dmandrew
Cardboard Collector
cuttin' cardboard
Posts: 22
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Post by dmandrew on Mar 3, 2014 7:00:01 GMT
I dont have much experience with flock (if thats even what its actually called) but i would like to make my own... I've bought white sand from walmart that looks like gravel but I need some grass. Anyone do this or got any ideas?
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Post by onethatwas on Mar 3, 2014 7:24:01 GMT
Generally speaking you don't need anything besides sand, and most flocking is just some type of mineral (sand) in various grades of coarseness.
But if you really want the grass flocking, then one alternative is dried parsley or oregano ground down to a finer consistancy. You may have to seal it with hairspray afterward though. Or perhaps a layer of matte paint/spray on glue. Otherwise it will deteriorate over time.
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Post by DMScotty on Mar 3, 2014 7:31:48 GMT
I think what you have seen before is called "static Grass", they sell it at hobby stores. I have made my own grasses by painting an old bush green, letting it dry and then cutting off the bristles to length.
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Post by matakishi on Mar 3, 2014 9:52:15 GMT
Making a textured basing compound is easy and will look better than just gluing sand on (which will look like you've just glued sand on). Mix some normal matt emulsion (paint for interior walls) with PVA glue in about equal amounts, add sand to make it a runny porridge. Done. You can usually get a match pot/sample pot in a suitable colour for not very much. Apply it to your bases with a small palette knife or wooden stirrer, let it dry and then dry brush with a lighter tone. Add pebble or talus rocks before it dries for decoration, the basing compound will hold them securely when it's dry. Once dried and painted you can add clumps of static grass by dabbing on PVA, adding the grass and shaking off the excess. Holding the base upside down and tapping the underside will make the grass stand up and look more natural.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2014 10:59:24 GMT
Oh yes, that reminds me.. SAMPLE POTS! Around where I live (hobbiton, basically) you can pick up a pot of acrylic interior house paint in any shade you choose, for around $4
Now it is not going to thin down and retain high quality like real miniature paint, but it will cover terrain and base coat miniatures just fine, and dirt cheap. Just remember to take it easy on your hardware store professionals, they certainly would not appreciate mixing 20 "sample" pots for some heavy breathing crafter, and you might find the price for you starts to skyrocket once they catch on to what you are doing.
But still... they offer this service to sell more paint, so...
For fake grass and other bushy greenery, I just use moss and lichen off tree bark, its already pretty dry and holds up well to regular use.
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Post by tauster on Mar 3, 2014 11:05:36 GMT
All kinds of spices work great as flocking on miniature bases or terrain pieces - so simply use stuff from your kitchen or buy a cheap pre-filled spice rack. Some dollarstores and similar stores have spice racks that are so cheap that I would never, ever put the spices on my food. However when putting them on minis and terrain pieces, you can use whatever cheap spice you find - provided you don't have a habit of licking your mini's bases.
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valas
Room Planner
I'm being twisted, on the sideway down.
Posts: 459
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Post by valas on Mar 3, 2014 12:19:08 GMT
How to make flock!
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Post by pedrodevaca on Mar 3, 2014 15:21:35 GMT
Its my understanding, the sawdust method will hold up the best over time.
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Bael
Room Planner
Posts: 288
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Post by Bael on Mar 3, 2014 17:55:35 GMT
I've seen rope/twine unwound and cut to "grass" length. The tan color looks like dead plants.
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Post by Sleepy Hollow Mike on Mar 4, 2014 0:18:41 GMT
The twine method makes excellent high grass! I have used a lot of different things for flocking most of what has been mentioned here. I sometimes just break down and pick up some woodland scenics ground foam. It is abit costly depending on how much you need but for me it saves time.
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Post by beetlewing on Apr 7, 2014 19:38:22 GMT
You can also paint course sandpaper, like 80 grit. If it's too uniform, sprinkle a little sand from the end of your driveway to add variation.
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Post by thebigbluefrog on Apr 27, 2014 3:55:24 GMT
Tea bags! My wife loves hot tea and iced tea, and I save all the tea bags for flock. Dry the bags, and then pour the contents into a Ziploc. Different teas have different colors and textures. Her chamomile tea looks like light green grass. Black tea looks like humus or soil. If it's a light colored herbal tea, you can dye the contents of the bag with ink before drying.
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Post by DMNate on Apr 27, 2014 6:59:00 GMT
There are lots of very cheap things you can use that end up looking very nice. Coffee makes great dirt flock. It's a deep rich brown and works great. Even better if you can grind it even finer. Also, I love using a mixture of ground parsley and basil (cheap dollar store spices work great!).
The parsley is brighter, and the basil is more muted. Together they look like very natural turf, again, particularly if you grind it up even more. As a nice finishing touch, go outside and find some small pebbles to be rocks, or get some construction sand.
As far as static grass goes, I love DMScotty's method of using a cheap paint brush with dried green paint on the end. You can get a pack of 3 brushes with more than even bristles at dollar tree. Good thread, guys. I love this forum.
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jocke
Cardboard Collector
Posts: 32
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Post by jocke on May 3, 2014 17:29:08 GMT
I have tested tea as Flock, here are some pics A lot of tea by comparison, the herbal teas are much better then fruit tea. Peppermint (left) and camomile (center with the blue lable) are great for grass, Sweet Chai is perfect for autumn foliage. Here some details This is a mix of Peppermint and Sweet Chai, also rooibos-vanilla... Happy crafting
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Post by whitefang on May 3, 2014 18:14:49 GMT
The tea bags! Im never buying flock again!!
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Post by Deleted on May 3, 2014 21:16:03 GMT
Me either. I like the tea better than the flock I have.
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Post by tauster on May 3, 2014 22:10:09 GMT
I saw this idea in one of minigirl's videos. It's not only great because it's cheap; the other plus is that your minis smell excellent! :-D
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Post by thedmg on May 3, 2014 22:31:59 GMT
Rooibos, lekker ne?
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neil
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 134
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Post by neil on May 3, 2014 23:20:32 GMT
Lots of great ideas here. I'm going to take most of these ideas, put the various materials in a plastic baggie with a little green paint, shake it up and let it dry.
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neil
Paint Manipulator
Posts: 134
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Post by neil on May 3, 2014 23:24:50 GMT
I think what you have seen before is called "static Grass", they sell it at hobby stores. I have made my own grasses by painting an old bush green, letting it dry and then cutting off the bristles to length. I have seen old tooth brushes painted and used for this, also hedge row grass. I will never pay $5-8 for static grass packets at the hobby / game store again.
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