Frothers Unite! UK

right, as you may have seen on facebook, trees are in progress... having repaired the last fuck up, I would like the foliage to remain as in place as possible... am hitting with varnish, but wondering what else could help? I seem to remember Boots own brand hair spray is quite good or did I imagine that?

I don't do facebook so not sure exactly what you're on about. But if it's the Woodlands Scenics style armature+clump material then you can get a spray bottle like you'd use for spraying water on plants and put some watered down PVA in it. Spray it on gently (kind of spray it a bit above the trees so it falls and settles on it and make sure you're a good distance so the force of the spray doesn't blast the foliage straight off).

That's worked for me in the past, although transporting them is still a bit of a nightmare.

that's what went wrong... the watered down PVA essentially washed off the Hob-e-tac and all the clumps fell off one by one like a very wet autumn

Fuck! How about trying spray mount? Usually used for sticking foamboard and stuff to walls. A light spray with that (again, so it settles on top rather than blasts it) might work.

Nope, that stuff stays tacky forever unless something (dust!) touches it.

Any extra strong hold hairspray should work. I used to use it in the days when foliage meant lichen and tea leaves. Its also good for flock and weathering powders. We used it all the time to seal pastels when I was a long haired drunken art student. Cheap as chips so you can coat as many times as you want. Most of the 'modelling' stuff you buy is just either stuff you can buy in Boots or an art supply store for a fraction of the cost.

All of mine have been done with heavy PVA on the armature, dipping them upside down in the flock/leaves, letting them dry and then hitting them with Boots own brand hairspray. After several years there's been a little sheddage but not that it's noticeable.

Glue.... to stick clumps on..

Superglue works well and dries quick.

If you are sticking a sheet over it, or horsehair type stuff, wait till it dried then spray varnish gloss , scatter foliage on to this while its wet.

repeat if necessary.

then when its dry matt spray varnish to fix the foliage and get rid of shine.