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So, I've been noticing a disturbing pattern recently with static grass that I've put down with wood glue. If it gets wet (really wet), the glue is starting to re-dissolve from its resin state back into the state I pour it out of the bottle.

Do I just have crappy PVA glue, or is this a characteristic of this chemical? If it's the latter, is there a good alternative to PVA glue for static grass? I was under the impression that super glue, for example, didn't play nicely here.

It's a characteristic of PVA.

It IS NEVER waterproof. It might seem like it is, but it never truly does become so - merely water resistant.

You can soften and dissolve it with hot water or alcohol (isopropyl or other ethanol).

Okay.

So what to use instead?

I use sand rather than static grass. It's cheaper and gives a similar visual result if you get the grade right. You have to paint it, of course, unless you want a desert theme.

In this case, what I'm doing is a combo of the two, part dirt/sand and part tufts.

The strange thing is that I don't have these same problems with PVA glue and sand, it's just the PVA and the static grass.

The sand helps to protect some of the glue more so than the static grass. Static grass is just rayon fibers, so if water gets on it, there is nothing to stop it from getting to the glue. The sand will shed a lot of water, but if you were to soak them long enough, the same thing will happen.

I think the easiest solution is to just not get it really wet. Not sure what the reason behind them getting wet is, but it seems to be a pretty easy problem to avoid.

You can also switch to a waterproof wood glue. Tightbond III works the same as regular wood glue, but once cured, it is water proof. Acrylic mediums also are an option, but they are a bit more difficult to stick things into. Not being a proper glue, but if you get your static grass stuck in, it does work as well.

Finally, adding a thin coat of acrylic paint helps. You have to be careful not to have the acrylic mess up the glue, but acrylic is much more resistant to water and moisture in general once cured than PVA.

Use acrylic medium instead if you want it to be water proof. Most pure mediums also fall into archival adhesive categories.

...the same matt medium from liquitex that so many of use rave about is a great alternative to pva, any of the mediums really - I use the gloss one for that as I have them all hehe

Static grass needs to be pushed into the glue initially to help it stick well. By its nature some strands are held to others only by static, so it will do some shedding over time especially if its initial bond was weak.

Some people use superglue for their static grass. Haven't tried it myself but you can give it a go.

For flock and static grass I would always suggest Scatter Grip from Deluxe Materials. It's a tacky emulsion glue.

I can't say for sure whether it is water proof as quite frankly I've never been daft enough to get it wet!

Deluxe also do a huge range of scenic glues so take a look at www.deluxematerials.co.uk for a better idea. Their Super 'Phatic glue is water proof but a bit more akin to superglue.

Other than that you are looking at resins and they literally can be a headache..?

Noob question: has anyone tried a silicone chaulking or adhesive?

Am I the only one that's going to ask why he is getting his painted and flocked miniatures so wet that the glue is dissolving?

On topic though, I would suggest sealing it with varnish.

Thanks for the suggestions.

The problem I'm having isn't that I'm soaking things in a vat of water overnight, but rather that my glue is liquefying so easily that tiny droplets of water (getting dripped on by an eave, light drizzle, getting liquid lightly splashed on them) are completely ruining the static grass, turning it from nice tufts into a fibrous tan concrete-like slab that needs to be removed and completely re-done.

I don't need my minis to be waterproof, but I also don't want to completely have to redo the bases every time it gets mildly damp. Moreso, though, this is in reference to terrain, which provides a larger target for drips and is more difficult to transport in an absolutely waterproof fashion.

I'm still a bit puzzled. I can see how if you live in a highly humid area the PVA might be softened by the water in the air, but why do you have to let drops of water get on your models? Can't you just put them in sealed plastic boxes?

Brillow80 wrote:
Noob question: has anyone tried a silicone chaulking or adhesive?

I think that would be pretty horrible, actually. I've used silicone caulking for sealing the edge of showers and baths, and it's good for that.

 Ailaros wrote:
In this case, what I'm doing is a combo of the two, part dirt/sand and part tufts.

The strange thing is that I don't have these same problems with PVA glue and sand, it's just the PVA and the static grass.

My Tyranids are based with sand on top of PVA and tufts of grass stuck on with superglue. So far it has worked really well. They are stored in my attic, which gets hot in summer and cold and damp in winter.



The tufts are Army Painter Highland Tuft.