When laying down turf - how do you get the "new" section to blend with the "old (and dried)" section. I use paint, but when you try to blend the edge, it clumps up and looks terrible. If I try the glue/water mix, it leaves dark spots. Any help for this very frustrating topic?
sure its not just dust making it look a different color? Have you waited for it to dry and see what color it takes on? There can be quite a marked change between wet and dry, no matter what method you use (even white glue / water mix will change slightly) I've always found that the best way is to make absolutely sure you put it down in exactly the same way in regards to paint / glue / turf mix.
It is the woodland scenics turf. I put the turf up to my tracks, and then when I put the ballast in, the water/glue mix seeped into the turf. This left large dark spots - as if it never dried - but it did. So now I'm trying to go back over it with paint and more turf and its not working well at all. I guess it would be like filling in a bare spot in the middle of a grassy area - how do you do it?
Flounder, Are you sure your ballast didn't have some dirt in it? I have never had WS grasses turn colors on me, It must be coming from an outside source. Did you use latex paint to weather your track?
I did't weather the track. And the ballast came right out of the bag - brand new. Now I don't know if I should try to scrape everything up and start over or if it can be fixed. I tried painting over the dark spots with paint and then putting more turf down, but that doesn't look too good.
Maybe Watash has an idea on this, but it may be that the glue-water mix was different between the two senic events. I used to use 25 percent mixture. When I switched to a 50 percent mixture, the results were slightly different and gave the result you describe. OTOH...maybe it was because of flooding the ballast. Some people recommend that technique and I used to do it. Now, I don't flood the ballast, but I use less glue and go back over it after drying with more glue one or two more times to make sure the scenery is affixed properly. I am gluing Woodland Scenics to blue foamboard, so the blue foam doesn't soak up any glue. I do think I have seen the results you describe. If the result was extreme, I went over it, lightly, with more foam to disguise the differences. Also, you can put a scene there. Trees?
Flounder: I use a 50: 50 glue /water mix. I wet the area to be worked on with some 91% alcohol. I don't used paint underneath the turf. That might be your problem. I use an earth tone wash. Stay cool and run steam......
On the clumps you can use an old stiff paint brush or a toothbrush. I had some bummin turf that I scrubbed off with a toothbrush and just painted over with brown latex paint and sprinkled on some new turf. Old turf New turf 2 cents.. Loco1999
flounder, When I have had to repair or spuce up areas of ground foam, I use Hair spray. Cheap Aqua Net Brand works well. Spay some hair spray on the turf, Spinkle some ground foam lightly. It dries in a minute or so. If you need more add it lightly until it blends. I have had good results and have even bought my own can! It dries dull and needs to be cleaned off of the track. It also releases with alcohol so if it really looks bad you can clean it up and start over. Hair spay also works good to spruce up trees.
I seem to remember that Flounder is way larger than N scale. Does that make a diference in technique?
The water/glue mixture is seeping into the old/previously applied turf. It is creating a permanent "wet" look to the turf. To avoid this, in areas where over spray can be detrimental to other scenery or objects, I use a brush or my finger to smear the glue mixture around to avoid over spray or otherwise getting the glue on something I hadn't intended. FWIW, I use full strength glue. Although watered down glue would be much easier to apply on rough surfaces with a spray bottle or brush.
I use multiple layers of ground foam with different mixed colors. I never had this problem , and I like to lay on multiple layers of foam. I would look at that ballast. It could be the Pigment seeping out of your ballast. Otherwise you must be using the wrong glue, or it's some cheap water based paint getting rewetted and seeping up through your turf. I would try simply blending out the best I could to fix the problem. Keep adding glue and ground foam.
