Scouring pad Conifer trees

[Ironworker]

Well just to prove the move hasn't compleatly shut down my wargame work I'm showing some WIPs from a project I started last night.

 

I'm making some conifer using scouring pads as foilage. This is not a new idea and in fact I'm using this article as a guideline.

 

http://www.terragenesis.co.uk/infopages/page462.html" target="_blank">http://www.terragenesis.co.uk/infopages/page462.html

 

However instead of using dowls or skewers or some other very straight objects I'm using wittled down twigs instead to give the trunks a more natural feel and shape.

 

 

Here are the trunks for 20 trees. Carved down and painted with a watered down brown paint.

 

 

Here's a shot of the foliage going on. I'm using Aleen's Tacky Glue instead of the super glue that was used in the article. It dries clear.

 

 

Here's the first compleated tree. I've finished eight so far and I should have another two done by the time I turn in for the night. I think they are going to look quite good as a group with the irregular trunks.

[Joe Kutz]

Those are one of the best types of trees in terms of what you get for time and money spend out of any of those out there. Using the twigs should make them look even better (and cost even less) than the doweling trunks normally used.

 

One thing that I have found to happen with the scouring pad trees over time is that the foliage tends to go a bit flat. I ended up counteracting this by drilling a pair of holes through the "trunk" roughly perpendicular to the trunk and each other. Slide the pad down to those holes and push some brass rod through the holes and the pad. It locks the pad firmly in place and you can bend the wires down slightly in order to create a more piney droop to the branches.

 

When cutting the scouring pad, be sure to use scissors you don't like too. Most of them are an alumina oxide or silicon carbide grit on hard nylon - very hard...very hard on blades as well. I made the mistake of using my good Fiskar's to cut them the first time I did up a few stands of the trees and the next time I used them to cut paper they did more tearing than cutting. They now are used exclusively to cut the pads when I need to cut them.

[Ironworker]

When cutting the scouring pad, be sure to use scissors you don't like too. Most of them are an alumina oxide or silicon carbide grit on hard nylon - very hard...very hard on blades as well. I made the mistake of using my good Fiskar's to cut them the first time I did up a few stands of the trees and the next time I used them to cut paper they did more tearing than cutting. They now are used exclusively to cut the pads when I need to cut them.

 

Most of my Terrain scissors are pretty crappy but that's good advice! Also I would suggest a respirator or at least a mask. Tearing apart the scouring pads creates a lot of dust. I didn't think about that yesterday and I woke up this morning with an iritated throat because of it.

[Joe Kutz]

Yeah - the dust will be the grit being knocked loose - and it is a lot more harmful (and actually proven to a high degree of certainty) for you than almost anything else your average minipainter will come across. Usually a good quality dust mask will work well enough, but remember that due to the small size they can actually hang in the air long after you are done cutting - so if possible do your cutting all at once outside or use a fan to help vent air inside.

 

When solid particulate like that get inhaled they can lead to all kinds of fun respiratory problems. While I might like my brushes, I won't mess around with dust. If you do a lot of this type of work - and do it inside...consider a bench top dust filter like this one:

Grizzly Bench Top Filter

 

They are small enough to leave you room to work, but they will take care of dust from scouring pads, cleaning minis and sanding/carving wood. Remember though, it is a particulate filter - so if you are looking for something to deal with aerosols or solvent based paints it isn't what you want. You can however use this as a spray booth for airbrushed acrylics though. For the other paints you will want to vent to the outside since most residential units are not able to clean the air fully of the solvents and what not.

[Ironworker]

Great advice Joe. I'll look into one of those systems. Your right though. This would make a good outdoor project. Trimming down the twigs is also a messy project best for outdoors.

 

 

Here's a group shot of the 10 I finished last night. I haven't yet drybrushed the lighter green and I may not for a while since most my paints are already at the other house. I may decide to go pick up a bottle of cheap paint just to get them done but I haven't decided.

 

I also haven't decided on basing them. I've been basing my trees individually with the idea that I'm going to make some big forest bases to put them on later. That way I can just move trees to allow room for blocks of ranked up troops or tanks or big monsters or whatever. I don't want to make the bases too big though but I need them to be heavy enough to hold these trees up since they seem a bit top heavy. I could base them in smaller groups of two, three, or four but that will impace their flexibility.

[Joe Kutz]

I've always liked using a socket in a base board in order to deal with the trees. On more planned out terrain pieces, I will actually use smaller objects like boulders, scrub brush, grass or fallen trees that will pop into the holes drilled into the bottom board to cover them up. Each of the trees get a quick base made out of putty to look like roots and what not. Under that is a small stud that will slide into a hole drilled into the larger base. 1/4" masonite or MDF work well enough as the base. Cheap, sturdy and pretty easy to work with.

[Jabberwocky]

Just stumble across this--cool...I have been in need of some trees for a diorama piece that has been in an indefinite holding pattern. Thanks, IW. Hope the move is going well.

[John Lee]

Thanks for sharing IW, I just finished building a castle and village with my son for a school project and I wish I had seen this earlier, I could have saved the $30 that I spent on Woodland Sceneic trees. On the filter/dust trap, a cheap alternative that I often use ( my other hobby is R/C airplanes, sanding balsa gererates a lot of dust ) is a box fan. Get an airconditioner filter (I usually get one of the better ones) and tape it to the "suction" side of the fan, put the fan (blowing away from you) next to where you are working and the dust will get trapped in the filter as the air moves through the fan.

[dewen]

Nice work. Thanks for sharing. Inexpensive and nice looking - exactly what terrain should be.

[Mr.Wizard]

If you're interested in continuing with this, the model train folks are the 'Old Masters' at this type of thing. I remember reading model train books dating from the 50's about using found objects to make scenery. Check out Model Railroader and Railroad Model Craftsman magazines. There metric are buttloads of knowledge for just the stuff you're doing.