modelgeek Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Could anyone please tell me which of these applicators is the best for static grass (and is not expensive). Heki flockstar, Faller Gras-fix, Noch Gras-master, grasstech or grasstech II. Or if its cheaper how do you make one. Thanks Malcolm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Re6/6 Posted March 18, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 18, 2011 I have only experience of the Noch 'Grasmaster' which I bought from here using their special offer. It's proved to be 'the best thing since sliced bread'. There are cheaper ones available from here at around £50. I read up about static grass applicators before buying, including the DIY method using electric fly swatters. Plenty of details out there. This American chap made one for himself to compare with the Noch one. It worked OK apparantly but not as well as the Noch one. You pays your money etc.... This is what can be achieved. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeg Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Hi, I made my own using a fly swat £1 and a tea strainer £1.99 it works well but you can only do small areas about 10sq ins at a time. The details can be found on this site but not sure where. Fly swat from pound shop and tea strainer from Morrisons. best of luck mike g Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted March 18, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 18, 2011 Make your own, cheap and easy. Take a look at this link to see how to do it. I made mine and it will do large area's. If I were to improve it I would look to put some sort of lid on the tea strainer to stop the "grass" being flung out the top. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted March 19, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 19, 2011 An alternative is for a club to buy a good one that members can use? Somerset Railway Modellers were buying one. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 96701 Posted March 19, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 19, 2011 If I were to improve it I would look to put some sort of lid on the tea strainer to stop the "grass" being flung out the top. would a bit of cling film do the job? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted March 19, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 19, 2011 would a bit of cling film do the job? Might do, but may become static its self and attract the "grass". I was more thinking about a bit of plastic or wood and a small hinge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNCF stephen Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 I am so glad this topic has come up. I was sitting on the fence about whether to get a static grass applicator and seeing the results has shown me that it is a must have item. I am thinking of spending the extra and going for the Noch Grassmaster. How easy are they to use? Are they guaranteed good results every time? Thanks EDIT - Removed comment following a mistake Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted March 19, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 19, 2011 My home made one is very easy to use, as to good results every time, well that will be partly down to how you use it, but I have been happy with the way that mine has performed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Re6/6 Posted March 19, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 19, 2011 I am so glad this topic has come up. I was sitting on the fence about whether to get a static grass applicator and seeing the results has shown me that it is a must have item. I am wary of ordering from Green Scene as their ebay profile has had 4 negative reviews from separate individuals in the last 4 weeks. I am thinking of spending the extra and going for the Noch Grassmaster. How easy are they to use? Are they guaranteed good results every time? Thanks If you can afford it go for the best, and that's the Noch 'Grasmaster'. Since I bought mine I've never looked back. It's simply the best scenic inovation in years. Just have a look at Chris Nevard's site (look for Friday's load of old bull!)to see how it can be done. He manages to get good results with using plain common or garden PVA. I opt for 'sticky' PVA available from Greenscene and I think Woodland Scenics.I still haven't learned the best technique, but hey, it's like everything, it always takes time to get good at it! If you want neat field grass use the vacuum cleaner after the glue has set to make it all stand up.(like the snap I posted at the top) This is one of my early practice pieces (after vacuuming) This is using it on top of old hairy carpet underlay (or hanging basket liner) to portray rough ground with added Woodlands foliage. What I find useful with the 'Grasmaster' is the cone attachment for getting into nooks and crannies. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelgeek Posted March 19, 2011 Author Share Posted March 19, 2011 Has anyone had experience with the heki or faller applicators? and any pics would help as well. O yeah, has anyone got any pics from the results from the grasstech as i am going to ally pally on saturday (greenscene are going to be there). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Nevard Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Noch Grasmaster and the most recent Greenscene (Grasstech?) ones are the best. Tea strainer bodges have too fine a mesh for tall grass. Practice is the most important thing though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave777 Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 This is using it on top of old hairy carpet underlay (or hanging basket liner) to portray rough ground with added Woodlands foliage. Can I ask how you apply the glue to the underlay/liner? When I tried this I just ended up flattening the liner 'grass'. Thanks! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Re6/6 Posted March 20, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 20, 2011 Dave, Firstly people normally seem to glue the old underfelt/hanging basket liner down and leave it as it is. I've always glued it down with ordinary PVA leave it overnight to dry and then rip it all off leaving behind a much finer layer of fibres which IHMO looks much more realistic. Leaving it all behind instead, to my mind makes it look like the old 'teddy bear fur' which without an awful lot of work on it will always look like teddy bear fur! Also because the original hairy carpet underlay is getting harder and harder to find these days the 'pullings off' can be re-used until it's used up. Back to your question Dave I've tried two methods and haven't decided which is best yet. You can try diluted PVA through a garden spray bottle (the nozzle frequently bungs up, so plenty of rinsing between sprays is needed) . The other method is using a good lengthy mist of strong-hold cheap hairspray and then using the 'Grasmaster'. Leave it all to dry and then a give it a gentle vacuum so that it sits up better. One other tip that I've been given is instead of fixing the croc-clip to a nail/screw in the glued bit of baseboard try just clipping it onto the rails. I'm told that it works well by some. As Chris Nevard said "practise is most important" Hope that this helps John PS For those who want to make their own, as Chris has said the tea strainer mesh is probably much too fine for using longer (3mm and 4.5mm) fibres The finest mesh on my Noch one is about 3mm and the one for longer fibres is about 4mm. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mod5 Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Hi, I made my own using a fly swat £1 and a tea strainer £1.99 it works well but you can only do small areas about 10sq ins at a time. The details can be found on this site but not sure where. Fly swat from pound shop and tea strainer from Morrisons. best of luck mike g Courtesy of Shortliner and the excellent Index provided by Martin Wynne. http://85a.co.uk/rmweb_index/index.html?9845_0204_php419186_diy_static_grass_applicator.htm That is one of many mentions if it helps. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave777 Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Thanks John. I too use the 'glue and rip off' method with the hanging basket liner - to be honest I had assumed this was the only way, it had never occured to me to just stick the stuff mat side down Hmm, misting bottle, that sounds like a good plan, thanks I'll try that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNCF stephen Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 This topic is really getting my desires going for a Static Grass applicator now. Am I right in thinking that in the smaller gauges you just need to purchase finer types of grass. I am just thinking that my N Gauge layout would look good with decent grass but it would be unrealistic to have a field of mown grass that is about half the height of a person on the layout. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted March 20, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 20, 2011 Am I right in thinking that in the smaller gauges you just need to purchase finer types of grass. I am just thinking that my N Gauge layout would look good with decent grass but it would be unrealistic to have a field of mown grass that is about half the height of a person on the layout. I haven't found a static grass that works for n gauge short mown grass yet, but if you have a field with long grass in and nothing else (scaleable) you can get away with fibres that are longer than you would expect to be able to. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNCF stephen Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 I haven't found a static grass that works for n gauge short mown grass yet, but if you have a field with long grass in and nothing else (scaleable) you can get away with fibres that are longer than you would expect to be able to. Hmmm, this is making me think that I might need to get grass matts for my layout instead. I can definitely see the benefits where there might be longer grass overgrowing i.e. areas of the yard or in clups in the field. However I am now thinking is it worth spending over £100 on something that would see much less use than anticipated. I think I shall wait before taking the plunge, unless there are other solutions for N Gauge that is... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
R A Watson Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Just as a demonstration of the possibilities here are a few shots of my layout (it is in 7mm), the first is a view of the incline plain, before anyone mentions it the line only carries wagons attached to a haulage rope, not locos, therefore there is no danger of getting the fibres in any mechanisms. The fibres are long ones scourced from International Models (usual dicsclaimer I am only a satisfied customer) And were applied using my SickSquid D I Y tea strainer set up. Also I needed to add a forest of pine trees, but was uncertain as how I could replicate the needles on the Woodland Scenics armatures easily. Brushing 50/50 dilute P V A on the required area then attaching the crocodile clip to the wet portion allowed 2mm long Anita Decor fibres to be attached. The first picture shows a tree in manufacture with the clip still attached and the second a selection of trees drying out. Hope this helps someone. Wally Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenscener Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Please note: Green Scene does not have an ebay account!!!! Therefore we have NO negative feedback! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNCF stephen Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Please note: Green Scene does not have an ebay account!!!! Therefore we have NO negative feedback! My sincere apoligies. I got confused between Green Scene and Grass Tech. I should have payed more attention when reading your site. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenscener Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 That's ok, No worries! We do sell the GrassTech exclusively at exhibitions but someone else sells them on ebay under licence. We have no control over his trading. Hope this clears up any confusion. John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobD Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 If I read what I am seeing correctly, he seems to say that he is the manufacturer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenscener Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 yes he is. He makes them for me, to my design. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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