenics Scenic glue (the diluted kind), then scatter the grass mix over the area with a kitchen flour sifter, then mist the area with water (1 drop of detergent added). Same basic technique, just a little difference in the application steps. If you want, add a final light spray of the WS glue again. It works for me, and is a little quicker than the eyedropper method. It’s also a little messier, spraying the glue, so I make sure I’ve blocked off any areas that I don’t want slop-over on with newspapers or aluminum foil.
Tom[:D]
Thanks Tom. I knew when I saw twhite logged in I’d get a reply. As always much appreciated.
Clarification…I am not using an eyedropper to apply my 50/50 diluted glue. I am using a small bottle with a contolled top. Application of the glue is controlled and the supply of glue lasts substantially longer the refilling an eye dropper every few seconds.
I tried using my WLS scenic glue sprayer to spray the glue, but it didn’t spray in very fine mist. The result was that the grass clumped up where the droplets of glue landed.
Does spray glue (aerosol) or hair spray work? Will they hold “permanently”?
I’ve found that spurtsing out a bit of scenic glue out of its little tube and brushing it around the area with a stiff brush works well. Then putting on the ground foam via the shaker.
I don’t think you can make it any easier than you already have. It’s just one of those endeavors that takes time … not exciting stuff, is it?
I used a 50/50 distribution of Elmer’s white glue and water - spread it over the area to be “grassed” and sprinkled it using a measuring spoon! Whatever works …
Oh yes - I also prepared the surface with a brown latex paint … before putting down the glue …
Trev, I used a cheapo spritz plastic bottle that I got from my local hardware store, and mixed Lepage’s Carpenter’s Glue with water (I got away with 70%water and 30% glue). However, I added two drops of detergent to the mix. I did not do the first step of ‘wet water’ as you did, and my experience was very positive.
I first used thinned paint, then sprinkled the ground foam, usually at least two colours, then some coarse stuff, all in very thin layers so that the tan paint still appeared here and there. When that dried, I added filler where needed, and only then anchored it all with a reasonable soaking of the sprayed glue/detergent mix. By soaking, I mean until I began to see the glue on the surface of the ground foam cover…no more is necessary.
Every time you spray, wipe off the nearby track asap. Better, cover it with painter’s tape first.
You can’t really speed it up, Trevor. If you are getting bored or tired with a particular application, do something else until you’re ready to give it another go. Impatience will net you at most a self-awarded C+ grade when you’re all done. Will you setlle for that?
It all got brown first, actually a mix of two browns. We have “moist earth” and “dry dirt”, mixed from buck a bottle Wal-mart acrylics, no less than 50% pigment plus water or else it doesn’t cover well. Closer to the creek, more moist, the further away, the dryer the color.
Then, in from the edges a bit, there’s “dry dirt transitioning to drab foliage”, then “drab foliage”, then “peak foliage” towards the center. (The nice lawn around the jail is straight “peak foliage”, everywhere else gets the standard “wilderness” treatment.)
Key is choosing an area small enough to stay wet until you sprinkle grass. Once the paint is on, I sprinkle WS Fine Turf, Grass to cover, then with thumb and forefinger, a tiny amount of WS Fine Turf, Yellow Grass, (enought to see is really too much), and finally, WS Fine Turf, Brown Grass to taste. The goal is to get far enough from vivid green to avoid the golf course look, unless you’re looking for that, in which case, “peak foliage” and Fine Turf, Grass till it’s thick enough.
Next day, a pass with the dust buster and touch-up, if necessary.
There’s three key elements to adding ground cover: good coverage, speed & realism.
Realism means that you have to do a bit of prep work, assemble a largish, diverse array of ground foams and static grasses, and pay attention to the real world. I kept getting base scenery wrong, until I looked at a few railfanning photos I took on an overpass: the ground was close to HO scale, and it looked nothing like what I was attempting to do on an old layout. So I took a few more rolls of film (film? What’s that?) from bridges and added them to my work reference pile. The best single thing you can do to add realism to your ground foam base is to mix your own, using lots of different Woodland Scenics materials. I usually start with theirt “blended turf” and add to that. I generally mix my own in a tywo gallon bucket, with a rough mix of two large bags of blended turf, one dark green, one medium green, and two medium green jugs of static grass. I also keep a darker blend handy, as well as at least one bag of each color that’s not been blended.
The speed part comes into play when actually bonding the foam. If you think too hard about the base, it’ll look contrived. I add the base ground cover over wet paint in a relatively thick layer, and let the paint dry fully. Once the paint is dry, I zap a roughly 2’x2’ area with a 50/50 mix of matte medium and rubbing alcohol. Once that 2x2 area is completely wet, I add the scenic highlights quickly, by adding random pinches of darker or lighter turf where appropriate. Once those are in, I add random pinches of coarse turf to represent a basic weed layer. Once the weeds are in, I’ll spray ANOTHER layer of my 50/50 adhesive on top of that.
That’s just my BASE layer, which winds up to look better than most modeler’s finished work. Once the ballast has been applied, I’ll go over the area again to add foliage highlights: tall grasses, flowering bushes, scrub trees, and more ground foam bushes. Most of these are added with full-strength white glue. That’
For large areas, I brush straight white glue on, then sprinkle the foam on. Then spray with wet water. That way you’re not spraying glue all over the place.
I find it better to use the method described by Medina. This way your only working with glue ahead of the grass application. The paint may start to dry or skin too soon. If the glue does this , add more or spray with wet water. The paster or scultamold is already painted/ sealed before beginning the scenery.
Finding a good spray bottle that works to apply the thinned scenery cement is the key. A bottle that has a fine mist for wet water will not always work for the thicker solution. Using thinned matte medium or WS scenery cement gives better results than thinned white glue for grasses. You could end up with a sheen from white glue, whereas the scenery cement is flat.
The first application is the easiest. the trouble most seem to have is fixing additional layers. This is where I find using alcolhol and mixed w/ wet water then spray or dribble on the cement. This is usually the stage where weeds and clump bushes etc are placed.
Bob K.
i to do it like medina has stated.if i want to add more turf i spray the area with either wet water and or 70% alcohol and then i use a small bottle that has a BB size opening of 50/50 glue/ water and flood the area to be sceniced. i then put down the foam either by hand or using a screen strainer.their are so many ways of doing this i guess its best to develop and use a technique that works for you.terry…
Your method is basically what I do. I use 50/50 water and glue, wet the grass with a fine mist water bottle, then using a dropper just drop the glue mixture onto the wet grass. Let it dry for about 2 days before you touch the grass.
i make grass out of sawdust and then when i go to lay it i pour a 50/50 glue water mix on the area i want to cover then sprink the grass on i add more then i should so it looks more realistic. and let set for a day.
