discussion Using a Tea Strainer for diorama grass?

[pjgtech]

After building my current diorama, sprinkling the grass, (by hand), was very messy and some of it ended up very "clumpy"!

NB: This was using 2mm static grass, and just sprinkling it out of a tupperware type container. I do not have a specific static grass applicator, but I saw on YT that it, (2mm grass) can be used by simply sprinkling onto PVA, which is what I did and it did not turn out too bad TBH. Apparently this method dose not work with longer static grass, so beware if you try that!

But, I wanted to find a better way to sprinkle the grass, and looking at the static grass applicators, they are just big sieves, so I thought about what I might have in the house and, yah, a tea strainer, just the job! I don't actually use it for tea, as I am a Yorkshire tea (teabag) man personally, don't judge me.... Lol.

So up to the modelling area I go, and I try out a small sample of grass in the tea strainer, and......it works great, only small amounts come out at once, by gently tapping the strainer on the side, much like you would when sieving flour, etc, and its actually very controllable, so easy to build up layers, etc.
So I think I have found my new method for applying grass to dioramas.

 

[Tim Marlow]

After building my current diorama, sprinkling the grass, (by hand), was very messy and some of it ended up very "clumpy"!

NB: This was using 2mm static grass, and just sprinkling it out of a tupperware type container. I do not have a specific static grass applicator, but I saw on YT that it, (2mm grass) can be used by simply sprinkling onto PVA, which is what I did and it did not turn out too bad TBH. Apparently this method dose not work with longer static grass, so beware if you try that!

But, I wanted to find a better way to sprinkle the grass, and looking at the static grass applicators, they are just big sieves, so I thought about what I might have in the house and, yah, a tea strainer, just the job! I don't actually use it for tea, as I am a Yorkshire tea (teabag) man personally, don't judge me.... Lol.

So up to the modelling area I go, and I try out a small sample of grass in the tea strainer, and......it works great, only small amounts come out at once, by gently tapping the strainer on the side, much like you would when sieving flour, etc, and its actually very controllable, so easy to build up layers, etc.
So I think I have found my new method for applying grass to dioramas.

Proper Static grass applicators are actually electrical devices that set up a static charge to the grass so it stands upright. Not actually hard to make. There are plenty of vids on YouTube showing how to do this using a sieve and an electronic fly swatter (I made one years ago) that are quite successful. The commercial ones can be better, but for occasional use a fly swat type is more than adequate.

 

[pjgtech]

Hi Tim, yep I did know what a "proper" static grass applicator is, have watched loads of YT vids on it, as you say.
And I've seen the home made ones too, looks pretty easy.
But, I decided I did not want yet another gadget (for now) so just went with sticking the 2mm grass down on PVA. I think as its only 2mm, it does not really stick up that much, so simply sprinkling and sticking gives pretty much the same effect (for very short grass).
I know with the static applicators they tend to build up the layers and the grass length as they go, or the YT vids I watched did that anyway., eg: 2mm, then 4mm, then 6mm, then even 10mm. Gives it a much more natural look for sure.
But for my 1st diorama and very basic needs, sticking 2mm was ok.
Anyway a tea spoon seems to work too. Lol.... my Heath-Robinson solution....