Does anyone here have a good technique to make a "straw" roof?

My parents used to have an 16th century house (in the style that you still find in Normandy) on their property that was used as stable. It was demolished in the late sixties but on the basis of pictures I have made a model (scale 1/35) of it.

I never finished the roof.

Now I would like to complete it and use it on a diorama.

Jackhammer81 did a thached roof. I can't find the link right this sec.....

The link is right here
https://armorama.kitmaker.net//features/374

I think its page two... But check it ALL out. It's in there.

Drabslab -

I usually end up going to hardware store and looking at various types of brushes and/or brooms from which I cut off the bristles. Has a tendency to be overly straight and not as natural at times, so an "old" brush or broom works better. I'm sure there are better sources but this has worked for me in past.

Blade48mrd

Thanks guys for remembering my roof. It is a very simple technique that looks very good I think. Cheers Kevin

For thatch, I buy cheap horsehair bristle brushes at the local DIY store. I then soak them in a diluted mix of browns and greys to "stain" the bristles. i put a few in grey cups, and a few others in light or dark brown cups. i let them sit overnight, then take them out and let them air-dry.

Once they are then dried, i cut them in "bunches" of a given color, and glue them into place (working lowest level of the roof towards the higher peek).

I use FABRITAC glue, which has an immediate sticky strenght, about the consistancy of peanut butter... it dries clear and hard, and bonds almost any two elements together!

I used bakable clay reinforced with screen inside to keep the shape when baking. I used the back of my knife to make the fine lines replicating the thatch and a toothbrush on the bottom edges to replicate the bundles. You can peek at it in my feature, "Supertree or Supernuts?", in diorama features.

Sealhead