Is there an accepted or practical technique for applying scenery products (e.g. ground foam) to near vertical surfaces? I have some steep river banks (6 - 9" high), and I don't see how I could get the products onto the glue I would have coated them with, without all the foam ending up in the river at the bottom. And what strength glue - 1 part white glue to 3 parts water?
The books I have (e.g. Dave Frary's Model Railroad Scenery) just advise to sprinkle on the foam, but that would obviously only work on surfaces that are nearer horizontal.
I'm sure this has been done before - just not by me!
Thanks,
Paul.
RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO BLOW IT INTO PLACE WITH YOUR LIPS! Ground foam in your eye is very painful.
I take a small card and an empty bottle for ketchup. Put some ground foam on the card. Then I puff the air out of the bottle, across the card blowing the ground foam with it, and some of it will stick to the vertical surface.
Only a portion of it will stick, but it will get done.
KEEP YOU FACE AWAY until the ground foam settles. You do not want it in your eye!
-Kevin
Living the dream.
I use Aleene’s Easy Tacky Glue with a throw away brush. You can clean the brush for reuse but it's a goner for painting.
These Harbor Freight brushes.
Then for applying flocking I use hair product bottles.
Squeezing the bottles sprays the flocking with precision.
EDIT:
Thinned white glue also works at 6:1 using the brush method.
Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
A thin layer of Henry's or Armstrong floor adhesive with a small throw-away brush, make sure you put it only where you want it, you have to be quick or it will turn into gooey globulars, wait a minute or two and sprinkle sprinkle.
Don't ever get that crap on your hands! It's not like a booger that takes a little persuading, That Stuff does NOT come off your hands for a week.
And trust me, Your ground foam will never ever come off that Hill
I would do a test area off my layout first. I may not be the best advice candidate here. I'm not sure if that stuff eats foam.
TF
It perhaps warrants pointing out that when Linn Westcott first introduced his "zip texturing" scenic idea (which used pigments in plaster if I recall on a wetted surface), he said one of the advantages of the idea, which would also apply to sprinkling on ground foam, is that it does NOT stick to the sort of vertical surfaces where vegetation wouln't grow anyway in real life.
Dave Nelson
I've used the Noch 08100 "Puffer bottle" in cases of vertical application with some success.
https://tinyurl.com/y5b4ubh2
Once you see how simple it is you could certainly make your own.
Good Luck, Ed
I like the hair product squeeze bottles, you can cut the nozzles for the amount or size of flocking. Blowing the flocking from the pointed nozzles give you excellent precision dusting of an area. I get close up and blast away.The smaller bottles workout nicely for glue and stains. Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
Try this take a disposable bowl put in some ground foam. Then add some diluted white glue say 50-50 with water. Blend together in the bowl . Then take the glue wetted ground foam and apply it to the vertical surfaces. I use gloves and my fingers but a spoon would also work. It will stick and when it dries it looks like any other ground foam application. I've done this on many vertical rock areas on my Buffalo Line with no problems. --- Ken
In addition to how to apply the ground foam (fine & course earth, etc.) I found it helpful the have various dilutions of white glue available;; e.g., 50%, 75%, 85%. On steeper surfaces I would dribble on the glue and spread it out with a brush.
After sprinkling (or puffing) on the ground foam, I would spray a fine mist of wet water or 50% IPA on the foam to help wick the dilute glue into the foam a bit.
For heavier products such as small bushes, or clump foliage, I would just place the material on a flat surface or use full strength glue to place it on a steep slope. Then I would dribble some extra 50% glue as needed and spray with 50% IPA to cause the glue to spread a bit.
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
[quote user="SeeYou190"]
I sometimes paint on glue then "toss" the ground foam against the vertical section.
Kevin, I'm not sure - should we blow it with our lips? You were not very clear in your response
I live with this problem because I use a large folded loop around the room for my main line, meaning if I want a long main line, it's tight to the walls and scenery in places. Accordingly, I have lots of vertical/nearly so surfaces to make realistic-looking.
As is the case with most of we mortals, we're too soon oldt und too late shcmardt. But, eventually even a dullard like I am can learn AND retain something between layouts construction efforts. I am getting on, and have understood that access to hard-to-reach places is getting harder. So, I construct my scenery in chunks. I fashion a sub-frame that will fit and support both itself and the intended scenery in situ. Over that comes the rough terrain. When I get to the point where I'm adding ground foam and stuff, I support the entire frame so that the surfaces I need to cover are oriented flat...parallel to the ground. I then spray or dribble my adhesive, shake some ground foam, overspray again, and let it dry. When I set the item back into place, it looks well covered.
I lay some paper to collect what makes it to the bottom and sprinkle from above. Then a fine mist of glue to hold it in place.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Thanks for all the interesting replies and discussion. I now have lots of options open, and I'll go with whatever best suits whatever stuff I have available.