Static Grass Applicator???

[ARTHILL]

I am interested in a home made applicator. I have been facinated by static grass for some time. I read the 80's article but didn't understand it. I read the May issue article that referred to a home made applicator, but it didn't say how. I am not quite ready to spend the money on Noch's. Who has experience and/or plans?

[Anonymous]

That's what I noticed - the author mentioned the home made one, and referred to the one you can buy. Being a European item, I imagine it's not cheap. Too bad they wouldn't have at least given a small rundown on the home made one.

Bob Boudreau

[cwclark]

Maybe it's a 2 part series that MR didn't mention....someday they might have an article with plans to build one after everyone renews their subscription...chuck

[nbrodar]

Prehaps you could write the author care of Model Railroader. And yes the Noch one costs an arm and a leg ($220 MSPR)

Nick

[Budliner]

QUOTE: Originally posted by nbrodar

Prehaps you could write the author care of Model Railroader. And yes the Noch one costs an arm and a leg ($220 MSPR)

Nick

ouch

[bryanbell]

QUOTE: Originally posted by nbrodar

Prehaps you could write the author care of Model Railroader. And yes the Noch one costs an arm and a leg ($220 MSPR)

Nick

http://www.sceneryexpress.com/prodinfo.asp?number=NH60130
Its almost half off of MSRP but it still seems a little steep to me.

The homemade version would be worth looking into but I came up empty when I googled it and as mentioned, the article only made brief reference to it.

Bryan

[Berk-fan284]

I wonder if it would work on my bald spot, you could defray cost by doing "temporary" scalp follicle infusions/transplants on other follicularly challenged men. You know a cut rate hair club for men....(just kidding)

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Berk-fan284

I wonder if it would work on my bald spot, you could defray cost by doing "temporary" scalp follicle infusions/transplants on other follicularly challenged men. You know a cut rate hair club for men....(just kidding)

Keep in mind to use it on your chrome dome, you'd first need to drive a nail into it as a ground! [:D]

Bob Boudreau
Also folically challenged!

[Berk-fan284]

With body piercing as "advanced" as it is it might be easily do-able (not necessarily the smartest, but do-able).......

[beegle55]

I was reading a late 91' MR mag and it had a home-made thing that you just blew into and it put the grass down in a so called 'neat' fashion, but I didn't see how you could use it w/o blowing grass everywhere. It seemed easy enough to make. I'll see if I can get more info. Good luck![tup]

[mondotrains]

Hi Art,
I too found the Noch applicator a little too expensive for the application. Here's how I apply the static grass.

I emptied out a 17 oz. bottle of Palmolive dish washing liquid and rinsed it well. After the inside was thoroughly dry, I placed a tablespoon or so of the static grass inside, held the bottle over the area where I want to apply the grass and squeezed "little puffs" of air out of the bottle along with little puffs of the grass. I think it worked real well and I am pleased with the look of the grass. The trick is to lightly "puff" out the grass from the bottle. It doesn't take much practice to get it right.

Hope this helps.
Mondo

[selector]

QUOTE: Originally posted by mondotrains

Hi Art,
I too found the Noch applicator a little too expensive for the application. Here's how I apply the static grass.

I emptied out a 17 oz. bottle of Palmolive dish washing liquid and rinsed it well. After the inside was thoroughly dry, I placed a tablespoon or so of the static grass inside, held the bottle over the area where I want to apply the grass and squeezed "little puffs" of air out of the bottle along with little puffs of the grass. I think it worked real well and I am pleased with the look of the grass. The trick is to lightly "puff" out the grass from the bottle. It doesn't take much practice to get it right.

Hope this helps.
Mondo

What a super idea!! Thanks.

-Crandell

[ARTHILL]

Mondotrains -Does the puff process add any static effect or just blow out a little grass, some of which stands up by random chance?

[GAPPLEG]

Maybe I'm halucinating , didn't the article refer to a past issue date about the homemade one? I'm at work and can't look.

[potlatcher]

QUOTE: Originally posted by GAPPLEG

Maybe I'm halucinating , didn't the article refer to a past issue date about the homemade one? I'm at work and can't look.

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.

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

[GAPPLEG]

Tks, for straightening me out on that, just could remember for sure what I read.

[ndbprr]

Try rubbing a cat across the layout (use thick leather gloves for protection).

[jecorbett]

All we really need to do is find out what brand of hair spray Don King uses.

[Anonymous]

I found an interesting article on testing the Noch Static Grass Application Tools.
The results of the test found if your doing a small area, the $4 Grass Dispenser Bottle works better than the $150+ gun applicator.

[jfugate]

The original article in the September 1980 MR uses a Wimshurst Machine. You can buy one online for $150:


http://www.sciencefirst.com/vw_prdct_mdl.asp?prdct_mdl_cd=10069

A friend of mine, Ron Collins, built the static applicator from the 1980's article and used it on my HO Siskiyou Line to apply dozens of square feet of static grass in the Rice Hill area on my layout. You can see the results in this photo:


(click to enlarge)

(By the way, this is the same area that's on the cover of the new MR Realistic Layouts issue, coming this May ... click here for more.)

The results were fantastic, but the machine always struck me as a sort of Rube Goldberg contraption, being bulky, awkward to use while whirring away and spitting blue sparks around! Ron, who was a real scenery connoisseur, has since moved away and I miss him.

But his static grass was fantastic, and I'm sold on the method. I consider the Noch applicator to be a bargain, compared to Ron's contraption.

I've tried the plastic bottle application approach, and it's been disappointing. You get grass going every which direction and it's not consistantly standing up like you get when you use real static electricity. [swg]

[ARTHILL]

So where are our electronics guys who know how to simulate the Wimshurst Machine? I assume what is needed is a high voltage low amperage current producer.

[Anonymous]

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.

Tom, I found a web site that shows how to make a Simple Electrostatic Generators

Here's an article on using a Wimshurst by the Hovedbanen Model Railroad Club

German Brew Elektrostatisches Begrasungsgerät (Electrostatic Grass Applicator)

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

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 November 1994 issue of Branchline Modeller about someone making a applicator from car ignition components. You have to buy a back issue or find out if the Kalmbach Memorial Library can photocopy it for you.

However, I found an interesting article on testing the Noch Static Grass Application Tools.
The results of the test found if your doing a small area, the $4 Grass Dispenser Bottle 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.

[orsonroy]

Wouldn't it just be easier to cough up $116 and buy one of the Noch applicators from Scenic Express?

http://www.sceneryexpress.com/products.asp?dept=1200

[MRTerry]

The Noch Gras Master is a completely different tool than the older Noch "turbo" gun, and we've found it to be very effective, as long as you use one of the recommended types of fiber.
Thanks for reading MR,
Terry

[hminky]

Having used the Wimshurst machine after the article in the 1980's it produced fair results in large areas. It is also messy and hard to control length of the grass.

That is why I tried to find a way of coloring faux fur. It is a much easier process.



Just a thought
Harold

[jfugate]

QUOTE: Originally posted by orsonroy

Wouldn't it just be easier to cough up $116 and buy one of the Noch applicators from Scenic Express?

http://www.sceneryexpress.com/products.asp?dept=1200

After having seen the 1980's article Wimhurst machine contraption (see my previous post) in operation, that's my opinion. $116 is a bargain compared to the expense and hassle of trying to cobble together and use other means to generate a good static charge.

Silflor and fake fur have their uses (and I use them too), but there's nothing like static grass to cover pastures with some great looking grass in any thickness level you want. [swg]

The latest MR article on static grass illustrates the marvelous control and results you get from this technique.

[dave9999]

QUOTE: Originally posted by MReditor

The Noch Gras Master is a completely different tool than the older Noch "turbo" gun, and we've found it to be very effective, as long as you use one of the recommended types of fiber.
Thanks for reading MR,
Terry

Terry,
I am curious about "recommended types of fiber"... does this include Woodland Scenics Static Grass as well? The reason
I ask is that the Woodland Scenics product is more readily available to me. Thanks, Dave

[jwmurrayjr]

QUOTE: Originally posted by gsetter

I found an interesting article on testing the Noch Static Grass Application Tools.
The results of the test found if your doing a small area, the $4 Grass Dispenser Bottle works better than the $150+ gun applicator.

Try this one.

Thanks for the link,

[Anonymous]

Dave
I think it might have something to do with the size of the fiber. The GrassMaster comes with two screens, 2mm and 4mm for the flocking that Notch sells. If the flocking is too large for the screen it will only clog up the applicator. Too small, you may not have as good as control over the flocking.
I checked the Woodland Scenics site, but the size of the flocking is not given.

[dave9999]

QUOTE: Originally posted by gsetter

Dave
I think it might have something to do with the size of the fiber. The GrassMaster comes with two screens, 2mm and 4mm for the flocking that Notch sells. If the flocking is too large for the screen it will only clog up the applicator. Too small, you may not have as good as control over the flocking.
I checked the Woodland Scenics site, but the size of the flocking is not given.

Thanks Gary,
I have a couple of containers of the WS static grass and have tested by simply
sprinklng it over thin glue... it worked okay, but I would like it to stand up a little better.

I would say that better than half of it stood up while the rest layed over. I'm going to use
lots of static grass on the new layout, but I want it to look like the real thing. Good luck. Dave