Tree Construction Ideas

Bob check out this site for some great videos on tree making. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feSING-q6s0&feature=related

Please look in the Scenery Sourcelist for many, many techniques. It's sttarting to become Autumn, so go "weed pickin.

Please advise me if they are helpful,  Dave G.

Thank you all. I will check the suggested video, scenery source list, and Sedum plant.

On the slight chance you might have a copy of the January 1945 issue of Model Builder magazine, published back then by the Lionel Corporation, there is a neat article on page 15 about making trees. 

It's by Laurence Geiringer....remember him?  Probably not.  He's the patriarchal creator of Roadside America, the infamous, humongous O-gauge display/layout in central PA.  The essential elements of his deciduous trees were Baby's Breath, brown crepe paper, #12 or #14 soft wire, glue, plaster.  The article also suggested a way to make weeping willow trees using Pampas Grass instead of the Baby's Breath for the foliage.  If you've ever seen Roadside America, you could probably estimate hundreds upon hundreds of trees...all handmade.  The overall effect when viewing the massive display from the peripheral walkway was/is, well, simply awesome!

I'm not going to replicate the article here.  Suffice it to say that the heavy soft wire was formed into a trunk armature and a round base.  Sprigs of Baby's Breath (I'd probably use Peppergrass, instead, myself) were laid on the wire trunk armature, starting at the top.  The brown crepe paper was wound around the sprigs and wire to form the trunk, glue being applied as the wrapping continued on down.  Additional crepe paper/glue was applied beyond the lowest branches to the base.  Plaster was added to the round wire form of the base into which pieces of twigs were impressed while the plaster was yet soft to represent tree roots.  The whole magilla was sprayed (the article picture shows a hand  pump sprayer typically used back then to apply insecticide liquids or dusts to plants!) appropriate foliage/trunk colors.  Nowadays, one could go one additional step and spray the painted plant foliage with scenic cement and add ground foam to enhance the appearance, I suppose.

Pampas Grass fronds were substituted in the above to make a reasonable weeping willow.

Well, some might say the technique is 'crude' by today's judgment, but I found it very interesting and encouraging.  After all, you  could probably find a better large tree to BUY...made in China and for $$/tree.  Or, if you're like me, somewhat more thrifty on populating the layout with a bazillion trees...as in the 'real world'...I'm always looking for an inexpensive technique/alternative.

There's a lot of interesting articles in the old Model Builder and Toy Trains magazines of yore.  I think it would be nice if one of the current O3R periodicals would have a regular column/article that replicates some of the more useful old scenery/building techniques in those magazines...maybe with an updated twist to reflect new materials/methods/technology options.

FWIW, always...

Have a nice day!

KD

Thanks for your response and information KD.

Wow 1945, I always say it's hard to beat an old way of doing a task. I did visit Roadside America a few times and like you I was taken back by the size and detail of the layout.

Being 20 + years ago I cannot recall the detail of the trees, however I do remember their was a lot of them.

I will save this method to file for future try.

Bob Rumer