Does anyone have a methodology for restoring lichen to its normal, pliant self??? I have some that needs some method of salvaging for use. It’s about fifty years old and drier than all getout!!! The budget won’t tolerate any expenditure and I’d like to put something down to pretty things up a bit. Thanks for your help…
1stu11
I had heard that Glycerin will help soften up dried lichen. I have never tried it. I don’t remember if it was glycerin and a water mixture, or glycerin straight.
I believe you can soak it in glycerin. I’m not sure of the exact process though. I would try using the search fuction if nobody replies. Good luck.
edit: sorry, I didn’t see any responses when I decided to reply.
I had someone that does taxidermy tell me he used glycern on lichen for his displays. Same problem though. I don’t know what solution.
From: How to Build Realistic Model Railroad Scenery, by Dave Frary…
1:1 mix of glycerine and 70% isopropyl alcohol, plus some craft paint for color. Place solution in spray bottle and spray on lichen. Check back in 24 hours to see if another application is needed. Be aware, the large amount of glycerine required can be rather expensive.
In the latest edition of the book, Dave recommends replacing the lichen with poly fiber trees.
Nick
I don’t know how much lichen you’re talking about but glycerin is going to cost you about $20 a gallon and, if the lichen is 50 years old, I suspect you’ll need at least that much if not more. Polyfiber is cheap and ends up looking much better than lichen in the long run and never dries out. I’d think this through before trying to restore masses of old, brittle lichen.
[#ditto] http://www.craftsetc.com/store/search.aspx?searchTerm=lichen
You can get pretty big bags of new stuff for $12. $7 for a small bag.
Since the lichen you have has already been processed and colored, you could try just steaming it mildly. One of the advantages of living way out in the woods is that my ditch and the roadsides here are covered with Deer Moss. The Lichen that is most often used in the hobby. I can gather a 5 gal pail full in 5 minutes.
This is how I process it:
First an obligatory warning label. We Americans just LOVE warning labels, you find them on all sorts of stuff. Like near the fan on your car telling you Caution Fan Duh…
NEVER USE A POT THAT WILL BE RETURNED TO FOOD SERVICE. ONCE YOU USE IT TO PROCESS HOBBY MATERIALS IT SHOULD BE SET ASIDE FOR HOBBY USE ONLY!
whew
The ratio is *1 part Glycerin to *3 parts Water and if you are starting with natural (color) lichen then you will want to use a fabric dye similar to Rit. Start with dyes of green and yellow hue and experiment with blends to achieve the desired shade and hues you’re looking for. These liquids can be filtered and stored in glass jars for future use.
You can either heat the mixture to almost but NOT a boil and let it cool or just mix the stuff cold (room temp). If you’re doing the “Cold Brew” method you might want to let it steep for a day or so. Remove it from the pot, squeeze out the excess liquid, set it out on newspaper or paper towel to dry.
If you have an Industrial or Commercial Chemical Supply House in your town see if they can get “yellow” Glycerin. I’ve gotten industrial grade stuff for less than the medically pure white or “clear” stuff.
Scoot
We’ve used industrial glycerin ($12 per gallon) mixed 50/50 with warm water. A gallon goes a long way.
We soaked the old brittle lichen for a week. Came out like new. Then tried with lichen we harvested ourselves. This also worked very well. I don’t know how long it will stay supple but theory says many years.
I use it for filler trees by dying it dark green, planting densely on short copper wires (got lots of that around the shop) misting with dilute matt medium and then sprinkling on ground foam. The front row gets super trees, dead branches bushes etc.
Good luck,
Karl
Printer and larak-Where are you guys finding this “free range” lichen? I’ve got lots of woods around me, but I don’t know if it grows in Tn. What should I look for?
To larak:
What is your source of industrial grade glycerin at $12.00 per gallon? One source I know of http://www.chemistrystore.com/glycerin.htm charges $19.75 per gallon plus shipping for Vegetable Glycerin or $94.50 for a 5 gallon pail.
Bob
Lothar,
Lemme grab some pix tomorrow (if it stops raining) and I’ll show you what we have and what it looks like in the wild. They’re not HUGE by any means but for layout purposes they work. I live in a VERY Rural setting here in Florida. (i’m so far out that cell phones don’t work) Lots of Southern Pine creating acid soil which the lichen love.
Scoot
Hi Lothar.
I am in upstate NY. The lichen grows in old millstone quarries with thin soil and lots of hard quartz bearing rock. If you have areas like that look on the edges of outcroppings.
Bob,
I bought my last four gallons online at “thechemistrystore.com” in January 2006. It looks like the prices have gone up significantly. [:(!] Chemical/Lab supply stores are the place to search though. Sorry about the out of date pricing.
Karl
Some of my trees have been through five layouts and are beginning to look like they’ve been through . . . . . well . . . . . five layouts and are getting in bad need of either rehabilitation or replacement; I am going to try the glycerine and isopropyl route as outlined by Frary in How to Build Realistic Model Railroad Scenery. I am going to try Sagebrush cuttings for armatures and use polyfiber for foilage on any new trees which I build; if it doesn’t work out I can go back to wire armatures and lichen which has worked for me for a quarter century!!!
Craft stores sell spray cans of silk flower cleaner. I’ve heared some people say they have used this to rejuvinate their trees with good results. Haven’t tried it myself yet.
OK Lothar my friend,
It didn’t rain today until afternoon, then it opened up and poured. But I was able to get some shots of this here Free Range Lichen in the Wild! Shhh… I had to be very very quiet, this isn’t anything like the domesticated lichen you find in petting zoos across the country. This Free Range Lichen startles easily and will dash and dart in all directions at the least sign of danger or a predator.
I’ll post a couple pix and then a link to others. I don’t want to hog bandwidth, or get too far off topic, since the jist of this thread was the RESTORATION of Lichen and not Free Range Lichen. So technically I am now off topic.
First some roadside lichen grazing in the noon day shade. quarter added to relate size of this critter
Second, I brave the bite of this wild species by picking it up. You can see much of this heard grazing in the background.
More pix of my adventureous day tracking this elusive beast are here. Along with a shot of my road, with a logging truck down the way, just so you get the idea of just how Rural I am.
The care and feeding of Free Range Lichen.
Scoot
Printer-Thanks for the effort. All I’m getting is the dreaded red “X” and the link won’t work either. Don’t know if it’s just me?
Hi,
Did you attempt to restore your lichen? If so, how did it turn out?
I tried this about 10 years ago (using glycerin) and did some Rit dye soaking on it as well to restore some color. If I got minimum wage for all the time I spent on it - not to mention the cost of the dye/glycerine - I could have bought a good quantity of Woodlands Scenic foams.
Some of said lichen is still on my layout today, but compared to the newer scenic materials, it looks pretty lame. But hey, I’m not knocking it, cause it served us well for many, many years.
Mobilman44