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Making bushes and trees


spursn17

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Hi all

 

I've not been on Britmodeller for quite a while and I've got a couple of builds to show when I can sort out some reliable way to post pics, but for the meantime I need some help please?

 

I'm making a base for a Sherman Firefly I built a year or two ago and want to put a hedge and bushes behind it to "frame" it. I cut some small bits off of an old privet hedge for the trunks and branches, and bought some Woodland Scenics bush foliage which feels like ground up sponge. Now to the problem, I can't get the WS bush to stick to the privet branches, so far I've used PVA, Gorilla woodwork glue, UHU universal craft glue, contact glue (evostick type), spray contact glue, Alclad clear, spray laquer, Gorilla polyurethane glue, and WS Spray-tac (which isn't tacky!). The spongy Bush stuff just falls off every time, I've even tried sticking it to Thyme branches in case it was the privet to no avail.

 

Any ideas?

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Given the range of glues you've tried, I wonder if the privet (and thyme) is too green? 

Do you have some old wood (matchstick, balsa plank, whatever) that you can test with the Woodland Scenics foliage?

 

p.s. if it is the stuff I think you are using ... it will need some support until the glue has a chance to go off, but I guess you are supporting it by now.

 

 

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Thanks for the reply RS. The privet and thyme is very dry, it seems to be the Woodlands Scenic stuff that doesn't want to stick. If I pick the wood up after putting the WS on it all falls off, I've coated my fingers in glue trying to press it on! 😂

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 9/14/2019 at 6:32 PM, spursn17 said:

Thanks for the reply RS. The privet and thyme is very dry, it seems to be the Woodlands Scenic stuff that doesn't want to stick. If I pick the wood up after putting the WS on it all falls off, I've coated my fingers in glue trying to press it on! 😂

Hi spursn17,

I've made lots of bushes and a few trees from scratch, but I confess I've not used the Woodland  Scenics' stuff as foliage, mainly because I don't think it looks very realistic, even if you do manage to stick it on.

 

But, I do use the stuff as ground cover and undergrowth, and I stick it on using Medium CA, and sometime Thin CA. The Medium CA is applied in blobs to wherever you want to stick the foam, whereas the Thin CA is dribbled over the foam once it has been positioned.

I must admit that sometimes heat and smoke can be generated and it does make me fear spontaneous conflagration, but so far, that's not happened. Also be aware that the CA is absorbed into the foam. sets it rigid, can sightly melt it, and in the process creates a white residue. But that can be painted over, of course.

 

Having said all of that, have you tried using that 'cobwebby' type stuff that WS also sell? It's a kind of sheet of very fine fibres which can be pulled and stretched out like candy floss, with little clumps of foam sprinkled throughout it. You can drape and form that over the branches and use that as kind of netting which you then add more clumps to.

 

Personally, I much prefer the look of 'Seafoam' plants used as trees/bushes because they have fine twigs to which herbs,  or paper-punched leaves can be added. So, my advice would be to use the Thyme plant as the main trunk and boughs, and add pieces of Seafoam for the finer branches and twigs.... then sprinkle herbs over, or apply paper leaves.

 

Hope that helps,

Rearguards

Badder

 

 

Ps. If you're interested in seeing how I made a big tree with fishing line and herbs, and smaller trees/bushes with Seafoam, have a look at my Ever Evolvin' Dio in the WIP section

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi Badder, sorry I didn't see your reply as I've been busy.

 

 I've had a look at your 'ever evolvin' dio' thread and am now ready to pack in modelling altogether, that's fantastic work you've done there, I'll never get anywhere near that! :-)

 

This is the first time I've attempted to model some trees and bushes and that Seafoam looks interesting, where's the best place to get some?

 

Cheers

 

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I use copper wire and clump foliage for trees but my method is a little more sturdy. It comes from building model railways for exhibition use. Standard lichen or clump foliage tends to molt when moved around lots, so here's what I do.

 

The multi-strand trunks are twisted up but the ends of the branches are curled into a little flat loop.

 

lc34.jpg

The trunks and branches are painted with a brown emulsion/PVA glue mix to both colour the metal and hide the twisted wire to some degree. The clump foliage is pulled apart into very small pieces, put in a pot and then mixed with slightly dilute PVA glue ( depending on how thick the PVA is to start with. I don't want it runny  ). Sometimes cut up lichen is added too. After the foliage and glue are mixed well together, I use some tweezers to place the small clumps onto the loops of the branches. These are left to dry or force dried with a heater just long enough to hold their own weight if the tree is turned. 


lc36.jpg

Further applications slowly build up the foliage on the tree, gradually covering up the copper wire branches and giving control over the shape of the tree.

lc37.jpg

I usually work on a number of trees at once, gradually rotating them in front of a heater while I work on others. When the tops are dry enough, a little foliage is added to the underside where needed to hide the copper loops from being seen below. Once dry, the trees are solid and won't drop leaves. Sometimes a matt coat is sprayed if the glue makes the tree a little glossy.

lc40.jpg

These are for an N scale railway, but I'm sure the technique will scale to larger sizes, but perhaps the clump foliage won't need to be pulled apart so much. Of course a larger tree will hold more glue/water and weight, so will take longer to dry between applications.

airfield279.jpg

airfield333.jpg

airfield324.jpg

Edited by Army_Air_Force
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  • 1 month later...
5 minutes ago, Kushan_Farsight said:

@Ratch - how did you get the very sparse appearance of folaige/ a lot of that seems almost 'hovering' in mid air!

You get this horsehair stuff, tease it out, spread it over the branches and spray with hairspray then sprinkle the leaves on. IIRC I used mixed herbs for the leaves.

Treemendus do the horsehair though other suppliers are available.

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My favorite technique for trees is to use teddy bear stuffing.

1. Tease it out out and then stick to the armatures with with PVA/evostick.

 

2. Spray the whole lot your desired colour (usually a grey/brown for me).

 

3. Using hair spray or water/PVA mix (pop a drop of washing up liquid or alcohol in to break up surface tension) spray the netting to stick on your flock. I quite like the woodland scenics ground foam for small scales (1/48 and smaller).

For bigger bits I would thoroughly recomend considering leaf products. Noch amongst others do some.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just found these images of one of my trees under construction

405017878.jpg

Strands of wire twisted together

405017885.jpg

these are compounded

405017883.jpg

405017882.jpg

to form the structure

405017881.jpg

I use No Nails to cover it

405037124.jpg

it can then be painted

Edited by Ratch
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  • 2 months later...

One of my model railway clubmates has his own channel on YouTube, and it just so happens one of his videos shows how to make great looking trees for dioramas. His channel is his name Luke Towan . Luke just happens to have a dayjob flying 1/1 scale Dash 8s for an Aussie airline. Living the dream!

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