"Using Dried "Spanish Moss" As Alien Tendrils?" Topic

This is the stuff I mean, found at most craft stores here in the States:

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Does it have to be dipped in polyurethane or other solution to keep it from breaking down (like lichen seems to do)? Or would simple white glue do, as you tack it down on your terrain pieces?

Thanks,

Dan
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I definitely think you'd need to dip it, or soak it heavily with diluted white glue. It's very crumbly when dry, and light as a feather.

I've used lichens on buildings and terrain bases with just a spray of matt varnish once I've glued the stems in place with white glue.They still seem fine after years.

I always hit my lichen/moss with hairsray and roll in flock,and then topcoat again with hairspray.Serves well enough for me.

Have not had much success keeping Spanish moss from crumbling. I died a batch red and used it for the plant growth described in "War of the Worlds" but it went to pieces quickly.

Allen57,

Did you dip the Spanish Moss in something else (polyurethane or varnish), other than the red dye you mentioned?

And, were you gluing it down on terrain pieces, or simply leaving it loose to spread around?

Thanks,

Dan

I would suggest thin wire, as the moss will disappear after a few games.

DLIinVSF and Skinmasterreturns,

I've used lichen (Reindeer Moss) for years. But this time I thought I should experiment with something more stringy, like Spanish Moss.

Thanks,

Dan

Dan, you could get a similar effect by cooking angel hair pasta, arranging it on your terrain, then letting it dry and painting/dipping it. It will still be prone to breaking, but not nearly as much as the moss would be.

That would look a bit "tubular", wouldn't it?

Dan. :)

If you go with the angel hair pasta, you've got to do a bang up job sealing it. I did that once and it looked great until I put the terrain in storage and didn't look at it for a year. Next time that box came out for the table, it turned out the mice and bugs had gotten to it – even with all the paint and varnish, they'd eaten a good chunk of it.

Would dipping the "Spanish Moss" in polyurethane or even diluted PVA make it less brittle when you handle it and attach it to terrain pieces and bases?

Dan

I wonder if this look was accomplished using spray-on spider webs, the type often sold around Halloween:

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How durable is that material as-is? Could it be made more permanent with a coating of something else?

I was thinking that, if I were to use the Spanish moss on terrain walls, and then added the web, followed by a brush coating of varnish or polyurethane on top, maybe it could make for a more durable effect.

Thoughts?

Dan

Maybe spray impact adhesive could work? If you spray that stuff at the right angle it can create a fine spiderweb of fibres that will allow stuff to stick to it. You could use unscented talcum powder to dust it with (maybe with a few colours added to it possibly) Yu'd have to build up a few layers to achieve something similar to the ones in the article, but its doable. A few added coats of matt spray laquer would help seal it in, but it may still be not up for repeated or heavy wargaming use. It might make it a bitmore robust than the halloween web spray (which is a type of plastic but not too strong I wouldn't think)
Or even the other fake web stuff might be an option, its like nylon fibres, so you could glue it to stuff and spray it. It'd be more work, but that too could be good.
I'd like to see some of your experiments into getting that effect, I could really do with something like this for my post apoc city ruins.

Hmmm I work with fiberglass and resins just about everyday.

Spanish moss is quite receptive to the porosity needed to get the resin in deep.

So an inexpensive resin, set it for a standard cure, mix it with 25% acetone to create a penetrating dip.

Have two small plastic buckets or bowls without internal edges, hot glue or super glue a stick to the Spanish moss ball, dip, allow to set, turning the ball and pulling out the tendrils that stick together to much…hang upside down.

It depends on the penetration but it should be enough to make it receptive to a second dip of strait hot cure resin to harden the set form.

If you were to dip hot at first I suspect the threads would bind together making a hot mess.

When I break out the resin and I have some Spanish moss I will give it a try.

Good man!

28mmMan,

Awesome. Please let me know when you give it a shot!

Dan

Goober may have found a solution after all:

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Dan

Guys/Gals,

Check out these plastic ones!!!

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Someone must still sell them somewhere.

Dan