Keeping Ground Foam Clusters on Woodland Scenic Trees Long Enough To Dry!

[Anonymous]

I bought the bendable armature tree kits from Woodland Scenic and have tried to use the hobby Tac glue to add foam clusters to them but most of it falls off! Has someone else had better success or know a trick to get a nice full tree to stay together?

Gord.

[Javern]

let the glue setup a bit before adding the ground foam, or you could use 3M spray adhesive ( very tacky ) but spray the armatures outside where there is plenty of ventalation and no flame sources

[Anonymous]

Gord,
I haven't used the Hobby Tac but I have used Aileen's (sp?) Tacky Glue with success. I stick the limb about half-way into the glue bottle and then "skewer" the cluster onto the limb. After the glue dries, I hit the foliaged areas with super-hold hairspray. Not the most durable things in the world but they will withstand normal handling without disintegrating. HTH.

Karl

[tstage]

Gord,

I had the same problem when I first started to make trees. You have to let the Hob-i-Tac dry "clear" BEFORE apply any of the foam. Like Karl, I use a cheap hair spray (e.g. Aqua Net) to set the foam to the tree. Be careful not to OVER spray.

I've tried the "skewer" method of putting the foam on the tree branches. (That method works better if the glue is still wet.) I've also used the "hand applied" approach - placing clumps of foam on the top side and bottom side of the limbs. My trees look more full with the latter method.

If a clump falls off after a day or two (I affectionately refer to them as "bombs"), don't fret. Check the tackiness of the branch, apply more Hob-i-Tak, if need be, and reapply another clump of foam. I had bombs dropping off a couple of my trees for weeks after. Just be patient.

Keep at it, Gord. It does take a little time to learn and master. I'm still learning [:)]...

Tom

[ukguy]

Gord,
I gave up with the foliage clusters as they were too dense for the trees I wanted. Of the few WS armaturs I am using (and I bought a bunch of them before realising I didnt like them and found other alternatives, notch 17 to experience) I have skewered lichen bunches to the armatures (attached with elmers white glue) and then sprinkled on WS coarse turf (attached with spray adhesive).

As a side note Michaels sells lichen for about half the price of the LHS and the bunches/ clumps are much finer detail and "bushlike" than the WS stuff. I also found that 75% of the large WS bag I bought was unusable for bushes and foliage as it was straggly (sp?) and 'unbushlike'. The Michaels "Camel Moss" as they call it is excellent.

Keep trying, keep experimenting and mainly keep having fun.
Be safe,
Karl.

[selector]

UKGuy, I read here, several weeks ago, that if you put the clumps thru a spinning blade-type coffe grinder/food chopper for two or three short bursts (two seconds each), the blade does a good job of separating the clumps so that the pieces stay on the armatures and look more like foliage. It has worked for me.

By the way, everyone, I have used Elmer's Spary Adhesive in aerosol cans (blue and white can with orange top), and had the same issues with stickiness. I also feel that every medium needs some testing to find the 'right' time to immerse the armatures in a bag of foliage. My evergreens shed for many days, but I finally got 'em looking good.

Good luck.

[ukguy]

I found that too selector, it is a good tip, I have used that method to make smaller bushes and some ground cover.

Thanks to all for ALL the tips and help passed on in the forums.

Be safe
Karl.

[Anonymous]

i just made some of the Woodland scenics kit pines today....yes, they do have "bombs" that fall off now and then, and you must re-tacky the limb or branch and wait then re-apply the foliage.

for the most part, i find the WS tree kits a good value. The Hobby-Tack product seems to work better if you leave the trees soaked for more than 1 hour...i think the instructions say 15-20 minutes. I always now wait an hour before i assemble. And I recommend putting lots of crumpled foliage in a large plastic shopping-type bag and then "dipping" the trunks into it and pressing firm on each side of the trunk. pull the tree out of the bag then lightly press your closed palm around the tree just once or twice. for the most part, this keeps the foliage from eventually falling off.

[cwclark]

I just use Woodland Scenic's "Foilage" ...tear off a clump, put a small dap from a hot glue gun to the backside of it, and then stick it to the tree armature..it holds instantly and i can do about 10 - 15 trees an hour that way....Chuck

[mrgstrain]

Gord I am also using WS tree armaturs, first i give them a shot of dull - cote to kill the shine, then i apply Aleen's tacky glue to the tree limbs. I have made some with lichen & some with poly fiber , then a shot of cheep extra hold hair spray & sprinkle on some ground foam varying size & colors another light coat of hair spray & you have some nice looking trees. Experiment & have fun.
Larry

[dave9999]

I do a lot of trees at once, so by the time I get the Hobby Tac on the last tree the first one is
ready for foliage. You need to wait at least 15 minutes before applying the ground foam. It's
better to wait a little longer. Patience...
Of coarse, a little bit always seems to fall off. Good luck, Dave

[tstage]

Hey, Dave!

Is that the same mountain that you posted pictures of a few Sundays ago. If so, that's coming along quite nicely.

Tom

[CBQ_Guy]

When I've made trees in the past, I would just brush some Hob-E-Tac on the ends of the branches and dunk the tree into a bowl of the foliage. Never really had anything fall off except what was "supposed" to -- extra that was "stuck" to a clump but not to the glue on the limb itself. In fact, after applying the foliage I would spin the tree between my thumb and forefinger over the bowl to get any non-secured clumps of foliage off the tree.

Last time I made some trees using the new, though definitely not improved formula of the Hob-E-Tac. It's too watery and wants to drip off the armature so basically I don't care for it at all. As for some statements about letting the glue set, or dry before applying the foliage, that's a new one on me. Is this some new technique for using the new, watery Hob-E-Tac? To my mind, if you let it dry before applying the foliage, how is the foliage supposed to stick?!

[tstage]

Paul,

The Hob-E-Tac dries "clear" and remains tacky. I don't know how watery your current bottle is. Mines basically the consistency of Elmer's glue.

Try an experiment. Apply some of the Hob-E-Tac on the tops and bottom of some branch ends and let it dry first. Once it's dry (i.e. clear or no longer white), take your finger and lightly touch the surface. It should be tacky. Now, take a clump of ground foam and lightly press it into place. If the glue is good it should stick fairly well.

Let me know if that helps.

Tom

[bikerraypa]

I think you'll find polyfiber to work better. Those "foliage clusters" are pretty good when you are covering a hillside, but making individual trees from them is a major PITA. Just take a clump of polyfiber, spray it with hair spray, stick it in the container with some ground foam and give it a shake. Then, stick it on the armature. Usually two polyfiber balls make a nice tree.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dave9999

I do a lot of trees at once, so by the time I get the Hobby Tac on the last tree the first one is
ready for foliage. You need to wait at least 15 minutes before applying the ground foam. It's
better to wait a little longer. Patience...
Of coarse, a little bit always seems to fall off. Good luck, Dave

Dave ---is that your railway!!! GREAT MODELING JOB!!! Talk about inspiration!

[dave9999]

Tom:

QUOTE: Hey, Dave!

Is that the same mountain that you posted pictures of a few Sundays ago. If so, that's coming along quite nicely.

Tom,
Yes, it's the same mountain... just more trees.

Paul:

QUOTE: As for some statements about letting the glue set, or dry before applying the foliage, that's a new one on me.
Is this some new technique for using the new, watery Hob-E-Tac? To my mind, if you let it dry before applying the foliage,
how is the foliage supposed to stick?!

Paul,
I don't know what product you are refering to, but Hobby-Tac has the consistancy of the paste you used to use in elementary school.
When it "dries" it is super tacky. If you ever get it on your hands, you'll know what I am talking about. EVERYTHING sticks to it.

Where you maybe thinking of Scenery Cement? That stuff is real watery.

LGBFan123:

QUOTE: Dave ---is that your railway!!! GREAT MODELING JOB!!! Talk about inspiration!

Yep, that's mine. Thanks for the compliment. Good luck everyone, Dave

[CBQ_Guy]

Tom and Dave,

A couple years ago WS changed the forumla of the Hob-E-Tac, probably to make it less toxic or whatever. The old formula which is the one I was used to, was kinda like gooey and extremely sticky rubber cement. You didn't really want to get it on your fingers if you could help it...and you usually couldn't!

The last time we made trees was using the new formulation and it was almost like pancake syrup consistancy, though a bit thicker. But when you brushed it on it tended to want to drip off, whereas the old forumla might tend more to be stringy when you pulled the brush applicator in the cap away from the armature after applying the glue. Not as bad as Walthers GOO, though. (and they've apparently changed the forumla on that, too!)

Anyway, the next time I work on trees I'll try letting it dry first and see how that goes. Thanks for the tip! [:)]

[dave9999]

Paul,
That maybe it... the Hobby-Tac that I have is a couple of years old. Thanks for the heads-up. Dave