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Hey guys! I've made a few different custom bases for my armies, but I'm not quite sure the best way to do this one -- https://www.flickr.com/photos/49708175@N03/10090211964/in/photostream/

What type of sand should I use? The gravel stuff i have from GW is far too clunky for that, additionally how would I do those rocks?

Thanks for any tips!

Just use normal modelling sand from any hobby store, or a trip to the beach then put the sand in the oven for an hour to get the moisture out. As for the rocks, either look for suitable stones or pebbles, or resin rocks from the hobby store.

 JamesY wrote:
Just use normal modelling sand from any hobby store, or a trip to the beach then put the sand in the oven for an hour to get the moisture out. As for the rocks, either look for suitable stones or pebbles, or resin rocks from the hobby store.

The "sand" I got from the hobby store doesnt hold very well the PVA glue I find, is that normal? I let it dry for like 5-6 hours, and when painting it it all just clumps and comes off the base, the sand is made up of pretty big chunks though...

You usually need to seal the top of it with some more PVA glue. I got annoyed by it myself so I just super glue sand to bases these days.

The fine grains look like Vallejos Rough White Pumice. It is basicly a rough paint with tiny grains of plastic. Just let it dry like a paint and then repaint it in the desired color.

the bigger chunks can be anything, but any fine sand will work. I usually grab some when im at a nice beach. Glue it down before applying the pumice. Or use tiny pieces of left over sprue...

I use a thinned pva mix (pva, water, a drop of surfactant) - about light milk consistency - painted over the top of sand to lock it down. Without the surfactant, it just coats the top, and small airbubbles within that sand layer stop it penetrating.
With it, it allows the wash to flow around all the grains, also releasing the bubbles, and locks it all together.

When it dries, it's solid and does not come off without a soaking (to soften the pva).

sirknighter wrote:

 JamesY wrote:
Just use normal modelling sand from any hobby store, or a trip to the beach then put the sand in the oven for an hour to get the moisture out. As for the rocks, either look for suitable stones or pebbles, or resin rocks from the hobby store.

The "sand" I got from the hobby store doesnt hold very well the PVA glue I find, is that normal? I let it dry for like 5-6 hours, and when painting it it all just clumps and comes off the base, the sand is made up of pretty big chunks though...

Are you priming and painting the base, first?
(PVA will peel right off of polystyrene without something that it can really stick to.)

 chromedog wrote:
I use a thinned pva mix (pva, water, a drop of surfactant) - about light milk consistency - painted over the top of sand to lock it down. Without the surfactant, it just coats the top, and small airbubbles within that sand layer stop it penetrating.
With it, it allows the wash to flow around all the grains, also releasing the bubbles, and locks it all together.

When it dries, it's solid and does not come off without a soaking (to soften the pva).

This exactly. I have used normal sand many times and just a drop of dish soap into my white glue and water mix so it is like milk keeps the sand and anything else locked down. Do this as the last step after your initial glue base and sand coating has dried. If the glue is coming right off of your base, then maybe a quick scrub with some sandpaper to roughen the surface so the glue sticks is needed.

This method also works great with the bags of earth, grass, terrain and such. In fact, I did my custom modular game board like this and the grassy/earthen texture takes a pounding with dice rolls and scooting trays around and never shows any signs of wear.