best way to conserve real plants for diorama?

[coro69]

hey guys,

what is your "best" way to conserve real plants for dioramas?

now i researched 3 possible ways to do this:
1) use of glytzerine
2) use of diluted white pva glue
and
3) use of clear matte acrylic paint from a rattle can...

so method number one is quite obvious, methods 2 and 3 are quite somehow questionable for me.

there are more ways to do it? what is your preferred way to conserve plants? If there would be some way besides the glytzerine way that would be great...

[kiwibelg]

I haven't used any "live" plants etc since I had a major disaster on a diorama many years ago. I tried the lentil method to recreate a country cobbled road scene. I sealed the lentils, painted them and finished the diorama....unfortunately something happened in the climate where I kept the diorama and the lentils started sprouting a little while later lol .
Quite funny now but at the time I wasn't a happy camper!!

[coro69]

this is my concern... right now i am using some fine roots of some young conifer. i just dried them on top of a radiator... i do not know where the dio will be before they rot... ;-) also they are conserved in super glue i think... so much i have used to glue them onto the base... ;-)

but now i want to use some fine plants (asparagus plumosus in particular). i think these are so fine, rotting of them will start shortly...

so i am not sure if the methods 2 or 3 are sufficient for this type of plant... ?

[tigrazor]

Simple, cheap and effective: Hair spray.

[coro69]

nooooo... you're kidding... that simple???

but with hairspray i have to paint the plants afterwards? they become brown with time, am i right?

you already have some long term experience with this method?

[tigrazor]

Feb 28, 2015 15:29:57 GMT -5 coro69 said:

nooooo... you're kidding... that simple???
-Yes!


but with hairspray i have to paint the plants afterwards? they become brown with time, am i right?
-No, you dont have to. It dries completely crystal clear. And they dont get brown - if youre not sure: repeat if neccessary (but in thin layers).


you already have some long term experience with this method?
-Yes I have. Worked fine so far. Or lets say it with Johnny Cash again (just saw your signature ): "Try, try, try!".

[coro69]

so hairspray makes my day today... :-)

i give it a try right away...

[tigrazor]

Hey, that rhymes.

[kaytermarram]

Damn, Lucas, this would be my answer, too. Yep, hairspray works really good for that (except for your wife or partners rage, if they like to use hairspray. lucky me, that my lady DOES NOT KNOW that I use her expensive stuff for, hum, different actions. But there is another idea I have read in a german modelling mag (Modell Fan) several years ago: They use some kind of "flower or plant SALT) to dry and seal plants forever. Havent used it but have kept it in my brain for future experiments.

Frank

[coro69]

modell fan is always good for some neat tips... :-) do you still remember what kind of salt it was?

[tigrazor]

NaCl should work.

You ModellFan readers... have you seen the actual Modellbau Jahrbuch yet (sorry for OT)?

[coro69]

nope... is it worth to buy?

[tigrazor]

I think it is - beautiful Fw 190 diorama, the plane crashed in a frozen sea and the pilot is attacked by two wolves ("Bandit at 5 o'clock), a look behind the scenes of Vallejo, 75 years of Airfix... and more.

[dierk]

Mar 5, 2015 16:41:05 GMT -5 coro69 said:

nope... is it worth to buy?

If you want it, I'll sell you my copy for €5,oo incl postage. Just PM me your address.

[kaytermarram]

Cool, must check it out! Sounds interesting! As for the salt you mentioned, where to get it?? I would use "normal" salt for experimentation, but I guess there is a more special stuff available...

Frank