Static Grass Tips and Techniques

[PaulG]

We now get our scenic materials from https://www.modelscenerysupplies.co.uk/scatter-flock-ground-cover-trees-and-bushes  in particular their leaf foliage for tree making is very good.

 

Paul

[Gedward]

Sunset over Bovey Tor.

 

 

[Gedward]

Just spent another day out on the moors.

 

 

[alphonsus]

On 23/06/2021 at 18:57, Gedward said:

Just spent another day out on the moors.

 

 

What do you use for the stones in the walls? They look great.

Edited June 25, 2021 by alphonsus

[Gedward]

6 hours ago, alphonsus said:

What do you use for the stones in the walls? They look great.

 

Many thanks Alphonsus.

 

They are individually made from an oil based clay called Y2-Klay. They are then glued together with PVA. Next an overall coat of diluted PVA to bind everything together and as a base for painting with acrylic paints and pigments. BTW, I've also used this method for the platform walls and edge paving. And to create Bovey Tor's 'tor' together with some of the loose rocks strewn around the moors.

 

Check out my layout page to see how the platform was created.

[Gedward]

First gorse bush on Bovey Tor.

 

 

[Gedward]

22 hours ago, Gedward said:

First gorse bush on Bovey Tor.

 

 

 

The first of many bushes and shrubs on Bovey Tor. 

 

Sea moss, static grass and scatter material. As described by Gordon Gravett.

 

 

Edited July 8, 2021 by Gedward
Editing copy and typos

[justin1985]

I 'inherited' a GreenScene Flock-it (original version, I think, as far as I can tell it doesn't have a socket for a wall wart, just a 9v battery) a little while back, and only recently got around to giving it a try.

 

However, when I put in the grass (e.g. 4mm Mininatur or 2mm GreenScene) in roughly the quantity I need, basically nothing comes out - I seem to always end up with a big clump stuck to the sides of the cup, no way near the mesh.  Am I going wrong by using too small an amount of grass? (seems wasteful/inconvenient to fill it up that much) Or do I have to shake it REALLY hard to get the grass onto the mesh? (it seems that the mesh is a really long way away from the bolt that presumably conducts the charge) 

 

I made a fly swat/tea strainer machine of my own years ago, and I guess I'm used to being able to use a small amount of grass directly by pushing it around the strainer part with my finger when I want to encourage more out, and as the mesh itself is "live", it seems to have a very visible effect in making the grass stand up underneath it. So far, it seems like I get better results with that than with the Flock-it ...

 

Or might there be a fault / something I'm doing wrong with the Flock-it if the grass is clumping on the sides rather than ever reaching the mesh?

 

Cheers

Justin

[WIMorrison]

I modified my GreenScene Flockit to take power from a 12v wallwart - the spark is MUCH stronger and flocking is easier.

[ROSSPOP]

I took delivery of a Flockit this week to enable me to work in a confined space. I`m very impressed with it and tempted to say it`s better than my Grasmaster 2...........

 

 

It`s a pity it only comes with one size sieve, but i should be able to make one using the blank screw on lid.

 

 

 

 

 

[WIMorrison]

I havent needed to use any screen other than the one it came with and I have used it for 6mm grass

 

 

[justin1985]

16 hours ago, WIMorrison said:

I modified my GreenScene Flockit to take power from a 12v wallwart - the spark is MUCH stronger and flocking is easier.

 

Interesting! Did you just chop off the battery connector and fit a 2.1mm jack through the side of the handle? Or did you need to make other changes?

[WIMorrison]

Even simpler - and reversible - all I did was drill a hole in the side for the socket that fitted my SMPS (old BT router 12v SMPS) and ripped an old PP9 battery apart to get the connector then wired from socket to old battery,  connected up and switched on

[Gedward]

Working up this area gradually, layer by layer.

 

 

[justin1985]

On 09/07/2021 at 13:47, WIMorrison said:

Even simpler - and reversible - all I did was drill a hole in the side for the socket that fitted my SMPS (old BT router 12v SMPS) and ripped an old PP9 battery apart to get the connector then wired from socket to old battery,  connected up and switched on

 

 

Great idea - thanks! Had forgotten that 9v batteries are packages of smaller cells, so quite easy to disassemble. 

 

I tried switching the bog standard Duracell 9v battery (not used before but in drawer for a while - multimeter still shows voltage above 9v) for a high capacity (230mAh) Ni-MH rechargeable 9v and got much better performance from the Flock-It.

 

BUT even though more fibres were upright compared to the Flock-It with the Duracell 9v, there were a lot more still landing on their sides than I am used to from my 2 x AA powered Maplin flyswat / tea strainer contraption! I also like the fact I can go back over some freshly laid grass with the tea strainer to pull it more upright, and pull grass on embankments more "upright" from "perpendicular", which doesn't seem possible with a hopper type device. 

 

I'll experiment with a 9v battery connector wired to a 12v adapter before giving up on the Flock-It though.

 

Is there any good explanation of how the "static power" of a static grass applicator works in terms of voltage and current? The above seems to suggest it might not be so much the voltage as the current rating that seemed to make the difference ... 

[WIMorrison]

What I find that makes a difference is the type of glue that you use, a decent water content seems to work better as I presume it allows the static to 'flow' better. I also tend not to clip the flying lead to anything but have it hovering over the area I am laying the grass on. Flockit certainly works well for me, better than others I have tried.

[2ManySpams]

On 11/07/2021 at 17:23, Gedward said:

Working up this area gradually, layer by layer.

 

 

 

Excellent work on the gorse.

[ROSSPOP]

By sheer chance I got one of these off Ebay a few years back and have only just got round to trying it.

 

 

Surprisingly, it works very well indeed for static grasses up to 6mm length.................................. but

 

Nobody has mentioned the quality of grass fibres to be used..... recently wasted £20 on longer grasses that do not hold  static  well enough.

 

 I use Heki, Nock, and Silflor  2mm , 4.5mm and 6mm lengths , but minimising the layering technique as I dont like it that much.

 

I did this today using a Flockit ( surprisingly brilliant) using various colours to give a look of distance on my 2 feet wide diorama layout.

 

 

 

 

 

 

No weeds or shrubbery yet as these don`t grow much on the GWR !!!

 

 

 

 

[MrWolf]

You might need a couple of GWR "Standard evergreens" then! 

[swisspeat]

Some nicely planted grass there. Well done. Good job.

 

I have recently done extensive tests on longer grass fibres. There are a few problems - many are not straight so to get them to stand upright is nigh on impossible, secondly even if they are straight the number standing upright or near vertical is very small once the glue dries and finally they do not work well with PVA glue.

 

using a vacuum a few minutes after planting does make a few more stand upright but be careful that it does not pull up all the planted grass!

 

The conclusion of my tests was it is best to limit oneself to 7mm fibres (max) and plant double height as required.

 

regards,

 

Peter

[ROSSPOP]

21 minutes ago, swisspeat said:

Some nicely planted grass there. Well done. Good job.

 

I have recently done extensive tests on longer grass fibres. There are a few problems - many are not straight so to get them to stand upright is nigh on impossible, secondly even if they are straight the number standing upright or near vertical is very small once the glue dries and finally they do not work well with PVA glue.

 

using a vacuum a few minutes after planting does make a few more stand upright but be careful that it does not pull up all the planted grass!

 

The conclusion of my tests was it is best to limit oneself to 7mm fibres (max) and plant double height as required.

 

regards,

 

Peter

 

Thanks Pete,

I agree with what you say. I`m going to order some  Noch 12mm for one final try as Nock and Heki produce stiffer grasses and those and Mini-Natur suit my  Flockit and Gras Master 2

 

John

[swisspeat]

In my recent experience the Noch and WOodland Scenics taller fibres were some of the best on the market. 

 

The woodlands ones are the thickest and do create a different visual visual impression compared to the thinner ones by Noch.

 

as is usual in these things it’s down to personal choice. I will be very interested in seeing your results.

 

peter

[Gedward]

On 30/10/2020 at 14:21, Re6/6 said:

You won't regret it! I'd be lost without my Greenkeeper.

 

After reading and re reading this thread, I decided to invest in a Greenkeeper 55Kv. As we're planning on making the move towards O gauge on the next layout.

[Re6/6]

You won't be disappointed George. You will get excellent results with it.

[Gedward]

23 minutes ago, Re6/6 said:

You won't be disappointed George. You will get excellent results with it.

 

Thanks John. Having seen some excellent results on here, especially from yourself and Martin W. I guess some people collect stamps, some static grass applicators, this will be my third!