I approve them too Allen. They look great. You sure need a lot of patience to make them look this good and any help you can get is surely appreciated, I'm sure. I was very fortunate to have Mike Deverell give me his thees off his old Colorado Front Range layout when he moved.
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That steaming technique seems the way to go, Allen. I think you told me what device that guy used to steam the armatures with, but I forgot.
I too have an entire box of Scenic Express trees to sort, clean, steam, treat and paint.Southern Railway Slate Fork Branch: https://realisticmodelrailroading.ne...-fork-branch-n
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Originally posted by Paul S. View PostThat streaming technique seems the way to go, Allen. I think you told me what device that guy used to steam the armatures with, but I forgot.
I just went to Wally World and found this cheap $6 tea kettle.
Added some water, cranked up the stove to high and waited for the steam.
I held the offending trees directly in steam for a few seconds, in some cases you could see the trees start to straighten out.
I removed them, held them stretched for about 10 seconds and Viola.
Some of the more stubborn trees I steamed a little longer and then pressed them flat on the countertop.
I've seen guys use soldering irons and heat guns, but I think my trees are much older and too brittle or dry, my luck I'd end up with a forest fire.
The Little Rock Line Blog
Rule #1 of model railroading.
It's probably responsible for the greatest number of shoddy layouts because no one feels compelled to improve themselves. Meh, good enough...
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Red teapot, eh? Funny, I had pictured you using a calico decorated teapot. ...Southern Railway Slate Fork Branch: https://realisticmodelrailroading.ne...-fork-branch-n
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The Little Rock Line Blog
Rule #1 of model railroading.
It's probably responsible for the greatest number of shoddy layouts because no one feels compelled to improve themselves. Meh, good enough...
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Looking forward to seeing how the addition of trees enhance the scene, Allen. I bet it will be dramatic.Southern Railway Slate Fork Branch: https://realisticmodelrailroading.ne...-fork-branch-n
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The Little Rock Line Blog
Rule #1 of model railroading.
It's probably responsible for the greatest number of shoddy layouts because no one feels compelled to improve themselves. Meh, good enough...
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Originally posted by Allen View Post
Can Allen please come over and paint my backdrop?
Sincerely,
PaulSouthern Railway Slate Fork Branch: https://realisticmodelrailroading.ne...-fork-branch-n
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Originally posted by JerryZ View PostVery realistic looking scene. I wish my chosen area had more green shaded deciduous trees that I could model. Right now, I scatter around the odd aspen or birch, with some fruit trees in the fruit grove.
Regards,
Jerry Z
Since you mentioned Birch & Aspen trees, have you seen this video that Grant Eastman did a while back?
It's a twist on Bottle Brush trees that he's adapted for his Birch and Aspen trees.
I'm going to try the same method and see if I can make some Loblolly Pines that are prevalent in my modeling area, once I finish this batch of Super Trees.The Little Rock Line Blog
Rule #1 of model railroading.
It's probably responsible for the greatest number of shoddy layouts because no one feels compelled to improve themselves. Meh, good enough...
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As of yesterday I have all my Supertrees flocked and ready for planting.
Last night I started playing around with making some Loblolly Pines.
But first, a little background.
Loblolly Pines (Pinus taeda) are very common in the south and in the area that I'm modeling (AK to LA).
Prized for their lumber that they can produce.
Ever since I've decided to model this local I've always wanted to have some on my layout.
Here's a few behind the actual bridge on Google Maps (the three in the middle).
Recently I found a way that I think I can make these trees easy enough in order to have a decent amount of them represented on the layout.
In my previous post I linked to a video that a modeler made not long ago in which he shows how to make Birch and Aspen trees by using the Bottle Brush technique. Using his same method, I think I can closely represent some Loblolly Pines?
I started by picking up some supplies, this included a roll of Sisel and some Floral Wire that I found on Amazon (where else does one look these days?).
He used 18ga copper wire to make his trunks, but with the cost of copper these days, the Floral wire I found on Amazon was 18ga steel, but painted brown not green.
I made a couple them so far and I think these will work pretty good as long at the steel wire doesn't test my patience. I'm sure the copper would be easier to work with, but we'll see.
The wire came at 16" so I started by folding it in half to make the trunks.
I cut the Sisel at 2" and twisted them with drill. Instead of typing out everything I did you may want to watch the video I posted above.
Here's a couple of shot of the Proof Of Concept trees.
I shaped them and then sprayed them with Krylon Camo brown this time.
Once dry I sprayed them with Loctite Spray adhesive and rolled the edges in a container filled with Woodland Scenics Coarse Turf: Medium Green.
The next step I've read and seen a lot of guys doing lately, that is to apply static grass to their Coniferous trees to give them "Needles"
For my trees, I applied some Medium Green 2mm static grass by Woodland Scenics that I had on hand.
Here's a shot next to a couple of my Supertrees.
I still need to add the crayon to make the trunk and play around with the overall process, but I think this method will work just fine?
I'll need to add more Sisel to the tops of the trees and thin out the Sisel as the branches get lower. Making the branches a little more uneven might also add to the looks?
The Little Rock Line Blog
Rule #1 of model railroading.
It's probably responsible for the greatest number of shoddy layouts because no one feels compelled to improve themselves. Meh, good enough...
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Hi, I use air drying clay to build up the trunks. Is that what you meant when you said crayon as Crayola makes it.
Peter
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@herronpeter
In the video I posted a couple posts back, Grant melts white crayola crayons and applies them to the twisted wire trunks.
He shows the process about 6:45 in the video. https://youtu.be/I85wMzsgvzY?t=405
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After watching the video and seeing the process for these thin tall trees, I can see the logic behind the method. It’s much quicker and easier to get the consistent diameter of the trunks! The clay works a lot better for thick elm, oak and maple type trees. Thanks for sharing this.
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Southern Railway Slate Fork Branch: https://realisticmodelrailroading.ne...-fork-branch-n
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Geeze Paul, first your backdrops, now your trees? 😂
All kidding aside, those could be made just like I'm doing now. The first time I applied ground foam, it was the fine turf and they turned out looking a lot like those. Thin branches, fine needles and more branches down the length of the trunk.Last edited by Allen; 05-01-2022, 09:40 PM.
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It's all about the shape and the color
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