$116 for a static grass applicator is pretty steep. Does anyone know how to make one out of miscellaneous parts? Looks like a flashlight and a tin can!

a soft talcum powder container works just fine, or go to your local model railroad they should have an inexspensive plastic one. its made by the german company NOCH . r

I use an old Kraft plastic cheese shaker. The shaking and plastic container imparts a good static charge. Not hi tech, but it works, and you get to enjoy your pasta first.

I know some guys will rub a baloon on thier hair and pass it close to the grass and the static electricity will make the grass stand up

I don't know why you would need one. I simply sprinkle the grass onto a surface that has a thin layer of white glue on it. And then to get the grass upright, gently blow across the grass. Although for reading this reply I will have to charge you 115 dollars. See, my method is cheaper!

Sorry, I should have been more explicit. I meant a home-made battery powered applicator - not a plastic squeeze bottle. They are hit-or-miss. I seem to remember instructions in some modelling or railroad mag on how to make one.

another way, though a little awkward, is to sprinkle the grass onto the model and then turn it upside down before giving it another little tap/shake to make it stand up.

Since I am bald and the wife would get really bent if I imparted a static electric charge in her hair I guess I will have to chase one of my two Jack Russel terriers around and rub the balloon on them. Don't know how well that is going to work out...

Shaun

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A SIMPLE ELECTROSTATIC GENERATOR Bill Beaty
The Electrophorus

Cut out a disk of cardboard about 8" to 12" in diameter. Cover one side with aluminum foil, and fold the foil up over the other side so it partially covers it. Attach some sort of insulating handle to the center of the remaining cardboard area (tape a plastic or styrofoam cup to the cardboard, or glue a small block of styrofoam) When holding the disk by its handle, the far side of the disk should be entirely covered with foil, and your fingers on the handle should be some distance away from the foil.


_
| | Handle
| |
=================== Foil-covered cardboard

Next, get an easily-charged object such as a balloon, or a thick plastic sheet, plastic cutting board, styrofoam packing block, etc. Also get something that can be used to electrically charge this object through rubbing, such as a piece of (artificial) fur, a wool sweater, a wig, your hairy head or arms, etc.


You need a low-humidity day to operate the Electrophorus successfully. To test humidity, rub your plastic object with the fur or sweater and see if it becomes charged and makes the fur stand on end when it's held close to the charged area on the plastic. If you can't get the plastic object to raise the fur, wait for a less moist day. Or go into an airconditioned building and try again. (Or sometimes a warm sweater fresh from the clothes-dryer will work. But don't use anti-static fabric softener!)


To operate the electrophorus, place your plastic object on a table and rub its surface with fur or wool to charge it well. Or if your hair is clean and without grease, try rubbing the object on your head to charge it up.) Place the cardboard/foil disk upon the charged surface, foil side down. With the disk still on the plastic, touch the foil to allow it to steal charge from your body. You'll feel a tiny spark.


finger
_
__ _
\\_\ | | Handle
\ | | Foil-covered cardboard
>TOUCH!< ===================
|_____________|
Styrofoam block


Now, while holding the disk only by the insulating handle, lift it from the charged surface. The disk is now charged, and it can be used to blink a small NE-2 neon bulb, or to create small sparks, to deflect an electroscope leaf, pick up lint, charge a Leyden Jar capacitor, etc.


Even though it has been used to charged the foil, the plastic object still remains fully charged. It need not be rubbed for a while and can be used to charge the foil plate again and again, since the charging of the foil DID NOT remove any charge from the plastic. This seems impossible? The charged plastic in this generator acts more like a magnet than like a source of energy, and it does not lose its strength when it attracts charge into the foil. But from where does the electrical energy come? It comes from the work your arm did in pulling the foildisk away from the plastic surface.


The electrophorus WILL run the Soda Bottle motor very slowly. (If humidity is high it will not work.) Connect the foil of one of the motor's bottles to ground. (water faucets connect to ground, or connect to the screw on a wall switch cover plate.) Charge the electrophorus disk and touch it to the foil on the OTHER, non-grounded motor bottle. Do this over and over fairly fast, and the motor will slowly turn.


PBS Kids: electroscope (PDF)
Making an electroscope
Build an electroscope
Electroscope
Simple electroscope
Electroscope problem



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I got lost with the foil, the fur, the plastic object, and the motor, etc. How do you use it to make static grass stand up?

From an Aleksandar Pocuc post :


Posted: Monday, December 08, 2008 - 10:10 AM UTC
Hi Guys,
No need for complicated equipment but just a few things from electronic supply store and about half an hour of work and you have a perfect tool for static grass. I just made one myself for under US$20

Link to "how to"
http://www.009.cd2.com/flyswat2.htm

And a link to demo of what it can do:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYSAK1ezou4

In this case you would need to put the alligator clip on the metal plate.

Cheers,
A

I can highly recommend. I built one after sourcing the parts for around 40USD.
C.

The link does not work unfortunately. Are there any other how to's for making this thing out there?

Whoa!

This all seems a bit over the top.
I have been using static grass on a lot of dioramas for years and have always acheived good results simply by taking a pich of static grass between my index finger and thumb and then rubbing them together over the desired area already covered with watered down PVA (white) glue. The static is built up by the rubbing motion of your finger and thumb which also allows the grass to gradually fall out of your finger/thumb. I generally build up a thick layer, wait for it to dry and then turn over the base and tab it to remove any excess. Hey Presto grass that looks realistic and sticks up.

Cost? £0/$0 except for the static grass itself and the cost of maintaining your finger and thumb!

Here are a couple of examples using this method:





HTH,

James

See this thread for links to home made static grass applicators:

https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/135750&page=1