Not sure if this will work(?) - it does but in a very roundabout way! Chrissaf on the Hornby Forum was happy for me to forward these (his) instructions on how to build a substantial static grass applicator. I have now got together all the parts shown in the attachment, and am about to start contruction. I did get the Oatley Electronics generator from Australia - it was £21.72 including postage. The only part not available from its original source, is the illuminated on/off switch which came from Maplins - lots on ebay. It has probably cost about £40 in parts, which is considerably cheaper than the Noch version on which it's based, but the way this one is constructed prevents the user from getting an electric shock. There are cheaper ones available, but this will be a solid piece of kit. For example I have a Lithium PP3 battery which cost £6.97 - I could have used an EverReady PP3 for a couple of pounds.
I will report back when fully constructed and tested. If anyone can improve the "link" let me know. BB
Improved Link
NOTE: Steve M has now posted the full instructions with pictures just a few posts down.
Static Grass Applicator
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bulleidboy
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Static Grass Applicator
Last edited by bulleidboy on Sat Oct 20, 2018 10:26 am, edited 11 times in total.
Re: Static Grass Applicator
Looking forward to seeing the results but that link takes me to a pdf that I can’t open on the iPad.
"Not very stable, but incredibly versatile." 
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Walkingthedog
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Re: Static Grass Applicator
Link takes me to BTCloud pdf link that I can’t open.
Nurse, the screens!
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Walkingthedog
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mijj
Re: Static Grass Applicator
Couldn't it be saved in word or open office and pm'd or just posted here?
Jim,
Jim,
Re: Static Grass Applicator
Copied from an original document supplied by Bulleid Boy:
Static Grass Applicator.
The NOCH Static Grass Applicator retails in the UK in excess of £100 with a NOCH list price of £132 based on the € / £ exchange rate current at the time of publication. My home made version can be built for a fraction of that cost. I have tried to follow as much as is practicable the design of the NOCH product.
For example:
1) Multiple tub caps with different mesh sizes to suit different static grass sizes.
2) A recessed positive electrode within the tub to prevent getting shocks from the 12Kv or higher voltages.
The original NOCH applicator had an output of 15Kv, whereas their new Mark 2 version increases the output to 20Kv to support longer 12mm grass lengths using the cap with the largest mesh size in the image above.
My applicator (as built three years ago) is based on a 9 volt battery giving an output of 12Kv if using the recommended Oatley Electronics generator. For 15Kv, the input voltage would need to be increased to 12 volts DC. Some of the cheaper Chinese made Ion Generators are only rated at 4Kv to 6Kv output. Note however that my home made12Kv applicator works fine with the 2mm-8mm grasses that I have been using so far.
Luke Towan (a prolific YouTube channel content provider) has recently published a constructional video for his own version of a ‘Static Grass Applicator’ based upon the Oatley Electronics generator – see appendices for more detail. His version includes a switchable external 12 volt power input as well as the internal 9 volt battery. His power input arrangement could be easily added to my design.
Where my design improves on his, is in the area of the high voltage positive output connection. In his design, he connects the high voltage output directly to the front grill mesh. This means that the user can receive irritating but non-lethal electrical shocks. My design follows that adopted by NOCH and puts the positive electrode inside the static grass tub behind the front grill mesh. This creates an insulation air gap, preventing electrical shocks to hands and fingers from happening.
My Design:
639AE8CE-DF66-468D-8B4C-AA745665F554 by Steve Mumford, on Flickr
17071E3C-7FC6-43E1-A637-333F198D46E1 by Steve Mumford, on Flickr
The design copies as much as is practicable the design employed by NOCH for their original £130 plus NOCH Static Grass Applicator. The original NOCH also uses an electrode within the static grass container (replicated in this homemade design by the 80mm x 6mm bolt). This has two distinct advantages.
1) Multiple screw-on container lids can be made with different mesh sizes that do not require an electrical connection to be wired to them.
2) The user is isolated from receiving a static charge shock as the bolt is behind the protective mesh.
The 8 holes per inch is recommended for the larger 6mm or above static grasses. The 10 holes per inch mesh for the smaller 2–4mm grasses. Having the positive electrode as a bolt rather than a direct mesh connection, does not affect how the applicator works. In fact it aids its operation, as the grass fibres are positively charged by the bolt inside the tub and then attracted through the mesh to the negatively charged scenic area.
COMPONENTS USED: Electrical:
IONB2 Negative Ion Generator. This item is a custom designed electronic resin filled box product manufactured and sold by Oatley Electronics of Australia. If thinking of using a cheaper generator via eBay, consider the following. My Oatley version fits inside 40mm grey plumbing pipe, so make sure to check the dimensions of any alternative you might consider. Secondly the Oatley version generates 12Kv @ 9V and 15Kv @ 12v. The cheaper alternatives may have a lower voltage output in the 4Kv to 6Kv range. The Oatley version was designed from the outset as ‘Static Grass’ applicator component and has proven to be 100% reliable in the three years since I made my applicator, plus I am still using the same 9 volt battery in it.
http://secure.oatleyelectronics.com//pr ... cts_id=915
Assuming stock is available – use their normal on-line basket / checkout order process. The order value will show in the basket as inclusive of Australian purchase taxes (the equivalent of UK VAT). I found in my case that my credit card was charged a lower price as Oatley removed the local Australian taxes from the final invoice before processing the card. Be aware though that the carriage charge from Australia to the UK was higher than the cost of the IONB2, but the total charge for mine was less than £20 delivered.
The LED illuminated Switch came from Maplin item N84JZ (I flattened the mounting area of the plastic waste pipe where the switch goes to obtain a better fit – see photo).
https://www.maplin.co.uk/p/rectangular- ... -red-n84jz
Other miscellaneous electrical components used are:
Red and Black wire to suit [24 strands x 0.2mm recommended] .
Thee 4.8mm female spade terminals for terminating wires on the switch.
Crocodile Clip.
PP3 press stud battery clip.
PP3 9volt battery.
Hardware:
1) The hardest component to source was the Stainless Steel woven wire mesh. I found an online supplier selling small size mesh (150mm x 150mm) in various sizes at reasonable rates. The supplier was INOXIA CHEMICAL SUPPLIES. Don’t be put off by the company name, it does not seem to be representative of their business sector they do more than just Chemicals.
http://www.inoxia.co.uk/rw/category/9.aspx
8mesh
https://www.inoxia.co.uk/products/mesh/sheets/8-mesh
10mesh
https://www.inoxia.co.uk/products/mesh/sheets/10-mesh
The total delivered cost for one 150mm square sheet of 8 wires per inch mesh and one sheet of 10 wires per inch mesh was about £6.
2) 80mm long 6mm bolt. Nylon locking nut and two steel washers (from B&Q).
3) My original plastic pot that is used as the static grass fibre container was an E45 500ml tub. I use E45 so the contents didn’t go to waste. I had two tubs to obtain two lids, but only one tub body was used. E45 is no longer sold in these 500ml tubs and the replacement 350ml tub is too small. However any reasonably sized plastic container with a screw or clip on lid will do. The container needs to be about 80 to 90mm diameter – see Appendix A for a new alternative container.
Plumbing Parts:
Plastic solvent weld grey pipe is recommended.
A short length of 40mm grey plastic waste pipe about 200mm long.
Two solvent weld screw on Access Plug.
Two solvent weld straight couplers (to join end caps to pipe).
Off-cuts of high density pipe insulation foam as used on 15mm copper pipes –
used for packing and to provide electrical and physical isolation between the compartments of the 40mm grey wastepipe.
For the brand of 40mm waste pipe I used, the IONB2 generator unit was a snug, but not excessively tight fit inside it. Snug enough to minimise rattles, but loose enough to fit without force. White waste pipe or overly thick grey wastepipe may not have the same internal diameter clearance.
Pretty much available anywhere (plumbers merchants etc). I sourced the couplers and end caps from ToolStation. The short 200mm length of 40mm pipe I used was left over from a previous plumbing project.
1) ToolStation – Solvent Weld Access Plug stock number 43006
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Plumbin ... olvent+Wel d+Access+Plug+40mm+Grey/d20/sd2885/p43006
2) ToolStation – Solvent Weld Straight Coupler stock number 45903
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Plumbin ... olvent+Wel d+Straight+Coupling+40mm+Grey/d20/sd2885/p45903
All URL links above have been checked and were valid and working at the time of publication.
Appendix A
Here is a suggested alternative static grass tub container (since the original 500ml E45 tub I used is no longer available).
Here, I am taking the idea for the tub used by Luke Towan in his applicator version. His tub lid is a ‘clip on’ rather than ‘screw on’ version. It also has a convenient trough in the lid moulding where the two part epoxy glue used to secure the woven mesh can sit whilst it is curing.
The down side to this is that if two or more lids are needed to allow different sized mesh holes, then the whole container has to be purchased just for its lid.
The container ‘Luke Towan’ used is a “Sistema 530ml Breakfast Container” and is readily available on both eBay and Amazon, although it is cheaper on Amazon – see link below.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_no ... aps&field- keywords=Sistema+530ml+Breakfast+Container
Fabricating the lid:
Step 1 – cut a hole in the lid, leaving the curved trough intact.
A44D91B5-B4E8-4F1C-8A94-733A0A49C9CF by Steve Mumford, on Flickr
Step 3 – lay the oversized mesh inside the lid and work the edges of the mesh to sit in the trough.
6066008A-79C3-4B8F-BAC4-B6736D54A0EE by Steve Mumford, on Flickr
Appendix B
The full ‘Luke Towan’ constructional article can be read here. Useful if you want to incorporate his dual 9 volt / 12 volt power input option into my design.
http://www.bouldercreekrailroad.com/sta ... cator.html
End of Document.
Static Grass Applicator.
The NOCH Static Grass Applicator retails in the UK in excess of £100 with a NOCH list price of £132 based on the € / £ exchange rate current at the time of publication. My home made version can be built for a fraction of that cost. I have tried to follow as much as is practicable the design of the NOCH product.
For example:
1) Multiple tub caps with different mesh sizes to suit different static grass sizes.
2) A recessed positive electrode within the tub to prevent getting shocks from the 12Kv or higher voltages.
The original NOCH applicator had an output of 15Kv, whereas their new Mark 2 version increases the output to 20Kv to support longer 12mm grass lengths using the cap with the largest mesh size in the image above.
My applicator (as built three years ago) is based on a 9 volt battery giving an output of 12Kv if using the recommended Oatley Electronics generator. For 15Kv, the input voltage would need to be increased to 12 volts DC. Some of the cheaper Chinese made Ion Generators are only rated at 4Kv to 6Kv output. Note however that my home made12Kv applicator works fine with the 2mm-8mm grasses that I have been using so far.
Luke Towan (a prolific YouTube channel content provider) has recently published a constructional video for his own version of a ‘Static Grass Applicator’ based upon the Oatley Electronics generator – see appendices for more detail. His version includes a switchable external 12 volt power input as well as the internal 9 volt battery. His power input arrangement could be easily added to my design.
Where my design improves on his, is in the area of the high voltage positive output connection. In his design, he connects the high voltage output directly to the front grill mesh. This means that the user can receive irritating but non-lethal electrical shocks. My design follows that adopted by NOCH and puts the positive electrode inside the static grass tub behind the front grill mesh. This creates an insulation air gap, preventing electrical shocks to hands and fingers from happening.
My Design:
639AE8CE-DF66-468D-8B4C-AA745665F554 by Steve Mumford, on Flickr17071E3C-7FC6-43E1-A637-333F198D46E1 by Steve Mumford, on FlickrThe design copies as much as is practicable the design employed by NOCH for their original £130 plus NOCH Static Grass Applicator. The original NOCH also uses an electrode within the static grass container (replicated in this homemade design by the 80mm x 6mm bolt). This has two distinct advantages.
1) Multiple screw-on container lids can be made with different mesh sizes that do not require an electrical connection to be wired to them.
2) The user is isolated from receiving a static charge shock as the bolt is behind the protective mesh.
The 8 holes per inch is recommended for the larger 6mm or above static grasses. The 10 holes per inch mesh for the smaller 2–4mm grasses. Having the positive electrode as a bolt rather than a direct mesh connection, does not affect how the applicator works. In fact it aids its operation, as the grass fibres are positively charged by the bolt inside the tub and then attracted through the mesh to the negatively charged scenic area.
COMPONENTS USED: Electrical:
IONB2 Negative Ion Generator. This item is a custom designed electronic resin filled box product manufactured and sold by Oatley Electronics of Australia. If thinking of using a cheaper generator via eBay, consider the following. My Oatley version fits inside 40mm grey plumbing pipe, so make sure to check the dimensions of any alternative you might consider. Secondly the Oatley version generates 12Kv @ 9V and 15Kv @ 12v. The cheaper alternatives may have a lower voltage output in the 4Kv to 6Kv range. The Oatley version was designed from the outset as ‘Static Grass’ applicator component and has proven to be 100% reliable in the three years since I made my applicator, plus I am still using the same 9 volt battery in it.
http://secure.oatleyelectronics.com//pr ... cts_id=915
Assuming stock is available – use their normal on-line basket / checkout order process. The order value will show in the basket as inclusive of Australian purchase taxes (the equivalent of UK VAT). I found in my case that my credit card was charged a lower price as Oatley removed the local Australian taxes from the final invoice before processing the card. Be aware though that the carriage charge from Australia to the UK was higher than the cost of the IONB2, but the total charge for mine was less than £20 delivered.
The LED illuminated Switch came from Maplin item N84JZ (I flattened the mounting area of the plastic waste pipe where the switch goes to obtain a better fit – see photo).
https://www.maplin.co.uk/p/rectangular- ... -red-n84jz
Other miscellaneous electrical components used are:
Red and Black wire to suit [24 strands x 0.2mm recommended] .
Thee 4.8mm female spade terminals for terminating wires on the switch.
Crocodile Clip.
PP3 press stud battery clip.
PP3 9volt battery.
Hardware:
1) The hardest component to source was the Stainless Steel woven wire mesh. I found an online supplier selling small size mesh (150mm x 150mm) in various sizes at reasonable rates. The supplier was INOXIA CHEMICAL SUPPLIES. Don’t be put off by the company name, it does not seem to be representative of their business sector they do more than just Chemicals.
http://www.inoxia.co.uk/rw/category/9.aspx
8mesh
https://www.inoxia.co.uk/products/mesh/sheets/8-mesh
10mesh
https://www.inoxia.co.uk/products/mesh/sheets/10-mesh
The total delivered cost for one 150mm square sheet of 8 wires per inch mesh and one sheet of 10 wires per inch mesh was about £6.
2) 80mm long 6mm bolt. Nylon locking nut and two steel washers (from B&Q).
3) My original plastic pot that is used as the static grass fibre container was an E45 500ml tub. I use E45 so the contents didn’t go to waste. I had two tubs to obtain two lids, but only one tub body was used. E45 is no longer sold in these 500ml tubs and the replacement 350ml tub is too small. However any reasonably sized plastic container with a screw or clip on lid will do. The container needs to be about 80 to 90mm diameter – see Appendix A for a new alternative container.
Plumbing Parts:
Plastic solvent weld grey pipe is recommended.
A short length of 40mm grey plastic waste pipe about 200mm long.
Two solvent weld screw on Access Plug.
Two solvent weld straight couplers (to join end caps to pipe).
Off-cuts of high density pipe insulation foam as used on 15mm copper pipes –
used for packing and to provide electrical and physical isolation between the compartments of the 40mm grey wastepipe.
For the brand of 40mm waste pipe I used, the IONB2 generator unit was a snug, but not excessively tight fit inside it. Snug enough to minimise rattles, but loose enough to fit without force. White waste pipe or overly thick grey wastepipe may not have the same internal diameter clearance.
Pretty much available anywhere (plumbers merchants etc). I sourced the couplers and end caps from ToolStation. The short 200mm length of 40mm pipe I used was left over from a previous plumbing project.
1) ToolStation – Solvent Weld Access Plug stock number 43006
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Plumbin ... olvent+Wel d+Access+Plug+40mm+Grey/d20/sd2885/p43006
2) ToolStation – Solvent Weld Straight Coupler stock number 45903
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Plumbin ... olvent+Wel d+Straight+Coupling+40mm+Grey/d20/sd2885/p45903
All URL links above have been checked and were valid and working at the time of publication.
Appendix A
Here is a suggested alternative static grass tub container (since the original 500ml E45 tub I used is no longer available).
Here, I am taking the idea for the tub used by Luke Towan in his applicator version. His tub lid is a ‘clip on’ rather than ‘screw on’ version. It also has a convenient trough in the lid moulding where the two part epoxy glue used to secure the woven mesh can sit whilst it is curing.
The down side to this is that if two or more lids are needed to allow different sized mesh holes, then the whole container has to be purchased just for its lid.
The container ‘Luke Towan’ used is a “Sistema 530ml Breakfast Container” and is readily available on both eBay and Amazon, although it is cheaper on Amazon – see link below.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_no ... aps&field- keywords=Sistema+530ml+Breakfast+Container
Fabricating the lid:
Step 1 – cut a hole in the lid, leaving the curved trough intact.
A44D91B5-B4E8-4F1C-8A94-733A0A49C9CF by Steve Mumford, on FlickrStep 3 – lay the oversized mesh inside the lid and work the edges of the mesh to sit in the trough.
6066008A-79C3-4B8F-BAC4-B6736D54A0EE by Steve Mumford, on FlickrAppendix B
The full ‘Luke Towan’ constructional article can be read here. Useful if you want to incorporate his dual 9 volt / 12 volt power input option into my design.
http://www.bouldercreekrailroad.com/sta ... cator.html
End of Document.
Last edited by Steve M on Sat Oct 20, 2018 8:50 am, edited 2 times in total.
"Not very stable, but incredibly versatile."
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bulleidboy
- Posts: 2281
- Joined: Thu Oct 04, 2018 6:30 pm
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- Contact:
Re: Static Grass Applicator
Thanks Steve - I can't see at this moment where I was going wrong with the link. Barry
Re: Static Grass Applicator
You’re welcome Barry.bulleidboy wrote: ↑Fri Oct 19, 2018 10:22 pm Thanks Steve - I can't see at this moment where I was going wrong with the link. Barry
I didn’t bother with the link, just copy and paste straight to the forum. I can’t extract the images from the PDF on the iPad but you may be able to do it on a PC and post them via Flickr.
"Not very stable, but incredibly versatile."
Re: Static Grass Applicator
If you haven’t already sourced your static grass take a look at these guys. They actually supply the materials and static applicators for Peco.
https://www.war-world.co.uk
https://www.war-world.co.uk
"Not very stable, but incredibly versatile."
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