After you have the follage on your tree, how do you like to seal it, hairspray or Scenic Cement or?
I have been using Matt Medium in a spray bottle as hairspray eventually drys out and your layout winds up looking like it's been invaded by Locust & Gypsy moths.
Allegheny2-6-6-6 I have been using Matt Medium in a spray bottle as hairspray eventually drys out and your layout winds up looking like it's been invaded by Locust & Gypsy moths.
I use clear spray paint !
One would think that the Clear paint would have a GLOSS shine to it but so far it doesn't show
I sometimes use the Clear Spray Paint to go over my trees that seem to have a coating of dust on them. The spray paint helps blend everything together and the dust look is gone.
I have used the Super Hold hair spray in the past but it seems to not be able to hold the ground foam onto the trees after a while and it begins falling off.
And YES I have really put the Hair Spray to the trees and it doesn't seem to help.
Hit it with the Spray Clear and the foam is there to stay!
YMMV
BOB H - Clarion, PA
Not all hair sprays are created equal! After loitering in the hairspray Dept. at Walmart having tested many different brands on my fingers. I discovered, the more expensive the hairspray the lousier the hold. With the expensive ones I hardly felt like I had anything on my hands at all, while with the real cheap ones, my fingers felt like they were welded together. Next time I'm going to ask for a Government Grant for this study.
I have since bought a spray adhesive at Home Depot. I have yet to try it for tree making. If anyone has experience using spray adhesive for trees I'd love to hear about it. I would like my trees to last a long time if possible, maybe on to the next layout. I too am wondering if even my "super sticky" hair spray will last very long, thus the spray adhesive experiment.
These are my first effort. Like everything practice, practice, practice. I'll get there eventually.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
I don't like the spray adhesive as I feel a lack of control and if you accidentally get a glob, it is not just absorbed when you ad foliage. I think I am committed to spray Scenic Cement as a start but still want to find the perfect sealer.
I have used spray adhesive in the past when doing trees.
The best I could find (which also was the most expensive) was 3M Super 77 ! That stuff is really sticky!
I have also used the DUCO brand and just about any other spray glue I could find!
The spray adhesive works well - I find that it seems to make the trees a little too full.
Now I have to admit that when I put on the ground foam I have it in a very low side box and just scoop up handfulls of the foam and dump it on the tree as I spin it around.
Once everything is covered I shake off the loose foam and then hang it upside down so the branches do not sag down as the glue dries.
I let them hang for a day and then give them another gentle shaking - again to remove any still lose foam.
I then give them a good heavy spray of clear spray paint and stick them into a foam block holder - until I have enough to go down to the basement and begin planting!
I made a fixture with a length of 2x4, will holes drilled in it. For my base layer, I spray the armature (the branches) with Elmer's Spray Adhesive, then dunk it into a large plastic tub with medium grade Woodland Scenics ground foam. I set the trees in the fixture to dry. When that's dry, I spray and dunk some more until I get the fullness that I want. I avoided used the clumps because it doesn't give the tree the airy look that I want.
Trees in fixture.
Row of trees planted
When the trees have dried completely, I sprinkle some cayenne pepper on the trees, then I spray with Ultrahold hairspray. Dang cat likes to munch on them and this stops her.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
As others have said, Clear spraypaint or Testors Clearcoat.
Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford
As far as clear there are lacquers and polyurethane, gloss, satin and flat. Probably others too.
I use real branches, WS clump foliage and spray them with a fine mister of white glue, water and alcohol.
Thy look pretty good for a first effort. hoe did you make them?
Thy look pretty good for a first effort. how did you make them?