Here are some shots of how l make my clay base for the tree`s.
...As l am a rich BB,a FiddleWood Gnome l have the very best of tool`s to do this work.
So if you have not got one of these in your house try a something else.
l put it flat down on my cutting board and slice & hack it off.
This is important seal the clay up again making sure there is not lots of air traped inside.If you don`t then you`ll end up with a solid brick that cost £4.26. This plastic box which came with a model inside it is perfect for my use.l can just pick it up quite easy while l`m working.You will see that l have the mark of the first base that l made on this thing,so l can work to the same mark when doing this one,and then the next and so on. So they all look neat and the same,and not iggerly pickerly in odd shapes & sizes. Some might like odd shapes,but little Wood Land Gnomes don't.This stuff might seem stiff & dry,as you cut it off,but don`t wet it at this stage or you will end up with a big blob of mud! As you begin to work it will become more easy to shape.
...I Just spread it out and press it down.
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This is where l will place my tree & how l will plant it.....
l just press the wire roots into the clay. However l like to put a shaped angle to these roots because this helps to anchor them in.
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l just push them all in,and then work the clay over them & smooth the base all over with my old & trusty highly efficient tool.
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lt is my intention to place model soldiers within the base and so l am pressing these into the clay using them as pattern. So the platforms will not show when l place the finished models at a later stage.
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...By doing this l make sure that the figures will have a nice flat base to be fixed into.
Then using my old brush l planish & stipple it all over like so.
...And the sides too.
...Job done.
...Ah,my trusty old glass jar l use for standing all my brushes in with its content being dirty water ,all the paint used on the brushes & the glue which was on other brushes too is all in this black gold. l give it a bit of a sture & blot it on like so.
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..l enjoy this part especially.
l don`t worry about getting it wet at this stage because all the working of it has been finished.
...l will place this somewhere to dry & harden .Tomorrow it will be hard as rock with a nice finish. l hope this stage has been helpful to those making their own style tree`s,and interesting to others who just want to look see how l do my bases. As always thanks for taking time out to look............BB
....A pack of 200 ,6 inch Plant Twists at £1.97 & a pack of 200,8 inch Plant Twists at £2.23,and Galvanised Wire size 0.71mm x 0.5kg at a price of £4.14.Now that's a lot of wire for just over £8.34...It would be worthwile looking in the Pound or 99p Shop,for these Plant Twists,however Mrs B was no where near one.
I have twisted a sample just to check they are OK to recommend....
l thought of Pascal and his Pirates when looking at this.As you can see MayBell is checking it out too...
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.Above is the little Bush and this splendid Plastic coated Plant Twist,that gives perfect opportunity now to make any size tree possibly that any Modeller would ever wish to make.If they are two long you simply bend them in half,and work on.This Topic has been so far very long with lots to read,which happens with ongoing experimentation.So l thank all who have endured all this reading on updated post`s. BB
... lt will be interesting to see how this method turns out. So l`ll get back with the result good or bad on my use of this stuff.
l made a flat place either side of the tree so that l can place a couple of figures on the base too.
Here l`ve just given this base a dark wash because the clay seemed to me to be rather dry. This wash is nothing special its the dark Water & PVA from my Jar l stand my brushes in.Once this base hardens then l`ll complete this tree,& the little bush too which l`ve fixed to the same type Dry Clay! 
Another update soon.
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..It is the Silver Birch & other Birch Tree`s that l find delight in making.
These Birch Tree`s can grow 25m=80ft so one can make them in many sizes on a layout....
.....Above you can see how twisting wire you can somewhat achieve the look of the trunk of many tree`s. Sweet Chestnut & Oak look great with this method of twisting wire. What must be remembered though is you have no need to make every twig & leaf upon your home made tree.The basic shape is all that is needed,& the stuff stuck on top will give you a good looking tree. My use of the Dry Clay has turned out OK! l made the base yesterday,and dropped the larger tree on the Floor & it did not break,and our floor is made of hard stone tiles. So that's a good enough test as far as l am concerned. The Dry Clay is not cheap to buy,however l used what l hade avalible to me,and l`ve had this stuff for ages.However today l will cast a base using Plaster of Paris with a tree placed into it,because it`s no good making a tree if you cant stand the thing up.
..l`ve kept one tree,because l wish to cast the base in Plaster of Paris.The shape of this base l have formed using Blue tack .The next step is to mix the plaster up and pour it into this simple mould.The mould must be placed somewhere on the flat and level. l will insert the tree into the plaster once l have poured it into the mould.My mould might seem on the large side,but when the whole tree is finished it can be rather top heavy and so a much smaller base will just cause the tree to fall over..............l`m using an upturned plate for the casting up stage. Wow!The Plaster of Paris mix went off so quick that l was unable to have a photo taken because in seconds after mixing it was rock solid.I cast the mould up and just managed to push the tree into it before it set solid.
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A couple of minutes later and it was hard as rock! This is the cheapest way l know of to do bases.Here`s another tree with clay base,and l like just stipple the ground work using an old brush,then l give it a good wash from the stuff in my jar.l don`t wast anything.
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As you can see only the best tools are used,and old brush & an old knife....
This Silver Birch tree will be cast up soon.
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If l`d used builders plaster for plastering walls it would have been smashed to pieces.Thats why l use Plaster of Paris.OK?
I gave this a dark wash early today about a minute after it had gone hard. l realise the edges are a bit unsitely so l`ll cut and sloop the edges with an old craft knife. The next base l cast l`ll simple form a sloop in the mould so it will cut down on the work......
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Hi MayBell.Hello Fred.What are we going to do today? Well Fred you just watch this and see.........
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.Beano Boy is going to be so pleased Fred.....
Cor,this is looking good MayBell.Yip l know Fred.....
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.Hang on MayBell,whats going on here?Oh,you just just fold them,and split e`m down the middle Fred.Oh l see.....
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.....MayBell,MayBell,this is great fun!The thing is Fred,l wanted to eat some of Beano Boys tree stuff,and it`s all been used up.No MayBell have this instead he will never miss it..............
Oh thank you Fred,this is just the job.A tasty little snack.....
( Forgive my dirty nails,l`ve been messing around with paint & stuff!OK?) Hi you guys what have you been up too? Well we sort of tried to help those on the Forum by showing just how a tree is made,and it only took 8 minutes to do.Oh did ya Maybell............Now this is a good looking tree guys.Well done you two......
Has either of you seen that Elastic band l left somewhere?..................lt`s true l took the last two pictures,but In case you are wondering,just who took the other photo`s. Uncle Neddy Eddy Longbottom Beano,has just left with a big grin on his face. " I`m off to 1492,so must rush l have a little Blue Box to catch! " "Bye Neddy," l said,and thought to my self that guy certainly gets around. I wonder what happened in 1492 ?
As for the Tree,l should have one finished soon. As you can see l have made quite a few. These are all Birch Tree`s which are nearly finished. 
The large White ones are three old Oak Tree`s for my Hougoumont Diorama. 
Of course they are still in the early stages of modelling & will be finished in a few days.
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Now l want just to say this stuff can kill you, so be careful.l am going to use an old Cardboard Box as a Spray Booth outside in the garden to do this spraying job.
l`ll be using this stuff too. l have never used this system of finishing off model tree`s before so this is a something completely new for me. So l will show you hopefully a good end result soon.
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Job done.I am most pleased with all the tree`s...
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l realise this has been a long drawn out Toturial but little FiddleWood Gnomes can not be rushed. Thank you for following on. l hope this will be useful for all those who want to make their own Tree`s. Best Regards BB
Moderator
They look good in Honeywell too.
I managed to obtain it on Amazon UK. My Tree production is in full swing now & the three Oak Tree`s for Hougoumont are nearly finished.
These are the remains of the Oak Tree`s at Hougoumont today.
Above is the early stages of one one of those tree`s for my Diorama. I hope perhaps some might have found interest in this little add on to this Topic...............Always feel so good to make your own stuff! BB
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Quite a few tree`s to prepare this time.....