Sawdust for ground cover

[saronaterry]

HI, All!

I have access to ALOT of sawdust, different grades, sizes, etc.

Can anyone tell me how or what to do to color it? I'll go broke using commercial products like grond foam.

Thanks!

Terry

GO Packers!

[TomDiehl]

HI, All!

I have access to ALOT of sawdust, different grades, sizes, etc.

Can anyone tell me how or what to do to color it? I'll go broke using commercial products like grond foam.

Thanks!

Terry

GO Packers!

You could call that retro scenery. This is essentially what the grass and earth materials sold back in the 60's by Life Like were made from. You may still be able to find this at a reasonable price, I haven't looked for this in YEARS!!!

As far as coloring the sawdust itself, it would probably be a real pain in the butt. Once dyed or painted, you'd have to spread it out to dry. The most likely way to "color" it would be to paint an area to be sceniced with the base color you want to use, preferably a water based color, sprinkle on the sawdust, then follow with a spray of more color to tint it and stick it down.

You could probably use regular spray paint, but make sure you have a method to vent the fumes from your layout area. And watch out for overspray.

[loathar]

Put it in a food processor or blender and add cheap craft paint of the proper color. After the color is mixed in, spread it out on some newspaper to dry. Same way I make and color my own ground foam.

I was wondering about saw dust. I've got an Amish saw mill down the street that gives the stuff away. Let us know how it works.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Put it in a food processor or blender and add cheap craft paint of the proper color. After the color is mixed in, spread it out on some newspaper to dry. Same way I make and color my own ground foam.

That's the same method I used for coloring sawdust many years ago. Use latex paint, it's easier to clean up. 

[saronaterry]

Thanks, guys. I'll give it a try and let you know.

This stuff's from my brother's  woodworking shop. It's the consistency of WS fine turf.He's got lawn bags full!!

[ARTHILL]

I mix it with premixed drywall mud, latex paint(or artist acrylics) a little lysol for mold for ground goop. I add water for different consistancies. Thick makes rocky areas. I still add WS foam for final look.

[cowman]

I used to do that years ago.  I used RIT (fabric) dyes from the grocery store.  I'd mix up a batch, put it in a tin can and put the sawdust in for a few minutes.  Have a strainer and another can to drain off the excess liquid (save it).  Yes, you have to spread it out to dry on a piece of newspaper works fine.  You can vary the colors by using a slightly different mix of colors.  After you have a batch dyed and dried, sift it to get your course, medium and fine texture mixes.  It's an old method, it works and you can say I did it!!  After you have your material use the normal methods of sprinkling it onto the wet paint, just as you would with ground foam, additional layers, use your choice of adhesives.

Have fun,

[Geohan]

A variety of ground covers are possible with screened sawdust tinted with powered poster paint colors.  The mix can be made up dry into either a blended or varigated effect.  Apply by sprinkling the dry mix onto an area painted with diluted 1:1 white glue.  The water in the glue will set the color or colors and the glue locks all in place.  Removal after curing is easy by painting with alcohol which softens it immediately for the scraper.  Worked well for me.

Geohan

[Autobus Prime]

OP:

You don't even have to color the sawdust.  Paint the ground with flat, thinned latex paint of the proper color.  Sprinkle on fine sawdust, and it will soak up the paint.  Any natural wood that shows in specks just adds highlights.

 

[aggiewonder]

I've dyed some sawdust with RIT.  Only suggestion is using a old pair of panty hose...makes it easy.  It was cheap!

 

Cheers...

[ham99]

I, too, used sawdust dyed with RIT.  I thought it was OK until I tried foam.  Then I tore out all the sawdust and covered it with foam.  For N scale, the sawdust was too coarse.  And the foam can be blended [also comes blended] for a much more realistic appearance.  A $10 shaker of WS foam goes a long way.

[dknelson]

Plenty of nice layouts used sawdust.  By the way I have also seen extremely nice ground foam made by buying bulk foam rubber at a craft shop (used for home made pillows), ground up in an old blender or food processor (dirt cheap at Goodwill stores) with some latex green added.  That is how they make the commercial stuff after all.  You might even have some pillows around the house that are ready to be retired.  Ask first!

Dave Nelson

[reklein]

The trouble with sawdust is that it looks like sawdust. However the sawdust from a bandsaw is finer and more believable than than from a tablesaw or even a sawmill which will be really coarse. Just mix it with cheap ceramcoat or whatever from the wally world art supplies and spread it on newspapers as others have said. The foam ground in a blender works good too. You can grade it with a screen and redo the too coarse stuff and color it with the paint in the same way.

[nucat78]

Plenty of nice layouts used sawdust.  By the way I have also seen extremely nice ground foam made by buying bulk foam rubber at a craft shop (used for home made pillows), ground up in an old blender or food processor (dirt cheap at Goodwill stores) with some latex green added.  That is how they make the commercial stuff after all.  You might even have some pillows around the house that are ready to be retired.  Ask first!

Dave Nelson

I have three LARGE cushions from an old couch that are slated for the blender one of these days.  Plus I got a bonus in that the foam was wrapped in batting which can be teased out for scenery "stuff" also.

 

[wjstix]

Dyed sawdust for ground cover?? Maybe you should go totally retro and add outside-third rails!!

[Anonymous]

I'm so proud of me right now.  I'm putting togther my first layout and trying to economize like crazy.  I couldnt bear to spend $4 for a dime bag of green fluffy stuff for my recently completed plaster cloth tunnel.  I saw a bag of foam stuffing (for animals and pillows) at the craft store and it looked to me to be a good substitute.  Ive been experimenting with coloring the stuff and considered using a blender to chop it down to size.  And now I read here that you all have been doing the same thing.  My mother in law thought I was nuts.  Wait till I tell her!!!

This is a great site, giving me great ideas and info.  Thank you all!

 Bob

[Blue Flamer]

Bob.

    to the forums.

This just goes to prove the old saying, "everything old is new again".

If you are looking for information on just about anything related to MRR, just go to the bottom of any page. You will find a search bar and all you have to do is type in your keyword and hit search. You will get hits to the threads on these Forums that match your query to help you out. If you do not get a satisfactory answer, just post your question on the Forum and SOMEONE is bound to come through with an answer.

The only problem is that you will probably get more than one solution to your question. All will probably work to varying degrees. All you have to do is figure out which is the correct solution for you.  

Good luck on your railroad.

Blue Flamer.

[dknelson]

Ive been experimenting with coloring the stuff and considered using a blender to chop it down to size.  And now I read here that you all have been doing the same thing.  My mother in law thought I was nuts.  Wait till I tell her!!!

Merely knowing other guys have done the same thing MIGHT not significantly change your mother in law's opinion ....

Dave Nelson

[saronaterry]

Thanks for all the help, even the sacarstic stuff!I colored 2 coffee cans of the really FINE sawdust I got from my brother's shop.I ,pesonally, can't tell the difference from WS foam. I'll continue using it! And ,no I won't be adding a third rail.

[Rob2112]

I used to do that years ago.  I used RIT (fabric) dyes from the grocery store.  I'd mix up a batch, put it in a tin can and put the sawdust in for a few minutes.  Have a strainer and another can to drain off the excess liquid (save it).  Yes, you have to spread it out to dry on a piece of newspaper works fine.  You can vary the colors by using a slightly different mix of colors.  After you have a batch dyed and dried, sift it to get your course, medium and fine texture mixes.  It's an old method, it works and you can say I did it!!  After you have your material use the normal methods of sprinkling it onto the wet paint, just as you would with ground foam, additional layers, use your choice of adhesives.

Have fun,

I too have used this method about 10 years ago.  It works fine and is relatively cheap.  PLUS... it keeps forever, as I still have quite a bit left.  Just one thing to stay away from though... DONT transport the Kelly Green coarse, medium or mild in zip lock gallon baggies as I about got arrested for having Marijuana in my possesion!!!  Should have seen the cops face when I tried explaining what it was and what it was for!!  Almost had to take a breathilizer test to boot!

 

Good luck!

[R. T. POTEET]

This material was quite prominent for ground cover back in the fifties; they were using it on the club layout I joined in Taxachusetts.

One of our members supplied the sawdust from his place of employment - cabinet shop if I remember right. They had one of these small galvanized garbage cans and they mixed up a batch of RIT dye, soaked the sawdust, wrung it out through an old pillowcase - that got mentioned - and spread it out to dry on the layout floor between operating sessions. Worked great for HO Scale; I have never tried it in N Scale but grinding it very fine in a blender might render the right consistancy.

Don't know how much dye is these days - it was 28 cents a box back then; you could dye a heckuva lot of sawdust for a buck.

[reklein]

In my experience RIT dye will fade after a few years. I used to use it to color plaster and after a couple years all my plaster was very pale.