Making Your Own Static Grass Applicator

Static grass is something commonly found in various hobby applications such as model train boards, diorama building, and terrain and bases for miniature tabletop gaming. It is a synthetic fiber, colored to look like grasses, that is glued to a surface and then made to stand on end with the aid of static electricity. Commercial static grass applicators are available, and aren’t really all that expensive, but it’s a tool that is rarely used and it’s just cheaper and more fun to make your own.

Make: contributor Andrew Lewis spotted this well-documented build of an applicator on Hackaday and shared it with me. Even if you have no need for this device, the video is very well done and worth a watch if you’re interested in homemade specialty tool builds of any kind. The creator, Luke Towan, has a bunch of equally awesome how-to videos on making trees, rivers and streams, polystyrene buildings, and all sorts of components for terrain boards and dioramas.