Now for the long, long overdue...
Bamboo TutorialThis isn't as time consuming as it looks, although there are a lot of steps and it requires some pretty specific things that might not be easily acquired depending on where you live. If you know of an attractive, inexpensive, quick alternative to this process- please don't tell me
The most specific thing is the foliage.
I acquired this stuff at Hobby Lobby, the large USA hobby and craft chain. This foliage doesn't have any helpful information on it, other than a label which reads 'Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. $2.99' on one side, 'Made in China 596668' on the other. I'm not sure what type of plant it's supposed to be. Hobby Lobby sells a few different bunch sizes- these little ones have about 40 fronds held in place with a plug end and are easily pulled off.
Single frond:
You'll also need some heat shrink tube (used in electrical applications as far as I know). Here's what I have:
And a heat gun. I tried a hair dryer... didn't work, and fried my fingers. The heat gun will do each stalk in two seconds on low.
Step 1: Cut shrink tube into 8 to 10 inch lengths.
Step 2: Slide the tubes onto some 18 gauge floral wire. Bend the end into a hook. Green wire will not show as much as bare metal wire if the paint chips or scrapes off the tubing.
Step 3: Spray paint the tubes with Krylon Fusion spray paint. I used a buff/tan color. I hung the wires by the hooks on a clothesline so they were easy to spray. Supposedly the Fusion line of paint bonds with plastic better than typical spray paint. I really can't say if it's better than primer or straight acrylic paint, but I had some so I used it
Step 4: While your tubes are drying, cut down the fronds. For our bamboo we'll be looking at them upside-down. You need to snip off the plug end, flush with the closest 'leaves'. Then, using a scissors or scalpel carefully remove the leaves on the opposite end, about 3/8 inch down the length (area circled in red).
Step 5: Paint your tubes. I used cheap Ceramcoat craft paint. I painted some a green to match the fronds, and a few dull yellow to represent dead bamboo stalks. Here you see them hanging from a makeshift ledge.
Step 6: Cut the tubes down to a variety of lengths from 3/4 inch to 2 1/2 inches. If you keep them somewhat regular it's easier to match wires. Cut the wires down so that one end is flush with the tube end, the other should protrude about 1/4 inch. You'll use that protruding wire to hold and mount the bamboo stalk onto whatever you decide to glue it into. If you decide to heat shrink the tube you will need to make a little shield out of stiff cardboard- that's the white rectangular piece with the slit in it. The heat from the heatgun will melt the soft plastic of the foliage very quickly and it needs to be protected.
Step 7: At this point I superglued my thumb and two fingers together, setting me back half an hour while my wife went out to buy some pure acetone. Don't put glue into the tube!!! The 'super thin Insta-set' glue I used wicked down the tube, between my fingers, all the way down to the knuckle.
Put a small dab onto the end of the frond that you trimmed (the section circled in red earlier), then put it into the tube with a wire- the wire and frond end should overlap. When the tube is heated it will shrink and will seal the frond into the tube very securely. There will be a bulge there but it doesn't stand out horribly in my opinion- it's more important to me that my terrain be bulletproof and stand up to hardcore handling.
Step 8: Use the shield you cut. Slip the frond and stalk into the slit, being careful to keep the soft plastic of the foliage on one side, the tube as close as you can get it on the other. Then, heat the tube with the heat gun. You could maybe skip that step, but it reduces the diameter of the tube by half, secures the frond, and looks much better. It takes a very short time to shrink the tubing.
Step 9: Paint a lighter version of the base tone where you want to create the characteristic segments that bamboo has. Paint a thinner dark line using a dark brown for the segment. This is where these things start to look good.
Step 10: Mount them. In this case, I had some leftover lanterns I made from Sculpy, glued to a MDF/hardboard base. I drilled some holes to match the diameter of the wire and glued them in with two-part epoxy.
Base as desired. I used static grass and some flocking to represent moss. Viola!
I hope this tutorial is informative, and sorry for the delay. Feel free to ask questions!