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How durable is static grass?

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  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: Nashville, TN area
  • 713 posts
How durable is static grass?
Posted by hardcoalcase on Sunday, June 23, 2024 2:24 PM

My layout is fast approaching the part of scenery installation where trees, bushes, grass, etc. will begin to "suddenly appear" on the barren landscape. So my question is - how durable is static grass?

Will it be:

  • permanently marred with the slightest touch, or

  • be able to withstand gentle non-contact vacuum cleaning, or

  • be as bulletproof as commercial ground foam secured with an overcoat of spray glue?

Jim

  • Member since
    August 2006
  • 1,519 posts
Posted by trainnut1250 on Monday, June 24, 2024 10:31 AM

Jim,

 

Depending on the quality of the application - some where between bullet points two and three.... I have vacuumed mine many times and it stays put. I have a large amount of static grass on the layout - some has been in place since 2007ish - no problems

 

Guy

see stuff at: the Willoughby Line Site

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
  • 21,481 posts
Posted by MisterBeasley on Monday, June 24, 2024 10:57 AM

Mine has been fine since I started using it years ago.  It's even survived a move from Massachusetts to Delaware.  It still looks good, both the shorter, more in control areas and the longer more wild areas.

I put my static grass down with thinned white glue, applied with a pipette, not sprayed.  I use a Gras-Tech applicator and generally use Silflor grass.  I like to use a variety of colors and lengths to give more of a natural look than a manicured lawn look.  This generally means 4 and 6 mm grass for my HO layout.  I don’t like the very short 2 mm grass at all.  It ends up looking more fuzzy than grassy.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: 4610 Metre's North of the Fortyninth on the left coast of Canada
  • 9,352 posts
Posted by BATMAN on Monday, June 24, 2024 12:20 PM

Mine has stood up well.

I tend not to use the vacuum on what I would consider the more fragile areas of the layout. I will use canned air from the appropriate distance to blow the dust off while holding the vacuum over the area.

I also use Swiffers and just pat the sensitive grassy and dirt areas with them. I will also cut off a bit off a Swiffer and wrap it around a skewer and gently clean engines and rolling stock. It does a much better job than a Q-Tip.

Swiffer Staubmagnet (20 Tücher) Staubwedel Ideal gegen Staub, Tierhaare &  Allergene

Brent

"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."

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