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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by potlatcher The article in the current issue referenced a September 1980 article where they used a Wimshurst machine, which are usually quite large and expensive, to generate the static charge. The author of the current article mentioned that his friend substituted "some electronics" for the Wimshurst, but no details were given.[/quote] Tom, I found a web site that shows how to make a [url="http://www.alaska.net/~natnkell/staticgen.htm"]Simple Electrostatic Generators[/url] Here's an article on using a Wimshurst by the [url="http://home.no.net/hovedban/uk/pages/landskap/gress.htm"]Hovedbanen Model Railroad Club[/url] German Brew [url="http://www.huebsch.at/train/Elektronik/Elektrostat.htm"]Elektrostatisches Begrasungsgerät[/url] (Electrostatic Grass Applicator) [quote]QUOTE: I will be very surprised if MR ever publishes plans for a homemade (and much cheaper, I'm sure) alternative to the Noch applicator, when doing so could undercut a manufacturer and/or distributor who advertises in MR. Hopefully, someone who does know how to build a cheap version will be kind enough to post his plans somewhere on the internet. Tom [/quote] Or could it be they are concerned about liability issues. It's a high voltage device that could make you pee your pants or worse. If you ever got zaped by a leaky spark plug wire, you know how painful it can be. There was an article in the [url="http://www.users.bigpond.com/ausjrm/issue01.htm"]November 1994 issue of Branchline Modeller[/url] about someone making a applicator from car ignition components. You have to buy a back issue or find out if the [url="http://www.nmra.org/library/"]Kalmbach Memorial Library[/url] can photocopy it for you. However, I found an interesting article on testing the Noch [url="http://www.ztrains.com/pages/workshop/static/static.html"]Static Grass Application Tools[/url]. The results of the test found if your doing a small area, the $4 [url="http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/528-8100Static"]Grass Dispenser Bottle[/url] works better than the $150+ gun applicator. However, if you are doing a large area, the gun applicator is better. And as Terry point's out (in below post) it's a different gun than the one tested by MR. After reading the article, I think I'll go with the $4 applicator since I only need to do small area at a time. It's also cheaper, safer and less trouble than home brewing my own electrostatic applicator.
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