Want to learn more about producing great-looking trees? Check out this playlist. kzread.info/dash/bejne/a6uYta2Gf7melLw.html

I model on the cheap. I make all my own ground scatter (flocking) out of either sawdust that gets coloured in the electric coffee grinder my wife gave me for modeling, or foam rubber done same way in the coffee grinder. That way you can control the colours and the granularity of your finished product. I also make my own iron oxide (rust) by soaking about 4 pieces of 0000 steel wool in a quart jar with white vinegar. After about a month sitting in the window, I pour the mixture into a large pan (I use my old 11" x 14" stainless steel photo fixer trays when I had a darkroom) or baking dish and wait for the mixture to completely dry (usually about 2 to 3 weeks). Then I take a single edge razor blade and pulverize the contents into a fine powder and store it in little tins. Each batch I've done comes out a little different in colour. Then you use the rust as you would any weathering powder or chalk. It looks real, 'cause it IS real rust! I also colour my own chalk with acrylic paint and food colouring. I never buy weathering powders. Instead, I go to the dollar store and buy women's makeup in the little plastic containers. For $1.00 you can get quite a collection of different colours and they adhere better than weathering powders. For trees, I use the Nandena bush after the little red berries fall off, it leaves a perfect tree trunk (armature). I also have a TON of lichen growing out back on the hill behind my house. When using the Nandena bush tree armatures, you can paint them whatever colour you want--even grey for aspen trees. Cover the armatures with lichen, seafoam or whatever you want, then add your own home-made flocking and you're done. For pine trees, I use florist wire (wrapped) doubled and bits of jute cut in1 to 1 1/2" laid in the wire, then using a drill, twist the wire while holding the other end in a pair of pliers.. I also use barbeque bamboo skewers with pig hair (horse hair) furnace filters (they're already green); have to paint the skewers first. And I never use spray paint since I use my airbrush for all my painting. I can use either acrylic or oil base paints; I usually use one airbrush for acrylic and the other one for oil base paints. Cheers from W Rusty Lane K9POW in eastern Tennessee

Hi Ron!! 😀 Very long time no speak. You may not even remember... It's Carmine, from the old G+ Groups. Pacific Belt RR. I won't give the whole dirty story, but the situation I left with, 6 years ago, still hasn't changed. Still barely hanging on, waiting for my Inheritance to save our Family... Some good Friends have helped me maintain my literal Sanity with help in the RC Trucks Hobby, but I haven't been able to even touch my Layout in over 6 years! 😭 I'm working on changing that! Still don't have two pennies to rub together, but I've got barely enough to try to do SOMETHING. I miss my Railroad!! These Trees are an inspiration! Here in Arizona, we've got tons of Sagebrush and Asparagus Fern.... I can make TREES!!! 😁 Seafoam isn't possible, that little cash. But since I'm trying to get back into Model Railroading, I hope to reconnect with old friends... At least the ones I haven't alienated by asking for help. Carmine ✈🚂🚙

Fall is a great time to find materials since their foliage has dropped which reveals there branch structures and drying out plants that are cut while green by hanging them indoors works too.. Using a bit of fine mesh/gauze stiffened with lacquer/glue In odd shapes makes a nice platform for leaves. Indeed using a wet mesh laid over the top to a tree shape then allowed to dry is the best way to make a canopy before applying foam. Once dry the drapeped material can be cut away to create voids/levels on the stems and the painting the tree from above/below before foaming finishes the effect. You likely seen this done in videos/craft projects where they make ghosts by using lacquer/glue soaked gauze over a ball on a cup then once dry it holds it shape.

I agree, light and airy is the way to go. Very realistic results.

@RonsTrainsNThings

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your comment and thanks for watching.

The best option for trees!

They will make great treats for a New England Autumn scene. Thank you!

Ron, you truly are a master at your craft. Thank you for the tips and tricks for modelling trees.

@RonsTrainsNThings

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much.

Very nice trees! You are right, "light and airy" looks much better than blobs of ground foam for foreground trees. The mass-produced trees are great to fill in between the backdrop and the "hero" trees.

@RonsTrainsNThings

5 жыл бұрын

I totally agree Gary.

Wow! Those trees look AWESOME! They look like, well, little trees! I shall copy your technique (if I ever get that far again lol) Nice job Ron!

Great tips! Got some ideas flowing after watching this. Thanks, Ron

Very nice video tutorial 🚂

Great video the trees look fantastic.

@RonsTrainsNThings

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks.

Great Job Ron ,trees look superb ,look so realistic thanks

@RonsTrainsNThings

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you.

I agree, those look better than most I've seen. If I can get some sage, I'll try that technique. Thanks Ron!

Nice tutorial Ron...those trees are very realistic, I need to make a few hundred of them...Anybody out west want to send me a box of sage brush lol...Thank you for showing me how to make real nice looking trees...God Bless Tom

@RonsTrainsNThings

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Tom

They look great Ron! Nice trees and nice tutorial! -Ben

@RonsTrainsNThings

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks.

Hero trees, I like that! I have to hand it to you, to be able to sit there for an hour and put those tiny branches on! Great job, thanks for the tutorial!

@RonsTrainsNThings

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks, Joe.

Thanks. Really looks good.

I love what you did!!! If someone would be nice enough to send me a box of sage branches I would have such gratitude!!! 🙏🙏🙏🙏I would pay the postage fees for sure. I am a Christmas village addict . Thank you everyone and to you for doing that absolutely great video!!! They look so realistic!!! 😊🌺

Welcome back Ron, I have missed your videos. As always another great tutorial, I plan on using your methods to make the trees on my layout when I get to that stage. The areas that I am modeling have a nice mix of conifers and deciduous trees. Barry.

Ron, your trees are spectacular! I have been making trees for my O scale layout since watching your recent evergreen tree video. I had been wanting to get started for quite some time and you inspired me to put the materials that I had "accumulated", according to my lovely better half, to good use. The first attempts have come out reasonably well balanced and they look more like trees and less like bottle brushes... 😁 Finally, a step toward beginning the layout... Thanks. KZread channel to follow. Stay tuned. 😊

@RonsTrainsNThings

5 жыл бұрын

Sounds like a step in the right direction. Thanks for your comment. Keep up the good work.

I make trees from dried golden rod, harvested in Nov and Dec. Trim it up, spray it with spray paint for a base color, then dust with ground foam. Not as detailed, but you can do about 15-20 trees an hour.

Fantastic video, some tips I really needed to improve my trees. I had not thought of using the mod podge or tacky glue, so this will help a lot. Thanks.

Beautiful, Ron. Tree-rific!

Good looking trees Ron....thanks for sharing....Jack

@RonsTrainsNThings

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jack.

I will send sage brush to whoever wants some. I live in central Oregon and there is plenty. Beautiful trees an way faster than what I used for architectural modeling.

@RonsTrainsNThings

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for that, man.

Those look AMAZING! I'm probably years away from ever doing a layout, but I am working on putting together some dioramas for Hot Wheels cars. Might have to try this!

@RonsTrainsNThings

5 жыл бұрын

They are fun to make and they do look incredibly good if I say so myself.

Very very nice Ron. Love how these look. Taking furious notes, I expect that I may try to procure some sagebrush as the area that my layout depicts tends to be more deciduous than coniferous.

Outstanding video Ron! I've always wondered about weathering trees because they are not uniform in color! Great result and fantastic work, keep it up! Andy

@RonsTrainsNThings

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks, Andy. Good to hear from you as always. Enjoyed your interview on AML this week. You mean you DIDN'T name your railroad after me? LOL.

Absolute great Ron. -Jack

@RonsTrainsNThings

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks.

really informative video thanks for sharing

Nicely done buddy! ! ! !

@RonsTrainsNThings

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks.

Those look real easy to make! I might have to give it a try sometime? Roy H.

@RonsTrainsNThings

5 жыл бұрын

They are easy, very nice, and you could pick up a box of sagebrush anytime you are driving out west.

OMG those r nice

Good ole` ModPodge ,what would we do without it.I load up on MP when I get the 50% off coupons from Michaels ,great for setting ballast ,making trees and a whole lot more.I wish I could get some of that sage brush up here in Canada ,but I do use that Sea Foam stuff ,makes great trees and shrubs.Great video Ron ,very very nice looking trees ,it`s those details that make the difference.Always a pleasure to watch and very relaxing !!

@RonsTrainsNThings

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks, Paul. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Nice!

Very nice trees. Good technique. But they don't work on my n scale. I have tried. The field scrub turns brittle when dry. Settled for wire trees with sawdust for leaves. I have some videos I have been meaning to post on how to make them, but need editing, and work is keeping me busy.

@RonsTrainsNThings

5 жыл бұрын

The mat medium coat helps with the brittleness some, but they are delicate. They're not the trees I would be putting in an area where they're going to get bumped and handled a lot. The Fantastic looks, however, do make them quite desirable in my opinion.

Nice one Ron! I am working on something similar right now for my background trees on my layout. One question though, isn’t the natural bark texture of the sagebrush too coarse for N scale? For HO it works fabulous I know, but not sure about N.

@RonsTrainsNThings

5 жыл бұрын

Great question. As the branches gets smaller the bark texture gets a little finer as well. If you pick the branches that are small enough to make good N scale trees the bark texture looks pretty good. If there are areas where it seems to be to course you can camouflage that a little bit with some dry brushing at that stage. I found the texture of these to look pretty good even in N scale.

@TrainsandDioramas

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks! That is great to know. We do not have the exact type of Sagebrush here in India that you see in the Americas, but we do have similar plants - I guess I just need to find one that fits the bill. Till then I am planning to use the Scenic Express super trees (it was quite a battle for my friend to get them to me from the US) and the WS plastic trunks. Should be able to get my video uploaded in a couple of weeks' time - we can compare notes once I do that. :)

1 hour a tree, You need about 1300 for your layout.....You have a full time Job.

@RonsTrainsNThings

5 жыл бұрын

1 hour per tree for the ones in the foreground. Watch for a future video about making background trees MUCH more quickly.

H.O Scale 🌳 s

can't see the forest from the tress

what do you use to glue/hold the tree down to the scene?

@RonsTrainsNThings

5 жыл бұрын

I use a mounting pin in the bottom of the tree, then glue in the mounting hole and on the base with white glue, using clothes pins to hold it into position until it dries.

"Find a friend" welp I now can't do this technique.