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Model Railway Grass
Method 1:
Grass Imitation Felt
Method 2:
Grass Scatter
Method 3: Grass Scatter Mats
Method 4:
Static Grass
by Pete M
Method 1: Grass
imitating felt.
This stuff comes in sheets of 1m squared and
is cut to fit and glued down. It has the feel of coarse fir. This stuff is
not cheap but allows you to cover a large area quickly with no mess. it is
also more resilient than using scatterings. This is what I used.
Grass cut, and glued in to place
Grass Sheet
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Method 2:
Scatterings
They come in all shapes sizes and colours
including grass. First you spread glue over the area you want to cover. Use
a lot of glue as this stuff often falls off if you don't. Then spread the
scatterings over the glue. It is a good idea to use a sieve to control the
amount you use and/or a brush to move it in to all the gaps. Neither are
essential but are useful. Once dried use a clean dustpan and brush to
collect all the lose scatterings so they can be re used. Don't use a Hoover
as this can pull of a lot of the glued down material. It is my advise to
paint the board under the scattering the desired colour so that any fall of
due to wear and tear will not show through.
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Method 3: Scatter
Mats
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Method 4: Static Grass
Author:
Pete M
If you want that 3 dimensional grass effect, go
for static grass, it's simple and effective. The grass is in the form of tiny
synthetic fibres, in various lengths and colours. Using a simple puffer bottle*
you apply it to neat PVA glue, it becomes charged with static electricity and
stands on end, giving that 3D effect, the procedure is as follows:
1.
Work on an area about 300mm square at a time. Paint the area you want to grass a
suitable under-colour, a mix of greens and browns is best.
2. Sieve some of the grass fibres to
remove any clumps, and fill the puffer bottle about half way up (don't fill it
to the top the stuff just becomes a tightly bunched mass and won't come out).
3. Apply a coat of neat PVA glue to the
area you want to grass, ensure the area is totally covered but don't worry about
the odd blob as this just adds texture (unless your laying a bowling green in
which case brush it smooth!).
4. Holding the puffer bottle about 100-150mm
from the surface start puffing gently. Build the grass up slowly working around
the area, puffing from different angles.
5. As you go along give the bottle a gentle
shake every so often to loosen clumps.
6. Build the grass up to the thickness you
want, don't worry if the glue still shows through, it dries transparent and you
won't see it.
7. Every so often gently blow over the grass
to loosen any stray particles, and to check your coverage. Some recommend
passing a vacuum cleaner with a piece of cloth over the nozzle over the area, to
lift the particles a bit, but take care not to suck it all off!
8. Once dry (best to be patient leave it a
few hours) suck or blow off the excess.
That's the basic principle. The
grass is available in many colours and lengths. It's best to experiment before
starting on your layout. A good technique is to lay down some long grass, and
then over lay with short grass. Any bald patches that appear can be touched in
after, and laying one layer on top of another is good for a 'scrubby grass
effect'. The key is to experiment!
*The puffer bottle is essential as it's the driving force behind the static,
they are available from Noche and cost about £2.50 (they seem to last for ever
too!). Powered devices that look like a small hairdryer are available but are
very expensive and probably not worth the outlay. The grass is also available
from Noche, but other manufacturers make it too including Woodlandscenics.
(Static grass is great if you want to represent a detailed scene, or small
areas, if instead your trying to achieve a sweeping landscape for your train to
whiz through at speed, traditional scatter is probably best as it wont be
distracting to the eye.)
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