Tools of the Trade (if your trade is tree-making)

Today's calm, windless weather made for perfect conditions to make layout trees. Since spray adhesive is involved, any wind creates havoc and gets adhesive all over everywhere!

I had previously made up a couple bags of "tree balls", and I had recently purchased a healthy supply of Woodland Scenics "medium green" coarse turf, so I was good to go.

It's not too bad as a one-person operation:

• put on your Dr. Jellyfinger gloves (not required but you thank me if you use the gloves. Cleanup is SO much easier)
• place your supply of trees, a container with plenty of ground foam, and a big open box or box lid within easy reach. The box lid is to contain the finished trees
• with one hand, grab a tree ball with the long tweezers (these tweezers are going to get covered with glue and ground foam, so I dedicate a pair or two for the task)
• with your other hand, spray the tree ball with the spray adhesive (I use 3M Super 77, but I have also used cheap black paint in the past. The spray glue works mo' betta'). I try to not spray the area around the tweezers too much.
• keeping the tree ball in the tweezers, place the adhesive-coated ball into the ground foam. Set down the spray can and gently dribble foam over the ball with your free hand. You can completely coat the ball in a couple of seconds
• Tap the tweezers against the side of the foam-containing box or rap with your free hand to dislodge any extra ground foam not held in place by the glue
• Move your tweezers over the box lid, open the tweezers slightly to free the foam ball, and push the ball off the tweezers with your free hand
• pick up another foam ball with the tweezers, grab the spray can with your free hand and repeat until all the poly fiber balls are gone!

When you are done, you will have a box lid full of nearly finished trees. They can be used as-is, but I like to give them a thorough spray with cheap scent-free hairspray. This further fixes the ground foam. Try to find a large cardboard box lid or this step, so the trees can be arranged in a single layer for the hair spray step. This makes it easy to completely coat the trees.

Be mindful of where you are spraying the glue, there tends to be a bit of overspray, and it will get on things your don't intend, if you are not careful.

The tweezers will slowly accumulate an increasingly thick layer of ground foam. Scrape it off periodically.

You can 'plant' these trees on your layout using the same spray adhesive or hot glue. I prefer the hot glue, because the spray glue does have that overspray and can settle on things like track and other scenery. Hot glue is fast and I find it very convenient. Get a quality hot glue gun (Elite Operator™ tip! Hot glue is HOT! Be careful not to push your fingers into a pile of molten glue when placing the trees. It hurts like heck. Ask me how I know!)

Now, go forth and create that forest you've been dreaming about.


Trees ready to be planted!