birches autumn

[grove den]

Well, these H0 birches( 6-7 inches) are actualy " small parts" of the totaly scenery but could be realy eyecatchers on the right spot:

 

Jos

[cowman]

Are those commercial trees or ones you made?  What brand or what did you use to make them?

I have some small trees made from local bushes with the yellow leaves.  You are right, they standout nicely.

Have fun,

Richard

[St Francis Consolidated RR]

   Eyecatchers? Are you kidding? Eye guess they are! Those are some of the best trees I've ever seen! How'd you do that?  The pines in the background look fantastic too.

[grove den]

Thanks Richard and " st. Francis etc",

I made the frame , as usualy, with floristic wire. Just like the firtrees in the background.

I make large loops with the wires by twisting the flor.wire  first 5-6 times very tight among a "core"wwireand than making a loop ( about 1- 1 1/2 inch) 

Again twisting tight 5-8 times around the corewire and making a loop.( the core wire has to be thicker than the ones you use to make the branches....)

Overhere the wires are about 15 inches long so mostly I get 2 loops twisted with one wire.

How many loops you need is up to you....for this birch I used almost 18 loops= about 10- 11 wires.

Plus two  you have to twist first as start of the trunk......( = the first two inches of the trunk....)

When loops are made/wire twisted I glue the frame with some drops of cheap superglue and let it dry for some hours.

When dry I cut the loops and bend the ends straight just like the branches of a birchtree. Also the angle of the branches to/on the trunk is important!

Than I dip the frame in a can with primer. let it dry

To thicken the trunk and branches I use very very fine sawDUST . I add the sawdust with a fine strainer , of course , with(  colored) whiteglue in wich I add some drops of dishdetergent and a very litlle bit of water....

To make the trunk more strong just add another layer(s) of sawdust( when first is dry( I use a more deluted white glue for the next layers of sawdust)

When dry I paint the frame with cheap latex wallpaint in the right "trunk"color( or dipping them in a large can filled with the wallpaint when making 30 trees or more.....)

Adding the small branches and twigs.

I use cheap wigs to make/produce  the fibers I use to imm. the small branches and twigs.

Overhere it is almost "karnaval"  and may stores sell them right now...In the usa may be "Haloween"could be interesting to buy wigs with straight long hair....???

Anyway:I cut the fibers of the wigs in very small parts= max.: 1/2 an inch and collect them in a box

When enough fibers I spray the outside of the branches of the  frame with some sprayglue and let the cutted fibers drop over/on the top of the  frame. Loose fibers can be removed by ticking againt the trunk and twisting the tree between thumb and pointingfing...NOT to firm otherwise all the fibers will be glued on your clothes or fly anywhere! lol

the trick of ttwisting the trunk is to let the fibers point to the outside of the "periphery"of the frame/tree just like real!

May be you have to use  tweezers to modlling some fibers..

 

let is dry and add some 4 mm grasfibers the same way as with the long "wig"fibers...don't add to much of these fibers: les is more

Finaly some 2 mm and than the leaves:

A H0 small tree:

 

Here some results of 2 N scale trees:

For H0 trees I use NOCH Blätter or Woodland scenics coarse turf will do too...matter of taste

For the N scale treesI use the fine turf . And always using a strainer when adding the leaves...

For the pine trees( all kind) I use the fine turf from Woodland...even add this on the branches with a fine strainer...

Jos

[bogp40]

Jos, incredible trees. Seems like quite a bit of work, yet, I see that once experienced at the process, batches could be done to speed up the process. About how much time do you figure, making a batch of 20 or so?

Those birches can also represent fall Aspens by simple repaint of the trunk.

I feel this would make quite a How To article. Great work

[grove den]

Thanks Bob,

Well , yes, the trees are indeed "time consuming".

But to me as , as a " landscapemodelrailroader" it is as( even more??) important as the buildings on my future layout.

My opinion about the green stuff is that it should be as detailed as the other things on a layout like trains, cars, signs etc...specialy those who are growing in the front and of course we are limmited in immitating leaves/vegetation but I try to do my " atmost" to reach the same detailled level as the rolling stock made nowadays.....

About the trees I made: 

a H0pine- firtree 8 -10inches  can take about max.3/4 hour including making the frame.

Modelling/twisting the frame and adding the bark will take most of the time, say 1/2 an hour. Adding the fibers and needles about 10 minutes and last but not least cleaning up the trunk ( small fibers)and a bit of weathering/drybrushing: 5-6 minutes...

H0 Atlascedar about    2 hours:

 

H0 solitair scotchpine took me about an hour: 

yes,  it will take some time to make a forrest  but I don't mind to work  on it for some years  and during that time it will take to make/complete the  layout....( i think it will never be finished)

besides that these trees have more volume/are bigger( square inches) than the ones from the industry so you don't  need the same amounts of trees.....

decidious trees H0 7-8 inches an hour because I have /want to make the bark more realistic and that will take some more minutes extra.

H0 Italian poplar10-11 inches    1 1/2 hour:

So in short: 20 H0  trees  8 inches high will take about 3/4 hour each so 15 hours = 2 weeks when making 1 tree /day..... so   not that bad at all concidering the time you have/want to spent ....

Jos

 

 

 

 

[bogp40]

So true, Jos, too many times you can see well designed layout w/ exceptional highly detailed equipment and structures placed on very good scenery as to the painstaking rockwork, water features and ground covering only to be rather lacking in those most important- trees, brush and forest canopy.  To use "redi-made" trees, even just a few for the important forground ones, can get quite expensive.

[BATMAN]

Thanks for posting Jos. I am impressed.

I have made some wire trees I have been reasonably happy with but I was dipping them in a sloppy plaster of paris mix to get the woody trunk look. I think using sawdust is the way to go and sawdust I got. I am looking forward to trying your method. Thanks again.

                            Brent