I get some of my faux fur from Mendel's in San Francisco. While visiting from Delaware, I got to go to the store and check out the faux fur up close and personal. I found this wonderful "pelted mink" fabric. I always hesitated with the "pelted" because of the "pelt groove". I found that it disappears in processing.
The fabric dyes wonderfully using Dye-na-flow fabric paint. Here the fabric as California golden brown. I used a 2:1 water to Dye-na-flow Brass mixture.
The larger figure is 1/43 scale and the smaller is HO. The short area is where the fabric was cut for "tufting".
Here is the fabric as green. I used a 4:1 mixture of water to a 50:50 mix of yellow/black Dye-na-flow.
The fabric trimmed shorter.
(Click Images to Enlarge)
I trim faux fur with a beard trimmer. The Wahl 9918 is the best. It is corded so is always ready.
Clip faux fur by carefully dragging the clipper across the fur. Leave the fur longer than desired. Use thinning shears modified as described below for the final cut
HO scale mini-Bill with clipped green fabric, I need a long grass for the up and coming HO in 1905 project.
"Pelted Mink" faux fur installed and "tufted" on the On30 layout
The fabric can be used for individual tufts to fill out areas very easily. The forground golden grass is individual tufts.
Adding Color to Areas that are too Light in Color
These are pieces that didn't fully color in the initial coloring. Sometimes at the edge the color isn't distributed evenly.
The pieces also have the "grass" shortened with a beard trimmer.
To darken the too light areas scrub in a dilute mixture of Dye-na-flow and water. Here I am using a 10:1 water to paint.
Blow dry the wet areas, I really like the pelted mink for tall grass. It looks better for foregrounds and it blow dries faster.
Engineer Bill is pointing out the re-colored area. The arrow points at a piece that is untreated.
Modify a pair of thinning shears by grinding back every other tooth so they don't engage with the cutting blade. Use a cutoff wheel in a motor tool.
Gently "thin" out the faux fur, this will give an irregular look to the grass. Do this after gluing the grass on the layout. Start slowly until the desired look is acheived.
The grass is now properly disorderly and unkempt. The too smooth mink pelt look has been destroyed.
