Main Index Introduction Layout Operations Models Scenery Tools and Cheap Things
...take some foam from an old foam mattress (high-density foam), put it in a blender with some RIT Dye (49 colors), and a half cup of hot water...the exact measurements are halfway between your best
guess, and the best guess of your spouse... :))
...PUT THE LID ON THE BLENDER !!!...turn it on...blend'er good...spread on an unwanted newspaper to dry thoroughly...cats will eat this when wet, so be careful... :))
...after thoroughly dry, put it in a brown paper sack...mark on it what it is, so the police don't take it... :))
...you can "powderize" it by putting the dried product BACK IN THE BLENDER, and whipping it around a little... :))
...DO NOT PUT YOUR HAND DOWN IN THE BLENDER, FOR ANY REASON !!!...
...use your spouse's best wooden spoon handle, or a piece of dowel rod (like the one holding up the kitchen curtain)...... :))
...enjoy the fruits of your labor !!!... :))
...big "blended" john...
But don't blend things like foam rubber dry...add some water.
Rusty Keeney
Regarding the "felt grass:" the stuff flakes off continually. I tried it as quick ground cover for a temporary layout. It was more trouble than ground foam. So, I ripped it off. I put down a
better looking temporary ground using Woodland Scenics Matte Medium and their fine and medium ground foam products. Various colors mixed and in different spots with a semi-plan. It looked 100%
better. Still to flat, but it was a temporary for Christmas.
My technique: (after track and cork roadbed: no ballast for this, since it was temporary)
1. Paint the base with latex paint. I used Antelope and Sage from TruValue. Takes about 2 hours if you are slow.
2. After it dries (about 2 hours), pour some matte medium in a 1/2 qt paint bucket (also from TruValue) and work in sections. Paint about 1 sq ft with the matte medium (be generous with the matte
medium!) and sprinkle on various Woodland Scenics fine and medium ground covers: mixed grass, dirt, etc. Again, be generous with the stuff. Don't do too much of one color over too large an area: it
looks to flat. Mix it up and combine colors. This takes a few hours for a 4x8 layout!
3. Let it dry for at least 24 hours without disturbing anything. Then spray on matte medium everywhere. A light coat will do. That will stick the loose foam down a bit. Use of generous amounts of the
foam earlier will give you a bit of a rougher surface: not too flat. Let that dry for 24 hours, too.
4. Carefully vacuum up anything which doesn't stick: this is optional.
5. If you want some more variety, get some of the the course foam, and some of the clump foliage. Spray matte medum heavily in a spot and sprinke on the coarse foam, then spray the tops. For the
clump foliage, get some regular white glue, put a blob of it down, and press some clump foliage down onto it. Looks like bushes. Spray that with matte medium, too.
In about 3 days you have a pretty good looking base which won't shed little bits of stuff everywhere. I just put houses, etc. on top of this base along with colored lights and prelighted trees for a
Christmas layout. Everyone thought I spent lots more time than I did.
Ed Oates
How did you know I been grindin' up the sofa cushions in the blender?
JACK!?! You bin givin' away my secrets?
Barb (Dogs destroyed that sofa anyway)
Rod does it, too? Does his wife know? Jack has done it too. Is the there a 12-step program for Sofa Cushion Grinders Anon.?
YES!
1. Swipe cushion from living room.
2. Hide in layout room.
3. Remove cover.
4. Cut foam into small chunks.
5. Go to kitchen for snacks.
6. Quietly remove blender from kitchen.
7. Quickly go to layout room.
8. Put small chunks of foam in blender with some water.
9. Put lid on and puree.
10. Dump in 5 gal. bucket.
11. Repeat 8, 9, and 10 until all chunks are gone.
12. Add dye, let sit overnight, strain, spread out on newspapers until dry.
Barb (This is where dumpster diving during cleanup week comes in handy)
Note that step 12 only works well if using natural foam rubber; if you have the 'better living thru chemistry' stuff, add latex paint to the water in step 8, and change step 12 to simply 'let
dry'.
Jack Priller aka "The trolley-nut"
I just grind up foam chunks dry, and then screen them out [roughly] to different sizes - fine, medium, ∓ coarse.
I then put a packet of rit dye in a 1 qt saucepan and boil it. Add foam, and reheat to a boil. Pour foam / dye mix thru a tea strainer, saving dye. Squeeze out foam, and spread on newspaper to dry.
Continue using dye mix until colors fade too much. This usually gives a dark, medium, and light tint on the foam. I frequently will ad another dye packet and keep on going. This gives a lot of color
variability, which in the end looks pretty good.
I dye lichen the same way. If I'm feeling flush, I'll add some glycerine to soften the lichen. I also frequently rub the dry lichen between my hands to crumble it up. It makes a great ground cover
that way.
To save my life, I use old pans that are not even good enough for camping. I work outside, using the side burner on the grill.
Clay