Those trees look great!

The only problem is when you post what would appear to be an instruction on how to make something and then mention a "secret" ingredient, it defeats the purpose unless you are going to manufacture the compound in question for commercial sale.

Secret ingredient

Russ,

You are correct! (tongue in cheek).  I hadn't planned on keeping it a secret - it's just to see if anybody is paying attention!

The secret ingredient is:

All Purpose Flour!

Why flour?  I remember from my school days that flour & water was used to make "Library paste" for sticking things.  It's also cheap when compared to gesso, and it's available at any store.

Rick

Critters

Will this result an open lunch for small critters?

Critters

I hope not!  I've heard that critters are also attracted to white glue.  I saw a "how to" article in a scenery book that instead of "hard shell" used semi-hard shell by coating cloth in white glue and covering the under structure.  I heard from a few people not to use this process as the white glue attacks critters.

I suppose that I could do a final dipping in plaster to coat / encase the armatures before painting and finishing.

Rick

Don't get me wrong

Don't get me wrong, they look great. I've just had some experiences with flour going bad over time, and I hope you'll relate your experence down the road with these. 

My "bads" were not trees though, and had a much higher flour content than it looks like you're using. I hope my concerns are not-warranted!

Flour isn't the secret

Flour isn't the secret ingredient It's the main Ingredient The secret ingredient is Salt.

Salt and flour has been used for hundreds of years for Model making the Flour is the bulk and glue and the salt is the preservative to keep the bugs off and give more strength and texture to the surface.

1 1/4 c. flour

1/2 c. salt

1/2 c. water

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Below This is my Favorite as it easily attaches and forms around he wire and just wet your fingers to smooth the texture and use and old tooth brush to make great looking Bark and talk about firm after dry this is it

Rock-Hard Sawdust Clay

2 cups sawdust
1 cup flour
water

Mix two parts sawdust with one part flour. Add water, until the mixture is stiff, but pliable 1/4 cup water to start. If dough is too crumbly, add a little more water. Dump the mixture on a newspaper-covered table. Knead until it reaches an elastic consistency.

The dough may then be molded into any shape desired, then dried in the sun. As it dries, it will become extremely hard. After drying, it can be sanded and painted, or simply painted, depending on preference. Paint with your favorite trunk coloring flats.

Dan

Thickening

What about corn starch too?  Just use less...

+ +

What critters would this attract and (...  i'm no cook )  what does flour going bad do. 

Does'nt the  paint, the hair spray, the glue   seal this all  up.  Any other way to seal this up.  Looking for the cheap and plentyfull

Marc Fournier, Quebec.    

The flour and saw dust trunks

The flour and saw dust trunks That I have made have neven got a single bug on the Pike same with the paper mache wraped and flour and salt trees because you paint them with flat acrilic paint or flat oil paint and that seals the trees.

Dan

Wire armature trees coatings

Thank you for all your comments.  I'll give the other receipts a try.

Rick

Nice Work

Your finished product looks really nice in my opinion Rick. I especially like how you've modeled the base with the widening of the start of the rootball. I make my larger woody tres using sagebrush armartures for my trunks because I can go out and get as many as I want just a few miles from home. They work real well, but of course I can't get that widening at the bottom you've achieved.  Thanks for sharing.

Kevin

Very nice

The trunks look quite good to me and the finished tree looks great, IMO.

Kevin,

Could you add the spreading roots at the bottom of your sagebrush armatures with some clay or other substance, much like Rick has done to his wire armatures?

Wire armature trees

Kevin,

Thank you for your kind words.  As Blue mentioned, you can add the widened root area to your trees and it would be the best of both worlds.

Rick.

RE: Wire armature trees coatings

Hmmmm........great idea. I might have to try that. Sounds like a challenge to try to match the sagebrush texture closely.

It would also depend on what type of tree you are modeling.

Oak trees have deep roots.  Unless there has been some erosion on a hillside, you probably would not see the roots near the surface.  I have an apricot tree in my back yard that has some shallow roots, but none are less than 6 inches below the surface of the lawn, so they don't show at all.  On the other hand, a common tree here in Southern Cali is the ficcus which will have roots half submerged and halfway out of the ground for many feet in all directions around the tree.

Actually the California Scrub

Actually the California Scrub Oak have deep roots. But Red Oak and golden Oak , Maple, Walnut, Cherry And Popular Have no tap root along with almost most all American Hard woods.

When in the Forests Hardwoods get blown over in heavy winds if they grow too far apart due to their roots are less than 3 feet deep and they need the other trees to help divert the heavy Winds and mingle their roots over and around.

The Hardwoods grow a large flat surface Foot Root requiring snow melt and a lot of rain to keep them watered. Most All Hardwoods roots have about a 10 foot radius around the tree base and roots are only 24-36 inches deep. Hardwoods get 90% their moisture from the surface. Pine, Red wood, Cedar, and all Fir Trees Have deep Tap roots and they get Most of their water from deep under ground springs and wells.

Dan

Have to send over the loggers.

Looks like the loggers from Vancouver Island are going to have to drop by and trim the forest before long.

Your trees are excellent.

Thanks all for the recipes. I completely forgot about stuff like that. Silly me was going to use putty.  Along with my fir, cedar, and hemlock forest I need some broad leaf maples and alders. This thread is timely.

Armature trees

Gear,

Thank you - I'm glad that you find the information helpful.  Please post some pictures of your work so we can enjoy and learn.

Rick

Trees

Still staining landscape prior to adding foam and sawdust as well as working on loco's and building cars. Will post some pic's of trees when I get that far. Todays, goal is to finish some staining and put down some foam and sawdust to see how things look.

rtw3rd I think those trees of

rtw3rd I think those trees of yours would work very well as winter hard woods after they dropped all their leaves. You have done some really nice and realistic bark on your trees and would stand on their own without foliage.

Dan

Winter tree

Dan,

Thank you for the suggestion.  Perhaps with different colors it could be dead wood for summer.

Rick

kensey

And with what do you glue your beautiful trees to your terrain surface?  I have a Noch pre-formed layout made with a hard foam material, and I'm not sure how to cement my wire armature trees to this surface.  Kensey

Glue for trees

I use hot glue to glue my trees to the terrain.  It cools / sets in seconds and holds the trees firmly.

inspired! by your trees to make some of my own