which is best

[gandy dancer#1]

One of my dont know questions I want to put grass on my lay out. which is the best to use?? the rollout grass as sold by bachman, or the stuff in a shaker you have to put glue down for?? I saw a set up in hobby  shop that used the shake and bake stuff it was only couple yrs old and looked "NASTY". so any help appreciated.

[mhampton]

The grass rolls look way too green and give the appearance of rolling out an Astro Turf carpet.  The shake-on materials can be made to look much more realistic.  Anything you put down will require some sort of periodic cleaning or it will look terrible.

[NarrowMinded]

I use woodland scenic as a base, they sell it in differant colors "spring grass, summer grass, Etc. then I shake on and pinch on little patches of stuff here and there.

NM-Jeff

Below is a Z scale Layout I made using the Woodland scenics Mate grass, I think it's called summer grass... then I sprinkled on the other stuff then Mist it with a mixture of  water with a little dish soap to get it nice and "WET" then misted it with 50/50 water and Elmer's when dried this is how it looks and is permanent.

[Doneldon]

gd#1-

The grass you apply with a static machine looks best but that
requires an applicator and a bit of a hassle. Failing that, the
shake on grass is your best bet. Use a mixture of colors for the
best effect, and look out for overly bright colors.
                                                                            -- D

[gandy dancer#1]

 I was thinking which mywife says is dangerous has any one used indoor out door carpet remnants?? it can be vacumed i can get it in many colors pretty close to oklahoma grass which is not exactly green any timeof the year, i can add other landscaping on top of it, and maybe keep it looking good and maintenance to minimum?? Any thoughts on this are welcome, as am in learning !!!

[CNE Runner]

We used to use indoor/outdoor carpeting for a Lionel/Marx/Williams/MTH display layout years ago. It was the best bet to capture the 'flavor' of classic tinplate modeling. Having said that, it looked ridiculous and nothing like the real deal.

On the Monks' Island Railway I start with tan paint to cover the Styrofoam layout board (use whatever color approximates the earth in the area you model). If possible (and while it is still wet) I sprinkle on some Woodland Scenics blended turf. [BTW: this step can be done after the paint dries by using  glue. My choice is matte medium - thinned to a ratio of 1:3 (medium to water). Check out Hobby Lobby for matte medium and use their 40% coupon for savings.]

Once the matte medium is dry (usually overnight) I follow with a layer of Woodland Scenics T62 burnt grass - secured down like the blended turf. Once that has dried, you then can add any clump foliage or trees as desired.

Speaking of scenic 'toppings': There are weed mats available from a variety of manufacturers that are designed to be cut, and glued in place, adding some 'dimension' to your scene. Additionally there is a static grass 'installer' that is relatively cheap and (I've been told) works quite well.

As an aside, I looked for an image that would convey the state of scenery on the Monks' Island Railway and (true to form) haven't taken a recent picture of the results. Perhaps I need to get out the digital camera and take some current scenes (I'll just add that to the list).

In any respect...good luck. You could experiment on a scrap piece of Styrofoam board and see which scenery method you like the best. Woodland Scenics offers a book that 'teaches' one to do scenery.

Ray

[NarrowMinded]

Hinky has Used Faux fur like from stuffed animals Etc. and had some good results.

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/grass_clumps/

NM-Jeff

[Doneldon]

gd#1-

Green outdoor carpet can be used as a fair representation of a cornfield. It's the
only way to do if you want a large field as every other method will either take an
eternity of boring work or a small fortune to buy RTR corn plants.
                                                                                                    -- D