Ground Scenery Base Using Quilt Batting

mightypurdue22 Aug 29, 2016

  1. mightypurdue22

    mightypurdue22 TrainBoard Member

    190
    13
    18
    I ran across this you tube video the other evening, while scoping out scenery how-tos. It intrigued me enough to purchase a roll of the low-loft stuff for $5. It has a real similar appearance to polyfiber, probably the same stuff. I think it also looks nearly identical to static grass when glued to the layout. I have yet to try it first hand, but looks like it would hold additional static grass and ground foam really well. I'd like to at least try it on some of my slopes to help hold foam in place. Has anyone else tried this?



    Dave
     
    Kurt Moose and subwayaz like this.
  2. Ironhorseman

    Ironhorseman April, 2018 Staff Member In Memoriam

    4,717
    113
    66
    I have not tried this method. But it looks interesting. Thanks for posting, Dave. :)
     
  3. subwayaz

    subwayaz TrainBoard Member

    3,222
    106
    44
    Very informative video. I'll have to give that a try. Thank you for sharing
     
  4. MarkInLA

    MarkInLA Permanently dispatched

    1,970
    80
    29
    did I miss something ? I know Dave sprayed water over entire area. I know he used a pipette to secure individual items, but what keeps the ground foam from creeping down the slopes over time ? doesn't it all need a spray of thinned out white glue over everything, to hold all the loose additions..? M
     
  5. mightypurdue22

    mightypurdue22 TrainBoard Member

    190
    13
    18
    Mark - my plan would be to spray ground foam with glue water mix. Without that, I'd think it would end up at bottom of hills or in the vacuum.

    Dave
     
  6. crclass

    crclass TrainBoard Member

    175
    7
    18
    I too stumbled across this video just the other day. Thought I would come here to see if anyone had opinions on it. I am thinking of trying to lay mine out over crumpled nespaper then misting it with grassy colored starch.
     
  7. Allegheny

    Allegheny TrainBoard Member

    118
    26
    23
    Dave
    I used the quilt batting on an N-Trak module. There are some pros and cons to this application. Sorry no pictures.

    Pros: It's easy to cut, shape, apply and pretty much mold however you want. I applied it to both the flat area and the pink foam mountain. I had my 2'X4' module done in a couple of hours. I used 50/50 water/glue to adhere it to the module. After is was dry, painted and ground cover applied it looked good. Trees can be "planted" thru the batting into the foam. I liked how the flat part of my module looks. The batting gives the appearance of low grass field. The transition to the mountain also looks good. I only had to rough cut the foam and the batting covered the sharp angles.

    Cons: It's white! It required multiple coats of paint to ensure everything is covered. It also took a long time to dry from the multiple application of paint. I thought about dying the batting, but color selection is extremely limited. It can be done, but since the batting is a synthetic, it requires a special dye. You'll also need a good size pot to boil the water/dye and something to stir the mixture. Then it has to be hung up to dry (outside). I wouldn't use the pot or spoon for food preparation. I know my wife would skin me alive if I did.

    I will use this method again after some experimentation to find the right color combination.

    Thom
     
  8. sachsr1

    sachsr1 TrainBoard Member

    60
    23
    5
    I did this method, and was very happy with the results. I used a mix of white glue and water to hold down the quilt material. Once it's dry I used slightly thinned latex brown paint, and applied the ground foam while the paint was still wet. I'm always on the lookout for "brownish" colored paints that were mixed in error at Walmart or Home Depot. You can sometimes get a gallon for under $5. I've mixed two gallons together because I didn't like the color of either paint separate, but together they looked good. After it all dries you can spray it with thinned white glue to lock it in place.
     
  9. crclass

    crclass TrainBoard Member

    175
    7
    18
    So 50/50 mix works? Tinted starch is not an option. It will dry someday but will still need painting.
     
  10. sachsr1

    sachsr1 TrainBoard Member

    60
    23
    5
    50/50 on the glue? I would say no you’ll want it a bit thicker to grab the fabric. I’d say more like 70/30. I don’t think it’s too critical.
     

Share This Page