General Discussion (Model Railroader)

Well, a trip to the LHS today brought home more of the WS "foliage". I thought it looked dark in the store but when I got home it's considerable darker than the original batch. Looks I'm going to have to find some more material in the original color. To anyone thinking of making some aspens, take a close look at the color before you buy foliage. I think this is a freak lot. Most of the "early fall" color I've seen in the past is more appropriate for fall aspens. Anyway, just a heads up.

Eric: Very good post.
I hope you don't mind me answering a few of the questions above, but the use of the fine ground foam works very well for other types of trees made with the Oakleaf Hydrangea. If you use ground foam you do need to keep the seed pods on the limbs. They provide a sticking point on the branches and will give you the "bush look" of leaves.

Also, if the bloom is not completely dry, then you need to hang them up for about a month using clothes pins and a line. This will prevent them getting out of shape if they dryout on the layout. if you just let them dry in a bag, then they will take the shape of however they are bunched up...usually bent...I know.[:I]

This method is from the very fine works of the Birmingham Wrecking Crew, MR Club that CJcrescent is a member of. They have an excellent club layout that is covered with this type of tree.

REX

Good info, Rex. Thanks for posting it. We need to find another batch next time we're out. It sounds like it may be best to cut the branches a little earlier in the year and hang them to dry.

As you have already suggested, this time of the year on through the winter is an ideal time to cut even though anytime is all right to do so. Of course, the drying time would be longer the earlier you cut them.

I am in the process of placing trees on my Sawmill Ridge with the ones I cut last winter. Many of them are bent from improper storage, but with some trimming I will be able to use most. The boss lady and I are going to the boonies tomorrow (weather permitting) and cut some more. It's a good idea to have plenty on hand.

Addendum: I mix my glue/water mixture (about 3:1) in a paint bucket and then dip the entire tree into it for a good coverage. Then I sprinkle the bottom first with fine foam followed by the top. Hang to dry and then place them on the layout. This process is very quick and painless.

This makes such a good looking tree, I hope many out there can benefit from this bush.

REX [:)]

I know this is a pretty old thread, but I was digging around and found the info useful.

A guy at the local hobby shop recommended hydrangea clippings to make trees, so I have some from my own yard that are pretty good. I dried them and bought some clump-foliage and thought I was good to start.

Then the hobby shop guy said that the dried hydrangea would be too brittle to handle, so he would soak the whole clipping in diluted glue, then use ground foam, not foliage.

So, should I soak the whole clipping, or just put the glue on certain areas?

Should I use foliage or ground foam ?

Is the floral tape that was wrapped around the "trunk" of the clipping (tutorial - start of thread) just to get a thicker "trunk" ?

I guess I could just experiment and see what I like best, but I thought I would see what people thought, as I only have about 10 hydrangea clipping to work with at the moment. 

Back up again

 

Too bad grandman doesn't hang around here anymore...

I agree would this method work for maple and oaks?

Kevin