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A simple embankment diorama -part 4 the grassing continues

nickwood

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I wanted the grass to be longer and thicker towards the bottom of the embankment. A spray over the grass with some Peco Layering Spray (other types are available) allows more grass fibres to be applied over the top. The problem with the layering sprays is that being an aerosol it is difficult to apply it exactly where you want it, it being more likely to go where you don't want it to.

 

In my case the track and ballast area needs to be masked with a strip of paper to prevent spray getting on these areas. I used a strip of newspaper with a fairly straight torn edge where the ballast meets the grass. I tried to apply only a thin and patchy application of layering spray towards the top of the embankment to get the effect I was after. The Flockit was loaded with Greenscene 'Long Straw' fibres to represent the longer dying grasses. The first two photos show the application and hopefully it appears thicker towards the bottom .

 

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This was left to dry for approx 30minutes before poking the grass about with a cocktail stick to introduce clumping and flattening of some grass areas

 

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This process will inevitably loosen some fibres but once generally happy with the look it is left to fully dry before vacuuming the excess off. The result looks like this.

 

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  • RMweb Gold
Mikkel
  • RMweb Gold

Very useful again, Nick, thanks. I didn't know about 'layering spray'.

 

And long live the good old cocktail stick! 

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  • RMweb Gold
nickwood
  • RMweb Gold

It seems that many modellers haven't heard about layering spray Mikkel so hopefully this may go a little way to raising awareness of this very useful product.

 

Most modellers would perhaps reach for a can of hairspray to do a similar job but my view and experience is that hairspray is only meant as a temporary fixative, so they are taking a huge risk with the longevity of their work. It also dries very quickly giving little time to apply the fibres. Layering spray gives a permanent bond and stays wet for much longer. I can't say how long exactly as I've never measured it, but it is certainly in terms of minutes rather than the seconds you get with hairspray.

 

It is not cheap at around £10 for a can but it does go a long way and more importantly allows you to produce effects that would be difficult if not impossible to produce by other methods. All in all a very useful product to have in the scenic modeller's armoury.

Edited by nickwood
  • Informative/Useful 1
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