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I have ballast I'd like to use on my minis bases, and already have. It's Woodland Scenics Coarse Ballast, and I'm using Elmers glue to glue it to the bases. Unfortunately it's not being held on very strong, as it easily falls off when rubbed or in transit. Is their perhaps a better way to glue Ballast?

the key is to lightly brush on some Elmers mixed with water & a little bit of washing up liquid (to break the surface tension). This will bind the whole lot together.

Skip the white PVA glue and get some Elmers Wood Glue Max...best stuff. Once applied I normally use army painter dip (and subsequent painting) to make it all stick. The bigger the ballast the harder it is to keep on there.

I use pva on the base layer, then the thinned PVA/water/surfactant over the top to lock it all down.

Works on sand (turns it into solid rock-like substance), small grain ballast (<1mm) and the larger 1.5mm/2mm scale ballasts as well.

Paint and varnish as usual afterwards.

My thing:
I use Minwax Polyshade brushed over the whole base. Classically this is what is used in "dipping," but I use it on all my non dipped mini bases now. Its like concrete when it dries. Of course dont use on top of snow or vegitation. But still.... MF Bombproof.

I use the Woodland Scenics medium ballast, and what I do is mix Elmer's with Aleene's Tacky Glue in a roughly 60/40 mix. The Tacky Glue is a thicker white pva glue. Spread on the base, cover in your basing material, and then let it dry overnight. The next day I brush off any excess.