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Just a quick question, can I get sand from a different store which will be cheaper or will I need actual GW sand?

If you don't use GW sand your models won't be tournament legal. They subject all armies to a spectroscopic analysis in order to weed out those who thought they'd save a few bucks using non-GW sand.

Sand from a store? I just found some lying around (I think it was a pile for mixing with concrete or something, but they certainly didn't miss a handful)

Honestly, one of the things you should keep in mind is GW brand hobby items are almost always overpriced.

Which reminds me of a thing ive wondered, ever other sand i tried (like from the beach or a park) soaks up the paint and feels somewhat translucent. Where do i get that kind of sand that doesnt do this? Similar to GW sand?

Ive also heard you can put sand in the owen to dry it out, will this make it more like GW sand? Or what is the purpose of that?

 DanceOfSlaanesh wrote:
Which reminds me of a thing ive wondered, ever other sand i tried (like from the beach or a park) soaks up the paint and feels somewhat translucent. Where do i get that kind of sand that doesnt do this? Similar to GW sand?

Ive also heard you can put sand in the owen to dry it out, will this make it more like GW sand? Or what is the purpose of that?

I presume you're using PVA to glue the same to the base? Well, if you apply a thin layer of watered-down PVA after the glue's dried, it helps both fix the sand in position and provides a better painting surface, but doesn't affect the texture enough to change the effect.

Can't say about the whole gaming sand thing, though.

If it's for non-tournament, I just use dry dirt I got from the forest, got a bag of it which has lasted me ages!

However for tournaments, GW are pretty tight about what you use.

Aelyn wrote:

 DanceOfSlaanesh wrote:
Which reminds me of a thing ive wondered, ever other sand i tried (like from the beach or a park) soaks up the paint and feels somewhat translucent. Where do i get that kind of sand that doesnt do this? Similar to GW sand?

Ive also heard you can put sand in the owen to dry it out, will this make it more like GW sand? Or what is the purpose of that?

I presume you're using PVA to glue the same to the base? Well, if you apply a thin layer of watered-down PVA after the glue's dried, it helps both fix the sand in position and provides a better painting surface, but doesn't affect the texture enough to change the effect.

Can't say about the whole gaming sand thing, though.

Ive tried that once, still i felt it kept soaking in more paint. Maybe putting even more layers of pva could help but if i could get that kind of sand that doesnt soak in the first place i would probebly prefer that.

I had the problem mostly when i painted some terrain board where i had to sand the whole thing. Maybe even more layers pva could have worked though.

You can buy sand from lots of places, some pet shops for example, I bought GW sand because I like the containers it comes in.

GW sand is just repackaged and much higher priced fine sand.

You can buy this from many places, the best option I found is pet stores. Reptile substrate sand is ideal, cheaper by far and impossible to tell from GW sand.

Ignore the myriad sarcastic replies, you can use any basing material you like, tournament or not.

Gw rules vary by area, store and tournament, but the limits only ever apply to the model themselves, not the bases. (Within reason, obviously. You can't use a pile of naked ladies for a base and expect nobody to bat an eyelash.)

PossumCraft wrote:
GW sand is just repackaged and much higher priced fine sand.

You can buy this from many places, the best option I found is pet stores. Reptile substrate sand is ideal, cheaper by far and impossible to tell from GW sand.

Ignore the myriad sarcastic replies, you can use any basing material you like, tournament or not.

Gw rules vary by area, store and tournament, but the limits only ever apply to the model themselves, not the bases. (Within reason, obviously. You can't use a pile of naked ladies for a base and expect nobody to bat an eyelash.)

Are we talking scale models of naked ladies or actual naked ladies? You might get a few eyelids batted if it's the latter

Without photos of both, I can't proffer accurate judgement.

I used to use builders sand (it avoids the risk of organic matter associated with beach/lake sand). It also has the advantage of being reasonably fine. I got a tub of GW sand about a decade ago and it's still going strong.

Any sand would be more than suitable. I'll second the "sealing" of sand with PVA glue prior to painting too. My process is as follows:

1. PVA sand to base. Allow to dry completely (otherwise the next step will just dislodge it or at the very least weaken it).
2. Apply very thinned down PVA glue (we're talking water-like consistency) liberally - I typically flood the base completely and then allow it a good few hours to dry.
3. Paint black (typically with spray primer when doing the rest of the model)
3. Drybrush grey.
4. Fine drybrush light grey.
5. Attach clumps of static grass with PVA glue.

GW sand isn't regular sand though. It's Kieselguhr.

For the record, what you're probably more interested in is simple railroad table "ballast", available from Woodland Scenics for exceptionally cheap.

It's bigger than sand (which is too small, even at mini scale) and is available in numerous size levels --- remaining quite consistent. I use a mixture of three sizes of ballast and it works a treat.

About $10-11 for a large liter jug or so.

 Luciferian wrote:
If you don't use GW sand your models won't be tournament legal. They subject all armies to a spectroscopic analysis in order to weed out those who thought they'd save a few bucks using non-GW sand.

That's a bunch of crap. There is no way that they can prove what kind of sand you have on your bases.

GW sand is basically construction sand. You can get a 5lb bag from a DIY store for a few bucks. It will last a very long time. Sand from a playground works just as well.

Gundor2 wrote:

 Luciferian wrote:
If you don't use GW sand your models won't be tournament legal. They subject all armies to a spectroscopic analysis in order to weed out those who thought they'd save a few bucks using non-GW sand.

That's a bunch of crap.

I think it was a joke....

 Supershandy wrote:
If it's for non-tournament, I just use dry dirt I got from the forest, got a bag of it which has lasted me ages!

However for tournaments, GW are pretty tight about what you use.

Javis scatter should cover your basing needs if you can't find a suitable construction yard, beach or other source of sand. About £2 a bag and comes in a variety of colours including some premixed like moorland or highlands. Found in most art shops and hobby stores like Pullingers, Hobby craft etc ...

Here are two undead mummies from Heroquest minis using it:

Gundor2 wrote:

 Luciferian wrote:
If you don't use GW sand your models won't be tournament legal. They subject all armies to a spectroscopic analysis in order to weed out those who thought they'd save a few bucks using non-GW sand.

That's a bunch of crap. There is no way that they can prove what kind of sand you have on your bases.

GW sand is basically construction sand. You can get a 5lb bag from a DIY store for a few bucks. It will last a very long time. Sand from a playground works just as well.

This was indeed a joke. I thought the whole spectroscopic analysis bit would tip everyone off, but alas...

 Luciferian wrote:

This was indeed a joke. I thought the whole spectroscopic analysis bit would tip everyone off, but alas...

Yeah, you'd think spectroscopic analysis would have registered as being a bit over the top. Everyone knows it's microscale RFID tags embedded in every 10th grain of sand. I heard it the same tech from the same manufacturer that PP uses to detect scratchbuilt/converted WM parts.

PossumCraft wrote:You can't use a pile of naked ladies for a base and expect nobody to bat an eyelash.)

Wait, is that not normal?

I may have to rethink a few things...

M.

Putting the sand in the oven to "cook" is to do 2 things.

1: dry it out further.
2: If it's beach sand, to kill any eggs laid in the sand from sea critters, many of which have eggs too small to see with the naked eye.

I just use beach sand (Because GW don't run events in their shoebox stores and GW tournament rules haven't meant a damn outside of the UK in almost 2 decades). Fine white sand from a local beach.

As for the "thin pva coat on top" thing.
Add a drop of surfactant to the glue/water slurry - it lowers the surface tension and allows the slurry to flow in and around all of the little air spaces and locks the sand into ONE SINGLE solid block - rather than just forming a skin over the top.

I prefer crushed or chipped granite to sand because it avoids all of the potential issues with damp, paint absorption, etc.

Look for model railway ballast to get small quantities (still enough for multiple large armies) of fine stuff.

Bird sand for me. 1KG bag for about 60p from the market here, lasts for ages.

Salt is a problem with 'wild' sand., but construction sand or other 3rd party is fine

GW “sand” is not actually sand, but crushed walnut shells. Most commercial basing “sands” are. The crushed shells come in different grades allowing for different mixes, and are much lighter to ship. They are also much “softer”. Building sand, or playground sand, has sharper edges on each grain (a byproduct of the crushing process). The edges, along with the non-porous make-up of building sand change the surface tension of the material.

Beach sand, river sand, or forest sand/earth often have organic material in them. This can lead to mildew, mold, and strange smells! This is the reason many folks bake such sand, to kill any thing “living”, as well as to dry it out, to prevent any new life from forming.

You can use almost any granular material to base your models. Whether you use real sand, fake sand, colored sands (such as railway ballast, which is colored crushed walnut shells), pumice pastes (Vallejo makes some nice ones) or various flocks (colored sawdust) and static grasses is up to you. Each gives a different look. Mix them and match them to get a result you like! You can even experiment with things like spices-if I was ever to do a red Martian board, I would use real cinnamon! It gives a color and finish paint can’t!

Ruin wrote:

 Supershandy wrote:
If it's for non-tournament, I just use dry dirt I got from the forest, got a bag of it which has lasted me ages!

However for tournaments, GW are pretty tight about what you use.

Serious about the first bit yeah haha, I was walking through the forest, saw this patch of dry sandy dirt and put a load in a bag, it's a nice light brown color too so great for grassland type bases.

try to use extra fine cat litter. the non clumping type. I use that for my PDF bases