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Hey guys, just a quick one. The sand on my minis bases tends to come loose, and this bugs me. Is giving the sand a coat of watered down pva afterwards a viable solution? Also, if anyone would like to share their methods for sand basing, that would be nice

Tah,
Afro.

I was converting "lava field" bases to desert bases, i just put superglue (gorilla brand) on a toothpick and smeared it in the cracks then dumped fine sand on. hardens up like concrete but is textured.

 Afrodactyl wrote:
Hey guys, just a quick one. The sand on my minis bases tends to come loose, and this bugs me. Is giving the sand a coat of watered down pva afterwards a viable solution? Also, if anyone would like to share their methods for sand basing, that would be nice

Tah,
Afro.

Yes. Although, adding a small drop of dishwashing liquid OR rinse aid to the mix of pva/water. It will help the slurry flow and FILL all the airbubbles, locking it all down properly.

My own method, which isn't a quick process. Glue+sand. Allow to dry. MORE glue+sand. Allow to dry. Mix up pva/water to a milky consistency and add a drop of dishwashing liquid (small drop in a cupful is enough). Mix up - it shouldn't go that sudsy. Apply to sanded base. Watch the airbubbles come up and pop. Allow to dry. This usually takes 3-4 days.

When it's dry, it's like a chunk of rock. ALL the sand is bound to each other. Without the dishliquid, all you are doing is sealing the top layer (surface tension won't let it flow properly into the airgaps). All the stuff I've done like this has remained solid - and when I want to redo them, I just sit them in hot water and let them soak. PVA never fully cures or goes fully waterproof. You can just peel the layer of basing off after a while.

I use sand on my bases and wash the bases with a watered down mix of Liquitex Burnt Umber and a little bit of PVA glue ... locks everything down nicely.

I tend to use super glue for sand on bases.

I tend to put the paint on rather thick. Then put the mini in the sand and with my finger press the sand down on top of it into the glue.

Shake and tap off the excess. After a few layers of paints, and varnish it's not going anywhere.

Pva then Sand, followed by just enough drops of Clear Polyurethane to saturate the entire surface. Usually this is while the whole thing is still wet, but it doesn't make much difference.

Takes forever to dry, but let me just say, I could hack it against the wall and it won't bust.

I always paint my sand to get the right colors and effects, so after all of that and the varnish, it stays on fine.

I use extra cheep superglue from harbor freight for gluing sand down. never have problems again with sand falling off.

I also use a thinned mix of PVA and paint (helps fill those crevices where spray won't easily reach) to lock down sand (applied initially over PVA). It bonds the sand together rather strongly - you're more liable to break off a large chunk of basing than you are to shed individual grains. Based on my horribly unscientific destructive testing, it takes way more than standard gaming/storage wear and tear to chip it, but if you're worried, you can easily lock down your well-bonded mass of sand by attaching anchor points - small rocks or the like - with superglue before applying the sand.

I use a four-step process.

1) 1/1 PVA/Water mix brushed onto the base.

2) Dip in sand, let dry.

3) Use an eyedropper to saturate the sand with a 1/4 mix of black paint and water, let dry.

4) Repeat with a 1/2 mix of whatever color paint (usually scorched earth) I want the ground to be and let dry.

Between the PVA and the acrylic in the paints, the sand stays put very well.