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 Posted - August 15 2010 : 4:38:44 PM
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In the H O books they mention and show pictures of shaking on ground foam to simulate ground cover
what kind of foam is it------styrofoam, rubber, urethane.
I have access to the former that would only have to be dyed
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Posted - August 15 2010 : 4:46:07 PM
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hi derfberger try this ken
http://www.all-model-railroading.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=6304
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Posted - August 15 2010 : 4:46:37 PM
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or this ken
http://www.dansresincasting.com/Ground%20foam.htm
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Posted - August 15 2010 : 11:36:18 PM
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thanks i was thinking of using styrofoam scraps but now see its rubber.
my wife is going to wonder why her Margharitas taste funny
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Posted - August 15 2010 : 11:38:31 PM
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| nice. Of course, just to be clear...you know you can buy foam pre-made from most hobby stores. Look for the Woodland Scenics products.
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Posted - August 16 2010 : 07:28:42 AM
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| hi burlington77,not as cheap and exciting as making your own,how much foam do you throw away,ken
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Posted - October 13 2010 : 2:25:26 PM
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so tried today my first experiment.
found a block of rigid floral green foam most likely polyurethane lying around the house
First i threw it in dry into the blender and nothing happened. Then added some water still nothing, just floated on top. So cut into small chunks and it started to go in. Probably had i started with small blocks i wouldn't need the water. Honestly had i added some garlic we'd be having pesto tonight
Now i have a wet glob that will have to dry on news papers which i suspect is too fine a particle
By now wife walks into the kitchen and explains "what are you doing? and then proceeded to give instructions like don't grind up the wooden spoon you're using to cram the foam down.
Now all this has taken place after i mentioned to her this morning that i was going to the Salvation Army to see if i could find an old fur coat. She looked at me like I'd lost it after i explained why (long grass) and said flatly "no way"..
will continue this saga with my next experiment
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Posted - October 13 2010 : 2:33:10 PM
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| model railroad drama in the kitchen hehe
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Posted - October 13 2010 : 6:39:52 PM
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quote:
Now all this has taken place after i mentioned to her this morning that i was going to the Salvation Army to see if i could find an old fur coat. She looked at me like I'd lost it after i explained why (long grass) and said flatly "no way"..
will continue this saga with my next experiment
Originally posted by derfberger - October 13 2010 : 2:25:26 PM
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There are GREEN fur coats? Whats' the animal? Oh yeah, sloth's do have moss grow on them, they're so slow...now it all makes sense. Never mind....
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - October 13 2010 : 8:16:49 PM
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ah
so i'll tell her i'm going out to look for a moldy green fur coat.
Bad enough now when we walk around and i'm examining plant life exclaiming how it looks like a miniature tree or bush and have it drying in my green house
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Posted - October 14 2010 : 9:39:02 PM
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quote:
Bad enough now when we walk around and i'm examining plant life exclaiming how it looks like a miniature tree or bush and have it drying in my green house
Originally posted by derfberger - October 13 2010 : 8:16:49 PM
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One of my club members goes out and collects some wild weeds, the tops of which look like winter trees ( no leaves ). Almost like a dried Christmas tree on top of a long stalk. He then brings them home, gets some green grass mix ( model railroad, not 1:1 ), and sprays the top of the "tree" with hair spray, then sprinkles the green stuff on, then more hair spray, more green stuff, etc. We've actually done part of our club layout with his trees, they look pretty good. He recently went to a Greenberg show and sold trees on foam pallets. He did well, he even sold some winter trees, REALLY well done. How well? Only the tops of the branches had snow, not all the way around! Just like the real world. really took the time to detail them realistically. So you don't need to steal your wife's plants, just go out on a public jogging path near woods or hillsides, and you can find lots of neat "free" material to harvest to make HO scale trees.
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - October 17 2010 : 8:39:17 PM
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have read that sage brush is excellent for duplicating trees.
Unfortunately not here in MI
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Posted - October 30 2010 : 9:18:06 PM
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tried making ground foam today. A miserable failure.
Below are pics of the type of foam i used. I'm guessing polyurethane open cell that's used for furniture seats and backs. tough stuff
Followed the directions that were posted. Cut foam into 1 inch cubes
took a lt more than a quarter cup of water to get it to start mixing. Ran for a long time but the foam never turned into small particles, just small chunks. The blender motor was starting to smoke.
Any ideas. If i had i a Cusinart would have given it a try. Granted the blender is 30 years old but is a Waring and does just fine fir jobs intended.
Could i be using the wrong type of foam?
I'd sure like to avoid the cost of $9.00 a cannister for stuff at Hobby Shop
 
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Posted - November 12 2010 : 12:09:09 PM
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I'm back
I'll beat the subject of foam to death or it will beat me.
Saw a blender on an estate sale web site so rushed ther the next morning. There was the blender BUT next to it was my dream machine.
On another forum some one made ground foam using a meat grinder and here sat an electric one.
Bought it, hurried home and down to the basement, answering the usual questions on the fly.
Threw in dried chunks and it almost stalled..
Switched to the coarse blade with water and a bit of soap for lube. It was a strain but it pushed it out in small chunks. I cycled through about three times until the motor didn't sound strained and then switched to the fine blade which you see in the picture.
I added Rit dye to the last grind.
Now we'll see how it works after it dries.
I still would like to know what kind of foam Realistic Scenery uses, rigid like block floral foam or spongy like what i have. I think what i am using is too dense.
I've tried floral in the blender but ends up a fine dust.
back to my grinder. Who knows what I'll put through next
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Posted - November 12 2010 : 8:09:54 PM
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quote:back to my grinder. Who knows what I'll put through next
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How about a sea sponge? I see these things every so often at the hardware store I work at, and everytime I see one I want to buy one to play around with. They look like they would be good for bushes, shrubs, etc... Ground up they may make good ground foam Although they probably wouldn't be much cheaper than just buying a bag of the woodland scenics stuff
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Posted - November 12 2010 : 9:16:32 PM
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It looks like the Play Doh Fun Factory. Mad scientist at work!
It will be interesting to see what the consistency is when it dries. Grinding up foam for ground cover seems like it should be an easy thing to do, but it may take a lot of shredding blades to get small enough pieces.
The Tyco Depot
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Posted - November 14 2010 : 11:22:18 AM
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we used to have to use natural sea sponges in the business of off set lithography. Had to literally beat the sand out of them while dry before being able to use as the sand would scratch the printing plate when washing. They were expensive..
So far the stuff i ground is still drying..
Yesterday got a bag of saw dust and died a bunch after sifting. I also saw a U Tube on using a spray can of green and spraying the saw dust while stirring it. Quite a fast process, ready to use as soon as the paint dried
I'm looking for one of the old 3 screen flour sifters to get a finer particle. My current strainer is coarse.
also going to try rigid floral foam on a cheese grater to see what particle sizes i get
found some fake fur trim yesterday at the fabric shop, looks like raccoon-- possible grass and weeds
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Posted - November 16 2010 : 10:48:54 PM
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production came to a grinding (pardon the pun) halt last night when the main shaft with key that the screw fits into snapped. Too much a strain. Unit is 40 years old so don't expect to find a part
I'll be looking for a hand grinder.
A lot of info on the subject on the internet. Most use a blender but i think the secret is old cushions or carpet pad that has become partially oxidized. The stuff i'm using is so strong i can't rip it.
a couple of people use a wire brush on a drill which they claim can generate a 5 gal pail in a half hour.
Will give it a try.
Called woodland scenic and tried to get a clue what there's is It's sponge foam not rigid
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