Tehachapi, BC

[Wolf N Works]

Yes Yes sorry. Meant to add spray w grey paint to seal as an option, should work great (at least in my though process)

[CRL]

Keep in mind that steel wool (and maybe all metal wool) has oil on the surface, making it highly flammable. That oil coating may also inhibit paint adhesion.

[GaryHinshaw]

I'm not worried about them getting wet.  These will be the last things planted in this scene, and that just involves sticking a straight pin into foam.   All the ballasting, soil, etc. will have been done prior to this, so I don't see any need to re-wet the entire scene.

I am definitely concerned about shedding, but that is why - as noted above - I want to make a test patch and abuse it before I commit.  So far I'm very impressed with how stable they are (more than I expected to be honest).  It might help to outline the steps, so you don't think I'm just tearing off hunks from a pad and plopping them down on the layout.  The steps are many, but each is very quick:

1. Tease out and cut a small section from a pad.  (This step generates the largest amount of swarf.)
2. Tie the section around its waist with thread.
3. Insert a straight pin through the loop to form a planting and handling "root."
4. Secure the pin-head/thread-loop/waist area with a dallop of CA.
5. Tease and trim the bush to shape and make sure any remaining swarf is removed.
6. Hit the assembly with spray paint.
7. Hit the assembly with spray adhesive.
8. Coat with fine ground foam.
9. Hit the assembly with firm hair spray.

It's also worth pointing out that the tallest of these will be about 3/8" high and they are predominantly located behind the tracks on the upper deck Mojave desert shelf which is ~62" above the floor in an 8 square foot section of the layout with no switching, so there is very little need to reach into the scene, and very little chance for a stray arm to graze it by accident.

But I will compete a test patch, abuse it in various ways, then turn it over on a piece of clean white paper to see what kind of debris I get.  If it passes that test, I think it'll be fine.   If they are problematic down the road, they are only planted with a straight pin in foam and can be easily removed and replaced. 

To be sure, I don't consider this to be a general purpose application - strictly for high deserts. 

[MK]

What about stainless steel wool?  Oil free too!

https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Steel-Wool-Pack-Manufacturing/dp/B01NCQCPOI/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=stainless+steel+wool&qid=1589408562&sr=8-5

[Ed Kapuscinski]

What about something like Scotchbrite?

[C855B]

What about something like Scotchbrite?

Better yet, another 3M product, Synthetic Steel Wool. Happen to have some #3 "coarse" (10115NA) right here on my desk I was checking out for this purpose. Looks promising, and I'm going to pickup some fine and medium when we run to Menards tomorrow or Friday. Sure doesn't hurt that it's almost the right color for sagebrush right out of the bag.

[GaryHinshaw]

Good ideas gents!  I'll see what I can locate here in Van. 

I'd love to find something non-metallic with comparable workability because, while I'm not too worried about the creosote bushes, I'm hoping something like this might also make good airy branch filler for the live oaks I'm going to need.  Steel wool is no bueno for that application.

[Mark W]

Has no one suggested Lichen?   


Mike, that synthetic steel wool is intriguing!  Any details on what it's actually made of?

[C855B]

Whatever it is seems to be similar to Scotchbrite, but significantly stronger, and is designed to be used with chemical paint strippers. (Don't know about solvents.) It takes a good tug to pull it apart, pliers would be good. Evidently it's more abrasive than the kitchen scrubbies, as there are multiple "not recommended for glass" notices. One plus in handling is it doesn't "bite" like steel wool does.

[Chris333]

[CRL]

Better yet, another 3M product, Synthetic Steel Wool. Happen to have some #3 "coarse" (10115NA) right here on my desk I was checking out for this purpose. Looks promising, and I'm going to pickup some fine and medium when we run to Menards tomorrow or Friday. Sure doesn't hurt that it's almost the right color for sagebrush right out of the bag.

This stuff looks superb for knarly desert scrub brush.

[svedblen]

Better yet, another 3M product, Synthetic Steel Wool. Happen to have some #3 "coarse" (10115NA) right here on my desk I was checking out for this purpose. Looks promising, and I'm going to pickup some fine and medium when we run to Menards tomorrow or Friday. Sure doesn't hurt that it's almost the right color for sagebrush right out of the bag.

If bent and otherwise worked does it keep its new form as steel wool does? Or does it flex back?

[GaryHinshaw]

It appears that both the synthetic and stainless varieties are hard to source locally, so I'll have to order some.  Mike, if you get any finer grades of the synthetic, please report back and also see if you can get a decent close-up photo.  None of the online photos I could find were very clear.  I guess most people don't care what it looks like up close...    Thanks.

[nscalbitz]

There is a florists 'scene product*'  that was made with both- twisted and shredded plastic shavings; and latterly same in steel shavings, both heavily coated with a goo glue form and then a mixture like grass and/ or woodland scenics type fine ground cover.
The first batch i bought - it comes in an approx. 1" thick layer kind of paper sized, the next (which turns out to be steel turnings) when I tried cutting with scissors, a much larger 1 yard square piece.

*It's used to decorate shelves or walls to show up the 'real products' they sell.
You may find a variety over there, dave

[C855B]

I struck out today for local sources of that 3M synthetic steel wool. Menards nor Lowe's carry it; I asked Robyn where she got it and she couldn't recall beyond "quite a while back". I suspect it was Lowe's since that was the only big-box DIY store in the area until Menards moved in.

It's still a current product. According to their website Home Depot carries the two finest grades, #0000 super-fine and #000 extra-fine. Color varies with grade. A farm supply chain, Tractor Supply, lists #000, and #2 medium as in-stock locally. The two closest HDs area are too far away for us unless something else takes us to the area. I'll check with the two paint stores here before casting an Inter-net.

If bent and otherwise worked does it keep its new form as steel wool does? Or does it flex back?

It's a super-hard plastic fiber, so it wants to retain its shape. I was able to kink a fiber enough with needlenose to make it sorta stay put, but it's not going to get the same result as metal wool. I'm looking at it now as cheap background tufts I hit with an airbrush to tone down the uniform color.