I drink coffee on a regular basis, and consequently throw out a lot of used coffee grounds. Has anyone tried to use coffee grounds as a scenery material? What did you use it to represent? Ive heard of using tea leaves.
Tea leaves made good litter or "duff" such as is found on a woods or forest floor. Coffee grounds are more granular of course and in the old days were sometimes used as ballast -- or in larger scales, for dirt roads. I suppose they could look like a roughly plowed field.
As with any organic material you'd want to thoroughly dry the grounds before trying to use them. And as with any organic material I suspect they may provide a dining opportunity to some critter or another, perhaps of the six legged variety. I have read that any attempt to dye coffee grounds to another color does not work well.
What I can tell you is that coffee grounds are an excellent addition to mulch and compost piles and bins. In the bigger picture that may be a better use of your old grounds than as scenery on the layout.
Dave Nelson
Cockroaches have an affinity for coffee grounds. If your layout space has such six-legged visitors, put your wet coffee grounds in a bell jar and leave it where the little beasties travel. In pretty rapid order you will have some prisoners.
If your climate is dry, add an ounce or two of coffee dregs.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - critter free)
Yeah, definitely dry them well before use. If you've ever let a coffee pot sit with the damp grounds in the filter for a few days, you'll be grossed out at the amount of mold that will grow on them...
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
My thought was to bake them in the oven on a cookie sheet, to dry them out. I was thinking of using them as manure or plowed field or something along those lines. Once glued in place I would spray several coats of dullcoat over the top of the grounds to seal them in.
Yes, I still do........... Back in the mid '50s, I began using them on a large Lionel layout. They made good basic ground cover, and also "ballast" for yards and sidings. The wet grounds were put on tin foil on a cookie sheet, and baked for maybe 1/2 hour or so - enough to dry and kill any organisms. I still have a two pound can about half full, and use it sparingly along with the ground foams, etc.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
Also, beware that high humidity and high heat can cause them to turn into a gooey nasty mess. I learned that one when I was a youngin.
with 40plus years in the hobby my advise would be don't do it!!
Like others, I used them on my Lionel layout in the 50's. I dried them well, but the layout environment was definitely not the best. Only heated when I was there and subjected to coastal humidity year round. They worked, but in humid weather would show some mold on occasion. I would think sealing them with something like Dulcote might help prevent that.
Good luck,
Richard
Humidity is not a problem here. Layout is in main living space. Humitdy maintained below 50%, normally in the range of 35-45%. Temperature between 65-85, this past summer did not have any air conditioning installed. But I have not commited to this yet. I let them air dry for a couple of hours, periodically pressing the liquid out with paper towels. Currently they are in the freezer in a sealed container (no aluminium foil present in the house and was occupied doing other things this weekend).
What I would do is spread them on paper towels and microwave them for 1 minute. That would heat them completly and kill any organisms. Take out of microwave and let them cool. They should be good to go.
I havent tried coffee grounds, but I use dried potting soil regularly and it works wonders