Trees

[Anonymous]

Can anyone suggest an economical way to make or where to purchase pine trees for a winter layout. I am looking for the type commonly called "bottle brush". I want to insert the trees into the mountain so I don't need flat bottoms. This is for an Xmas tree winter display . Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thank You,
Bill

[cwclark]

for cheap economical pine trees ...bumpy chinelle (it looks like a big pipe cleaner with muscles) can be used..you can get it at hobby lobby or other arts and craft stores..it comes in various colors and you may have to spray paint them because "green" isn't one of their favorite colors to dye the stuff with...it is easy to do..take a piece of it..twist it until all the fibers are in the shape of a pine tree, cut it (use an old pair of scissors or some dikes... the wire will ruin your wife's favorite pair) and paint it with evergreen or forrest green colors..let it dry and it's ready to go on the layout...Chuck[:D]

[kevgos]

Well, as has been said, use chinelle - or, to purchase them, it's almost Christmas. If you ABSOLUTELY need them NOW, go to your favorite retailer and purchase some from the Christmas dept. - or, if you're willing to wait a couple more months, wait for the after-Christmas sales and buy them on clearance.

[Anonymous]

Look around your local discount stores and christmas shops. At this time of year there are lots of artificial christmas trees coming on sale, and just one small tree can give you dozens, if not hundreds, of model-size trees.
Look for one that has moulded plastic leaves which push onto a central branch or stem. These leaf sections can be sprayed with adhesive and sprinkled with ground cover of the desired colour, if that is even necessary. Push a piece of dowel up inside them to hold them while you spray and sprinkle, and the same dowel can be pushed into your scenery base to hold the tree on location.
I made quite a lot of trees by this method to forest a hillside on a wall-hugging layout (now dismantled) that I built in my loft a few years back. Only difference was, I didn't buy the original tree but found it on a neighbour's rubbish pile after the festivities were over!
David R.

[letram]

To make your own trees, take a length of wire (stove pipe wire) approximately 12 to 16", bend to form a loop with two ends matching. Cut sisal or hemp rope into 2 to 3 inch lengths, unravel into single strands, place looped end of wire over a hook, place strands of rope between wire. Attach a drill to loose ends of wire, once twisted, cut to tree length, shape into trees.

[Anonymous]

Great suggestions. If you can get flocking or fine foam to stick to the sisal strands it will give you a fluffier look as per djohnrooke. I remember that the most fatastic trees I've ever seen was on Norris Zinn's layout in Salem, Oregon. I think he used a moss easily obtained in Oregon's woods. He was featured in some MRR issues and think his tree method was covered. Check it out.

[Anonymous]

Here is a different way of obtaining and making quantities of pine trees for winter scenes. Go to the bakery area of your local grocery super market. Talk to the baker that handles cakes. Ask about the availability of pine trees for cake decorations. They come in several sizes and are relatively inexpensive buying them in a gross (144) quantity. After obtaining them, pickup artificial snow spray in spray cans. It really works great. Have fun.

[Anonymous]

Try the articificial Christmas weaths/garlands that craft stores sell this time of year. Often discounted. Just cut off individual "branches" with a wire cutter, then trim the follage material into a cone with a pair of sissors. If the color is wrong, spray paint them in bunches stuck into a scrap block of foam. Use two or three colors of green for variety. Additional texture can be added by spraying them with hair spray (checapest you can find!) and sifting fine ground foam on to them while they are still wet. Make dozens in a hurry at little cost.

[karmakreations]

I needed several hundred for a layout that I built last year. I found them at the local "Michaels" hobby store. They are in the "Christmas Village" dept. I bought several hundred at the end of the season last year for $1.00 a bag, there were between 4 to 6 per bag depending on the size. They are allready flocked with snow and look pretty nice for the price. I also got a lighted christmas tree that I display in the town center at this time of year.
The regular price for the "Christmas Village" trees is not to bad either.
Good Luck with your project.

[ondrek]

I was hopeing someone would ask this, I need pine trees too. I have made some leafy trees using ws foliage stuck to spiria branches, they came out well, i estimate they ran me $1.60 each for 50' trees.

Kevin

[Anonymous]

Look around yard sales and flea markets. Check out used xmas trees. Check the smallest branchs to see if they look OK - usually a brown thread woven into the green stuff looks great. At a lot of sales you can get the trees free - there is very little market for them. Ask Goodwill to save you a half dozen trees.) Take a good pair of diagonal cutters to the branchlets and trim them. Set them into the plaster on your layout / diorama / whatever, add flocking or ground cover to please your eye and there you are. A medium sized tree will furnish hundreds of 3 to 6 inch trees. If you can get several different types of trees, so much the better. I've made about 6,000 trees so far for a club layout and have probably another 10,000 on hand to put ground cover on and "plant." btw, this work goes quickly while watching TV.
JOHN.

[Anonymous]

This surprises me that there are actually people doing winter layouts. I was considering this, but could only find one measly layout on the internet...are there others out there with pictures?

JASON

[catweasel]

QUOTE: Originally posted by letram

To make your own trees, take a length of wire (stove pipe wire) approximately 12 to 16", bend to form a loop with two ends matching. Cut sisal or hemp rope into 2 to 3 inch lengths, unravel into single strands, place looped end of wire over a hook, place strands of rope between wire. Attach a drill to loose ends of wire, once twisted, cut to tree length, shape into trees.

Expanding on the above method, thickly paint the tree with BLACK poster paint which can be obtained in quantity from most craft shops/departments, working the paint well into the trunk of the tree. Using an old, coarse toothed comb, comb the paint into the sisal strands. This also helps to remove any surplus paint. Re-trim any straggling strands, then sprinkle the tree with green ground cover. whilst the paint is still wet. I find a sugar shaker useful for this task. Allow to dry then shake off any excess (collect it for re-use). Spray the tree with a non-perfumed hair laquer. If additional foliage is required, sprinkle on more foliage whilst the lacquer is wet, and spray again. The trunk below the foliage can be thickened with masking tape and painted if required.

I have tried this method and find the results very pleasing. Take heed though, it can get a bit messy doing the painting. A cat-litter tray makes a good, cheap, painting tray.

I have heard of modellers spraying their trees with pine-scented air-freshener to further enhance them.

[Anonymous]

In my city they have Dollar Tree store (everything for a $1). They have their own version of a "Christmas Village". They sell a large (medium for HO) and a small pine tree, together in a package, for a $1.
Some of them or just plastic branches and need lots of flocking (still cheap), but some of them are very good trees and could even be used as foreground trees.
Some are just plain, which are the ones I get, but some of them have snow on them.

[Anonymous]

My tree recipe:

Take 1 Bamboo skewer, cut to length, leaving an extra inch or so at pointed end.
Paint skewer gray or brown, let dry.
Take 1 furnace filter, cut into rough tree shapes and size.
Coat top (not pointed end) of skewer with white glue
Insert into furnace filter material,
Poke into scrap foam to dry.
Pull fibers out into more rounded tree shape.
Spray paint Hunter Green
Put into coffee can of dark green ground foam & shake.
Allow to dry.
Poke pointed end into scenery base.

For adding "snow" I think giving a downward spray of matte medium or hair spray and lightly sifting on your snow material might give a realistic look to your trees. Haven't tried this myself.

A couple hours will give you many dozens of trees for under $10.

Wayne

[bogp40]

Originally posted by Muddy Creek

My tree recipe:

Take 1 Bamboo skewer, cut to length, leaving an extra inch or so at pointed end.
Paint skewer gray or brown, let dry.
Take 1 furnace filter, cut into rough tree shapes and size.
Coat top (not pointed end) of skewer with white glue
Insert into furnace filter material,
Poke into scrap foam to dry.
Pull fibers out into more rounded tree shape.
Spray paint Hunter Green
Put into coffee can of dark green ground foam & shake.
Allow to dry.
Poke pointed end into scenery base.

For adding "snow" I think giving a downward spray of matte medium or hair spray and lightly sifting on your snow material might give a realistic look to your trees. Haven't tried this myself.

A couple hours will give you many dozens of trees for under $10.

Wayne

In addition or in place of furnace filter you can also use Scotchbrite buffer pads ripped/ cut apart to form the layers of very convincing Spruce or Hemlocks. Some pads are already a green color to start with.
Bob K.

Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K.  www.ssmrc.org

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