I found this disc shaped pot topper that makes for excellent ground cover. It will cost you less than 2 dollars and can but cut to whatever shape needed. You could find it in the gardening section. [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG]
Here is an area that I used it in, I don' know if you could tell in the pictur but it even gives the affect that you could see the dirt through the lumpy grass making it look really realistic. [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG]

Note that I also sprinkled ground foam to blend in areas that were joined and added strands of tall grass in areas as well to give it a variety of textures.

Great find!! I'm driving past a Michael's today - I'll have to stop in!

thanks - walt

No problem walt, I love reading other finds and cheapo ways of modeling. Glad to have helped someone, tell me what you think of it and please show us how you use it.

stevin,
That looks very similar to the material called Silflor from Scenic Express. At less than $2 for that size piece, it is more economical than the Silflor.

Another good find! Thanks for the tip.

By the way, I pull out clumps of the Silflor and plant as individual groups of weeds. If this stuff will work the same way, it really is a great find.

Jim

You could deffinetely rip small pieces and use as a small patch of weeds, Im gonna give that a shot.

stevin - What a find. And it looks great, the way you've used it on your layout. Always gotta keep your eyes open for new ideas, eh?

I tried starting a tread a few weeks back about people showing off ideas and items they have found that are regular everyday things and use on their layout. It didn't really catch but I think it would benefit all of us to see each others ideas and finds. For instance a gentleman on here not to long ago developed diabetes and he showed how he used the caps to his syringes as orange construction cones or painted them and used them as city trash cans. I love hearing about these kinds of things and am constantly looking for items to use on my layout. Im glad you dig the find, Please if someone else picks it up, I would love to see how you incorporate it on your layout.

stevin: i think thats a great idea! why not dig and find it and by posting your latest find on there it will bring it back to the top where it will see more action. after six months, it will be lost to the purge so please consider saving it for all to see on the token blog. its kind of like a safe-house for lost posts!

What is it made of, and will it hold up.

It looks to be made of really thin nylon looking material andthe inside is stuffed with cotton but I rip the cotton out to get a lower profile piece when attaching it. It holds up great. If you keep the cotton inside it is super durable.

If it's made like the Silflor, it consists of individual fibers glued to a poly-fiber mat. Some sort of electrostatic process makes the fibers stand up during the gluing process. This is like what the Noch Static-master grass system does.

Most modern glues are pretty tenacious so it should hold up well.

I notice that it says "reversible." What's the other side look like, stevin?

Jim

Looks almost like coffee grinds, or loose tabacoo from a cigarette, I thought that would make a good wood chip front yard of a suburban home.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Policastro:
If it's made like the Silflor, it consists of individual fibers glued to a poly-fiber mat. Some sort of electrostatic process makes the fibers stand up during the gluing process. This is like what the Noch Static-master grass system does.

Most modern glues are pretty tenacious so it should hold up well.

I notice that it says "reversible." What's the other side look like, stevin?

Jim

Jim, I have never used silflor but from what you just posted it sounds exactly like this stuff. I thought the inside was cotton but it could very well be poly fiber.

Don't know if others saw your post before me, but I picked up the last 6" one at Michaels! Very nice stuff. with the 40% off it was < $2.

As mentioned, my first impression was that it was a Silfor-like product. I talked with the manager - they sell a 4" one ($1.99) and a 6" ($2.99) one.

Interesting that you found a way to rip the back off. I too saw it as a very useful scenery item.

bfishma: I guess this thread will stay alive since I won't be using it until I set up my Christmas layout after York, and post pictures here.

Michaels also had a "NEW" product out using (was it moss??) and it too looked very usable. Too pricey for me though at $6 for a small amount (6"x8" bag but single layer).

- walt

Hey Walt I know the moss your speaking of. I also thought that it could be used as well, to make either high weeds, like cotton tails, Or it also reminded me of what you would see breaking the surface of water in a swampy pond.

I'm going to have to take a look. Michael's also has the Lemax fall season buildings up!

While at Michaels, check out a package called "Moss Display Mat" in the Lemax building section. It is 39 inches by 18 inches for only $9.99.
It is green & brown in color. I think it would look good in weedy lots, between tracks, etc. I found it while getting the pot toppers. Thanks for the heads up on that stevin.

Dennis

Be wary of that Moss Display Mat. I bought a bunch of them to cover my layout because I liked the look. Big mistake. They make a mess right from the time you unravel them out of the packaging. Even after spraying the top with a white glue/water mixture, there are a lot of loose pieces that get all over the place, including the rails. And if you lean on it, it sticks to your clothing.

Rick

No problem, please post some picture after you incorporate it on your layout, I would love to see how you used it. I will check out the lemax section next time im there.

Stevin I picked up a couple of these, did I read that you seperate the back from the "grass"? If so how did you do it?

quote:

Originally posted by VaGolfer1950:
Stevin I picked up a couple of these, did I read that you seperate the back from the "grass"? If so how did you do it?

I agree. Inquiring Minds Want To Know.

I just slit around the outside with a razor blade and pulled the top and bottom apart.

Then you can pull away the grayish polyfiber stuffing from the top and bottom pieces.

This stuff looks good, but it doesn't pull apart into clumps as easily as Silflor. The ability to plant in clumps of individual weeds is what makes any of these products very realistic.

Not bad for the price though when combined with other ground cover materials.

Jim

Yes, I seperated the back from the grass side and also ripped out the coton in the middle. I made a slit with a razor and then continued cuttng around the edge with a pair of sizzors.

Jim I think you will find that medium green coarse turf blends in well with the potter top grass. I havent tried ripping individual chunks apart as of yet, but I will be sure to post when I do.