Teddy Bear Fur.

[Mallard60022]

Has anyone dyed Teddy bear Fur successfully? 

If so, how did you do it?

I tried yesterday and followed the instructions to do it in a washing machine. Totally useless. Dye didn't work and Fur ended up looking like a Cockapoo's coat! Ruined. Instructions said do at highest Temperature and I did at 90*. I think that damaged the material and the whatever the fur is!

Not an issue as I've had it years and Staic Grass will be better. However I wanted to try it for a Wheat field or very Long Summer Grass embankment (possibly having shaved it somewhat?

Thanks.

Phil

P.S. NO Bears were damaged during this experiment. 

[BR traction instructor]

…there is fur and there is fur. I used the MRJ article covering Retford and followed the suggested route to quality fur/techniques for colouring it. This is the issue with the article…

 

BeRTIe

Edited April 16, 2023 by BR traction instructor

[Mallard60022]

23 hours ago, BR traction instructor said:

…there is fur and there is fur. I used the MRJ article covering Retford and followed the suggested route to quality fur/techniques for colouring it. This is the issue with the article…

 

BeRTIe

I wondered why I'd bought TB Fur. Now you have reminded me. Thank you.

There is one section of the Lincoln Line just east of the Xing that looks superb with it IIRC?

I shall have to follow that up. However, the cost of decent stuff has been superseded by Staic Grass sheets and the actual Static Grass methodology and a fraction of the cost of the TB Fur I've seen.

ATB

PHIL

[The White Rabbit]

On 15/04/2023 at 12:36, Mallard60022 said:

Has anyone dyed Teddy bear Fur successfully? 

If so, how did you do it? ... 

 

Not quite TB fur Phil but what a sarcastic friend of mine called 'the dead cat', as it reminded her of a Ginger's pelt (stretched out over the arm of a sofa). It was a GreenScene product (now no longer available, unfortunately), daubing or brushing paint on with a brush just produced a hideous matted lump. 

 

I went back to childhood and used my fingers, working small quantities of [dark grey] paint in with my fingers, 'staining' rather than painting. Took a while but I was reasonably happy with the results. Might be worth a try? 

 

[nest]

Hello

 

I have used it but in a somewhat different manner and not for a long time. 
I shaved it down using normal hair clippers and then spray painted it (lightly) with a can of fairly standard very light green from a local art shop. Once dried I then added texture using scatters. The results were okay but a better result came from the same method using hanging basket liner from B&Q. The shaving was a little harder and much trimming with scissors was needed after but the overall result I found to be more convincing. I am trying to find photos of both for comparison.

 

Thanks

Nestor

[Hibelroad]

I tried some once and it ended up looking like ground covered in teddy bear fur, so I gave up on it. 

[Michael Hodgson]

Macavity was sitting on my lap until I opened this thread, but he's just gone into hiding.

[Graham_Muz]

I used teddy bear fur as the base layer ie not on its own, glued fur down then the now uppermost backing cut off, for long grass and vegetation on Fisherton Sarum, see here https://southern-railway.com/2016/08/26/a-view-from-the-line-17-the-wild-flora-or-green-fingered-modelling

 

Edited April 22, 2023 by Graham_Muz

[Mallard60022]

22 hours ago, Graham_Muz said:

I used teddy bear fur as the base layer ie not on its own, glued fur down then the now uppermost backing cut off, for long grass and vegetation on Fisherton Sarum, see here https://southern-railway.com/2016/08/26/a-view-from-the-line-17-the-wild-flora-or-green-fingered-modelling

 

Thanks Graham. That looks superb as always on your stuff.

Phil

[Mallard60022]

The only reason I asked about this is that probably 10 years ago or so, I saw TBF used on the famous EM gauge layout Retford, on and Embankment. It looked amazingly like the existing ground cover of the actual Location ... Retford. However, back then I'd not seen Static Grass and all that has to offer.

My rubbish attempt to dye the damn stuff, which looked excellent, but very golden looking until it went in the Washing Machine, has left me with what looks the Pelt from a Road Kill Cockapoo (sorry Dog owners).

I've since tried Teasing and Brushing to no avail and I think its dead Jim and wold not be of any use, even stuck fur down ref Graham's post, which I had never thought of. I might just try a little bit of that as an experiment. 

Thanks all.

Phil

[t-b-g]

The fur on Retford was "dry brushed" with acrylics, rather than soaked or dyed. That allowed some of the base "straw" colour to show through.

 

We got the idea from seeing some in use on another layout. It may well have been Gresley Beat but it was a long time ago and the memory isn't what it once was!

 

We did look at static grass but were not keen as the individual strands tend to stay dead straight and can reflect light and look a little shiny. John McCrea developed techniques for inducing bends in the strands of teddy bear fur using heat, which helped it look more wavy and natural.

[Graham108]

Pete Waterman used it to good effect on his Leamington Spa layout - I've attached a photo (hope you can read it alright) of the relevant text from the October 2007 edition of British Railway Modelling

[Mallard60022]

17 minutes ago, Graham108 said:

Pete Waterman used it to good effect on his Leamington Spa layout - I've attached a photo (hope you can read it alright) of the relevant text from the October 2007 edition of British Railway Modelling

I think it's probably a better 'look' on 7mm stuff?

P

[Mallard60022]

 

2 hours ago, t-b-g said:

The fur on Retford was "dry brushed" with acrylics, rather than soaked or dyed. That allowed some of the base "straw" colour to show through.

 

We got the idea from seeing some in use on another layout. It may well have been Gresley Beat but it was a long time ago and the memory isn't what it once was!

 

We did look at static grass but were not keen as the individual strands tend to stay dead straight and can reflect light and look a little shiny. John McCrea developed techniques for inducing bends in the strands of teddy bear fur using heat, which helped it look more wavy and natural.

Thanks TBG. That's useful to know. I have not dismissed the idea, however I would have to get a further supply and the price seems to have risen dramatically.

Phil

Edited April 23, 2023 by Mallard60022