Some help please

"...spray it with glue"?!?!--No No!!! Just put some white glue down and put the dirt over THAT! (I've never heard of someone doing it that way!) The white glue will dry in an hour or two. Hit it witha coat of Dullcoat/Flat and it's good to go!

Second, for bases, you can use the bases that come with figures or use little circular plaques available in craft stores. It's always nice to put the figure in a setting--dirt, pavemant, mud, what ever--but not necessary. Have fun, be creative!! 

I never use yard dirt, and neither should you unless you sterilize it. That means baking it to remove any organisms. You should always use something to build up your ground work and give it a slightly uneven surface unless you want to depict a golf green or a parking lot.

I use Celluclay mixed with model railroad ballast, testured woody turf material (which may no longer be produced), brown acrylic craft paint, white (Elmer's) glue and water combined to a thick oatmeal consitency. After this has dried overnight under a desk lamp, I'll add shrubs, static grass, grass tufts, bushes, rocks and stumps to match the figure's environment. For more ground texture, which in 1/35-1/32 scale would be minimal, I'll add more turf or ballast to the mixture, then paint and dry brush before the vegetation.

To attach a figure to a base, I drill a 1/64 hole in at least one supporting leg and run a piece of brass rod up it. This will have a corresponding hole in the base. For single figures, I usually use a 2 inch cube of craft wood I've stained. Before applying my celluclay mixture, I drill a number of 1/32 or 1/8 inch holes to give the mixture more bite. If I use the enclosed base, I'll still usually drill a hole in a leg and through the base. I fare the base onto the block with the Celluclay slurry. To protect the base, I cover it in masking tape until the figure is attached.

Here's a link to my gallery ar Armorama for examples of my figures and vignettes.

I shoulda added: I get my dirt NOT from the garden--where it would be chock-full of organisms--but from anywhere like a baked-dry, dusty lot where vehicles--construction or the like--have pounded and packed it hard. I sift it through wedding veil lace (craft stores) to get it to a fine grain, and put it down right from the tupperware container. I never have sterilized it or prepared it in any way beyond sifting.

I think that I should also say that if I'm building actual  groundwork, I always use Celluclay and use the dirt over the top of it like "icing"--to give texture and realism.

I think if you get your dirt from somewhere where there is no question of seeds, organisms, etc, in it you won't have a problem--I never have! 

whats the best way to spread and just use celluclay?

Here's a link to  a step by step I did a couple months back of a base with Celluclay. As noted in my previous post, I mix the basic Celluclay with railroad ballast, brown paint and white glue to the consistency of thick oatmeal. This alllows it to dry faster and with less water in the mix, warping the wood is less likely. If in doubt, apply a thick non-pourous coating to the wood before applying the Celluclay. You should keep the mixture pretty to a pretty thin layer, again to speed drying time and to reduce shrinking. If you're applying it directly to a wood base, drilling some holes will give the mixture more bite and reduce the possibility of the mixture pulling up as it dries. As you can see from the article, if you're building up depth, use styrofoam for most of the depth. I simply mix the ingredients in a bowl or cup with my fingers and apply it by hand. Yep, it's a messy job, but someone's gotta do it. Cleaning up your hands is a matter of soap and water. The material itself is simply papier mache and is safe to handle.

Celluclay

Specter wrote:

whats the best way to spread and just use celluclay?

Spectre, when you mix up your celluclay, add water to it in small increments; you do NOT want it like soup, you want a thick paste, otherwise it'll take forever to dry/cure and might warp your wooden base. You can also squeeze the water out of it by wrapping it in wedding lace(LOVE this stuff!) and squeezing. You can also mix in acrylic paints to pre-color it, just remember that the paint will have water in it too, so adjust accordingly.

armornut wrote:

don't have much help for ya as far as dios go tonight but I would like to pass on to you how proud i am of folks like your dad for serving in Iraq i pray that each and everyone comes home safe,you dad is a very lucky man to have a son so dedicated to build him a model to honor his service. by the way thanks for sharing that on the forums it appears to me that alot of us are vets.good luck and please keep us posted about yer dad.

I've got to agree with armornut 100%. I don't want to sound like a "holy roller", but I also pray for all our servicemen and women. ANY one who chooses to serve this country by enlisting in the military should be considered a hero. Yes, I am a vet and damn proud of it. I know what it's like to be overseas...I've still got my "short timers" calender somewhere. In some ways I wish I were young enough to do it again...I still want my pound of flesh for 9/11. Please do keep us posted about your dad...I know he's short but maybe the other guys in his unit could use some "CARE" packages or maybe just someone to "penpal" with. Back in my day (OmiGod! I sound like my Dad!), it was call home once a month from the USO Club.

Best Wishes and Godspeed to your Father.

-John

Specter wrote:

cool, ill try my luck, when you all say white glue do you just mean like elmers?

YYYYEP!! 

crap, o well ill go with the hard packed roads, shouldnt be too hard right? knock on wood.

Another way to make groundwork is to shape it using foam and then sand it to the desired shape and then coat it with plaster of paris. The plaster is cheap, get it in a big container and it will last you a long time and you have an excuse. "got it to fix the house". And again, good luck to your dad.

David

i was thinkin of usin foam because of sanding is easy and we got plaster of paris, thank you about my dad