Foliage on trees

[Mike Griff]

'lo people,
I'm just trying my first trees. I got myself a roll of Flora-Tec Flower Ranking Wire from B&Q t'other day and cut some lengths from the roll and twisted it up like you would strangle a snake, pulled a few bits out n twisted them too, it looked treeish,i then "painted" on some poly-filla and pva mixture impregnated with acryllic raw umber paint and fixed it on the layout by drilling a hole in the baseboard, shuving a piece of wire into the "treetrunk" from the root end and glueing it in the hole. It dried over night to give a pleasant representation of a tree, good start.
Today i bought some hair spray, Garnier Fructis, it said Extra Strong, Sounds good says i but my Woodland Scenics Underbrush will not attach itself.

With out my tendencey to baseness do you guys have any advice in the glueing of this material to my rather decent tree representation please?
                                                             Mike

[pilotfriend]

best read  http://www.009.cd2.com/members/how_to/trees_hedges.htm

[Graeme Dunbar]

Hi Mike,

Try one of the 3M "spraymount" products, e.g.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/3M-Scotch-Weld-Craft-Permanent-Adhesive/dp/B000H6W3P2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1317462756&sr=8-2

Lay down plenty of newspaper or do it in a garage if you don't want sticky surfaces!

[Hobby]

I was wanting to replace the trees in my "forest" on South Bohemia and have ended up buying some Woodlands Scenic stuff... They also do a useful video on how to attach their foliage, it may be worth you looking at getting their (or similar) glue? He makes it look so easy in the video... we shall see when it arrives!

http://woodlandscenics.woodlandscenics.com/show/video/MakeATree

[Graeme Dunbar]

Perhaps too easy methinks! The glue does look interesting though if it does genuinely go from wet to very tacky (and then hopefully glues permanently). The downside of using Spraymount is that you start off with so very little to aim the spray at. Maybe a hybrid method with spraying as a second stage might work. I'm a little doubtful about just sprinkling fine scatter material on top, especially on a portable/exhibition layout - unless the plan is to have an autumn leaves animation.

[pilotfriend]

My tree making method uses spray mount and the trees do not shed in transit. We are re-inventing the wheel here.

[Hobby]

The main difference is that you hand brush the glue onto just the bits you want the foliage to stick to, rather than having to remove folliage from the trunks if using the spraymount method. (At least thats what happens when I use spraymount - no doubt incorrectly!)

[Graeme Dunbar]

Not so sure about the "re-inventing" bit. Definitely discussing which of the many existing ways best suits an individual's requirements.

Something I'd like to improve on is achieving the effect of light shade trees such as silver birch in spring. The trees in the video were definitely heavy shade trees in midsummer with clumpy foliage.

I'm getting the hang of soldered wire armatures, having followed a booklet (forgot details) and use steel cable from B&Q, solder up the trunk and then unravel the individual strands and perhaps retwist and then solder up. To my eyes it looks like birch (definitely silver birch). The foliage is another matter. It either looks like lumps or that the branches need a shave. I've heard of foliage mat (or some such similar name) but not seen it.

[Mike Griff]

Hi Peeps,
Ta for the replies, a couple of things stand out for me, 1. Put the foliage on the tree then the tree on the board and 2. Don,t use the spray stuuf on trees, reserve this for "flat" lands.
           I think "Hobby" has it covered (doh, pun alert) with the paint on stuff.
I,ll give it a go after my little holiers.

                            Thanks again all, Mike

[pilotfriend]

I do use spray on trees as any other way results in damage...... but go ahead. It depends upon how sophisticated you want your trees to be.

[Hobby]

"Spray on trees"... now there's an idea!  ;D

I know what you mean, John, but its not one of my favourite parts of modelling and so I've ordered some of WS's - I'll see if they are any good... Main thing is that you get 44 trunks (with branches) ready made saving me a lot of hassle... I'm not happy with "that" forest so I'll see if I can do any better with these...

http://woodlandscenics.woodlandscenics.com/show/Item/TR1125/page/1

I intend to lop some of the lower branches on the taller ones to try to recreate that look I've seen in some forests...