Is here a way to apply static grass, and have it stand up, without using a static grass applicator?
As you mix your plaster mix for your ground work, add some crushed Viagra. That grassāll spring right up when you apply it.
No, the Viagra will only last about 4 hours, he needs to use Cialis, then he has 36 hours, I donāt know how I know this, but I do.
Other than grabbing with fine tweezers and inserting one blade at a time ā¦.
Iām embarrassed to admit I once tried quickly flipping the base upside down after applying each clump to blobs of PVA glue with tweezers. Did it work? So then I bought a GrasMaster - static electricity beats gravity every timeā¦possibly the only time it does in this universe?
You could try rubbing a balloon on a wool sweater and hovering it above the applied grass. Not saying it will work, but it does generate static electricity and should work at least as well as the ED drug regime.
Definitely the Cialis. Some might suggest 36 hours as an average. High quality raw materials can significantly extend the working time of the product.
ā¦and a moderator steps into the room.
On a more practical noteā¦the name of the grass gives it away. For the best results you do need an applicator.
Iām assuming you looked at the price of some of the commercial applicators and decided thereās got to be an alternative. If youāre handy with a soldering iron ( a very, very basic sort of handy) there are lots of detailed instructional guides available online. Try a ādiy static grass applicatorā search and youāll find plenty of inexpensive options.
There is a technique that involves blowing gently through a straw at fibres being sprinkled onto wet paint but it looked as though a lot of practice would be needed to obtain consistent results.
Iām hoping someone has better answer as buying small sheets of pre-made tufts of grass is a pretty pricey option for a base of any size.
Cheers,
Colin
A friend of mine rubs a plastic ruler through his hair, then sort of wafts the ruler over the grass; it seems to work. Of course, being somewhat follically challenged these days, itās no bloody use to me!
A grass mat is another alternative.
I have to go with Cam @tango_down on this one. Depending on the base size, I either half it, quarter it, or if small enough, do the whole lot.
I spray base with picture frame adhesive then gently sprinkle on the grass over the given area, then just let it get some purchase and then gently blow over it and it lifts it upā¦
Thatās too funny.
Go to your local dollar store, buy some cheap balloons.
Blow up the balloon, rub it on your head (if you donāt have any hair, rub it on someone elseās head), the static created on the balloon from your head will lift up the grass.
Wonāt work as well as an applicator, but will work in a pinch.
Iād try the balloon method first. Applicators arenāt that hard to make. I made one for about $15 in parts. That was when Radio Shack still existed and you could source parts cheaply.
Cheers,
C.
Do mind your body parts, though. If youāve ever played with one of these you know they can sting a bit:
It is a bug zapper, after all.
Oh, yes. Hereās an example of my very first attempt with the grass zapper. Itās actually my first base ever, but thatās a different matter. This is with 6mm Woodland Scenics grass
Maybe worth clarifying Leoās original question, while manfully fending off inevitable double-entendres. Length matters, if itās very short it should stand up OK as per various suggestions above. But I needed a GrasMaster because I was going for extra-long & it kinda worked, looked great initially but then began to droop after a few days. I think I was using Woodland Scenics too (or maybe local equivalent) but I was really pushing the ability of the fibres to say um erect, as you can seeā¦
I didnāt mind too much because it looked fairly realistically trampled. It was only later a mate pointed out I might have got a lot of it to stand up again with more static, from a balloon or equivalent. Fine for photographic purposes but not if itās going to a Show. So my point is that the solution depends to some extent on what kind of grass you want
I usually use 12 mm static grass mixed with shorter grasses for variations. The ionizer (or whatever itās called) in bug zappers is usually too weak to make tall grasses to stand upā¦I already tried making one. The Grass Master is around 150 USD which comes to around 200 CDN!
I too tried to build a bug zapper grass applicator. I could not make it work. It got chucked into the bin thirty minutes later, I just didnāt have the umph to make the static grass do what STATIC grass is supposed to do. I caved, coughed up the bucks and bought the (rather pricey) Woodlands Scenic thing-a-ma-doodle.