This is something that just didn't exist the last time I built a layout, but Chris Nevard's photos of it's use convinced me that it's the way to go. So, over to Youtube and see how it works.

Obviously the first thing is getting a static grass tool. Some googling revealed news that would not impress the bank manager, so I looked up the technicalities of how it works and got wondering if there was a Plan B short of making a Van Der Graff generator. Indeed there is, cheap and nasty bug swatters from the local garage bargain bin.

£3.99, plus a sieve from Wilko at 60p.

Step 1 : Open up the handle of the swatter and chop the three wires going to the bat bit - this then can be discarded. The two green wires go together, leavng then long enough to reach the sieve when fitted, the white got extended to eighteen inches or so and a crocodile clip soldered on. This will complete the circuit through the 'ground'.

The plastic insert in the sieve handle took zero effort to remove, and the end of the handle chopped of with a junior hacksaw. The two prongs fit quite neatly either side of the screw posts in the handle. A bit of tape and it's nice and secure, screwing the handle back together also traps the prongs into a nice rigid assembly.

The green wires were soldered to the mesh in the sieve as soldering to the chromed bits is likely to be difficult. It turns out that the metal strip around the edge of the mesh is highly solderable, which made life easier.

Then just put the handle back together, screw the screws, a bit more tape for belt and braces and all is done. Fifteen minutes or so. The switch on the handle (a little green LED lights to tell you it is 'on') is seriously cheap and nasty, the button bit broke almost immediately, but all is not lost - I carved down a bit of sleeper that fits into the switch (the switch is PCB mounted jobbie) and used that as trigger. You just have to remember where you put it when you finished a session. I've made three so far

Putting the sieve in the other way round would have been a better idea. So I could actually see the LED without tipping the sieve contents onto the floor.

OK, so to using it. The first thing is how to stick the grass. Videos revealed people using highly expensive glue that looks a lot like PVA, so, yu guessed it, out came the rapidly emptying PVA pot (there's nearly a kilo of PVA on the layout - so far).

This is the process I used :

Step 1: Paint the 'ground' with PVA, diluted or not doesn't seem to make any odds. Dump the crocodile clip (turns out he clip is a bit of an over kill, a tinned bare wire works just as well) on a soggy bit and, using the tool, spread 2mm static grass (I'm using Gaugemaster Light Green) around quite liberally, but not too much.

Step 2: With an 'atomizer' mist sprayer, an old spray cleaner bottle will do but I have a couple of 250ml ones I got from eBay for next to nothing, spray on a light coat of about 20% PVA/water. If there's too much PVA in the atomizer won't and you just get a jet. Keeping back a bit means the grass won't fall over from the force of spaying.

Step 3: Using the tool, spread 4mm static grass (the same colour here), but rather than an even coat add a of randomness, adding more where the ground would be damper (gullies and depressions etc).

Step 4: Spray again!

Step 5: Using the tool again, spread 7mm static grass. Rocky bits of ground will have less tall grass than areas with wetter/deeper so (Time Team!). Here I used the same colour grass, but also a darker green to add contrast. Later some 'dry grass' colour will be added in places to get that 'dry summer' feel).

And that's it really. I've added some small bits of Hornby green foliage here and there to represent plans growing in planty places, and quite a lot of Gaugemaster 'brambles' which a) Look nice and b) hide gaps nicely. Very expensive but worth it I feel.

Here's some pics taken while doing this.

As can be seen at the top, the 'ground' over the tunnel has been one, and a start made on the fencing - Slaters GWR fencing with 0.011" guitar top E strings - while awaiting another bag of 2m grass.

Painting the 'ground' brown (or grey, with some chalking) before grassing definitely paid off - the bare 'earth' on the steep bits was entirely unplanned but works nicely.

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