Handful of new trees

[AltoonaRailroader]

Here's a pic of some new Sedum trees. I'm kinda hooked on the multi colored ones.

[cowman]

Looking good.  I use different greens too, even some oranges on my early fall layout.

My sedum hadn't dried quite enough, due to our long warm fall.  Now it has 8" of snow on it.  Suppose to warm up, will harvest then.

What procedure do you use to prepare and finish them?

Thank you,

Richard

[HHPATH56]

Very nice trees! I am also "hooked on" using multicolored WS Blended turf for the foliage. I still prefer to use Scenic Express Super Trees, since Sedum consists of 4-5 vertical diverging branches and is not layered horizontally, in tiers, like the Super Trees. I often sprinkle on Dark ground turf, and then apply another spray of adhesive, followed by sprinkling on Light green turf. I just completed about 300 trees of various sizes. The bare Super trees are ideal for leafless Winter foliage. Have you ever tried sprinkling on short pieces of sisal rope to form multi-brqanches, before sprinkling on the multi-colored turf. I change my forest coloration with the seasons, by substituting entire canopies of seasonal colored foliage. How long did it take you to make your "handful of trees"? By spraying on the adhesive over the box of armatures, one does not waste adhesive and gets a bunch of armatures semi-ready for foliage. Another idea that you might like to try on narrow ridges, is to layer a canopy of evergreens of various colors. cut in zig-zag patterns from sheets of packing sponge or cardboard. Click on the photos to enlarge them. Then, click on"Previous" or "Next", to see other views of my layout. Bob Hahn

[cowman]

Bob,

How long do you cut your sisal rope and how much do you seperate it?  I've been using baler twine to make connifers, never thought of adding it to hardwoods.  Got enoough twine around to reforrest several hundred layouts.

Thank you,

Richard

[HHPATH56]

This was an idea proposed at a clinic at the Milwaukee National MRR Convention. Any rope or twine would suffice. He cut it into pieces 1/4" -3/8" and swirled the adhesive sprayed armature in a bag of these pieces. I also use 5-6 green painted circles of furnace filters, pressed onto double pointed stained olive skewers. Then sprayed with adhesive and sprinkle4d with dark green and then light green WS Foam Turf. This is a quick way to turn out hundreds of trees. Small stained toothpicks with clump foliage applied can be used for more distant mountainsides. Bob Hahn

[richhotrain]

Very, very nice, Altoona.

You gotta have multi-colored trees to look like the real thing.

On my layout, I have darked colored, light colored, and multi-colored, and the multi-colored look the best and the most realistic.

Rich

[Aikidomaster]

Those are great looking trees. I am a fan of SuperTrees by Scenic Express. It helps with the fall colors of October, 1957 in West Virginia on the N&W.

[cowman]

Bob,

Next question.  I have seen "furnace filter" mentioned a number of times for use in making trees.  When I go to the hardware store all they have is the pleated type and I don't think those are what I am looking for.  What should I ask for?

Thanks again,

Richard

[AltoonaRailroader]

Thanks for the comments and the advice on how to make them better. I'm very happy with how this batch came out. Here's my process. It does take a while but you have to get the process started so you have them in different stages to work through. I've been messing around so I ended up with a bunch all done at once.

 

First, make sure ur sedum is very dried out.

I then spray painted them with some gray and or brown paint.

The tricky part is next. Since they look kinda dumb if it's just a single trunk I take two pieces and with some caulking and I "glue" them together.

After they were dried I mixed some gray and brown paint and dabbed the trunks so they weren't straight gray. 

once THAT was dry (told u it was a long Process), I mixed a bowl of Elmer's glue and water, about 50/50. 

After that I took each individual tree and dipped the tops in the glue/water mixture. Tap the excess glue off and then sprinkle it with ground foam(pick ur colors).

After a few tree's mixing the colors in the bowl I dump that back onto a tree.

If you've dipped your tree too deep and got ground foam on the limbs, use some air in a can to gently blow off the excess.

Let the trees stand for a while to dry. Once they've set for a while hit them heavily with hairspray. Let that sit and dry and wa-la!   TREES!

I also use the twine and floral wire process for conifers. I've never really liked the furnace filter trees, but I haven't tried it myself yet.

Hope this helps explain my process. Good luck.

 

[bigpianoguy]

Great stuff. I'm not clear on your use of the twist ties, though. I also use them as clamps for construction and for transport but it appears in the photo that you leave them on at the bases?

thx, Paul.

[AltoonaRailroader]

Paul,  they're only temporary while the caulk dries. I use twist ties for all kinds of stuff. Call it a creative crutch. LOL

[HHPATH56]

As to the "furnace filters", I use the cheap blue fiber glass filters that can be pulled apart into three sheets. I spray paint them with dark or medium green, and then cut them into various size rough circles. I then push 4-5 of them onto the stained skewers. Scraps are pushed onto the top of the skewer. These filters may no longer be available. One can use old metal or plastic window screening, if one cuts the wires in the place where the pointed trunk will be pushed into the circle. Wear rubber gloves, (I spent 25 minutes removing the glue and foam form both hands, UGH!), especially if you use the fiber glass filters, which release prickly fibers into your fingers! A photo of Fall foliage trees follows. Click on the photo to enlarge it. Then, click on "Previous" or "Next" to see other views of my layout. Bob Hahn The second photo includes a dead, (or Winter leafless), tree made from a Scenic Express Super Tree. I still prefer Super trees, A $25 box produces over 60 trees, with plenty of scrap for hedges, etc.

[AltoonaRailroader]

Bob, 

        Do u have some pics of ur trees?

[woodman]

Where did the pictures go?

[richhotrain]

woodman

Where did the pictures go?

Yeah, what happened there?

 

[AltoonaRailroader]

Sorry about that, I moved them into an album on photo bucket. Here are the pics again.

 

 

And the pic of making them: