acctingman1869 | 16 Aug 2016 12:55 p.m. PST |
So, I went to my local Michaels to find some of that Golden Pumice Gel and noticed it's not that cheap! A big ol' bag of sand I can get for nothing (I'm a 10 minute drive from a beach) and PVA glue I've got buckets of it. So, my question to you terrain folks, how much better does that pumice gel look as a basing material compared to pva glue mixed with sand? This is for large pieces of matte board that will have 5-10 trees on it. Thank you |
Old Peculiar | 16 Aug 2016 1:19 p.m. PST |
Go cheap but wash the salt out of your beach sand |
Flashman14 | 16 Aug 2016 1:42 p.m. PST |
Ya for big pieces like that I'd go cheaper. The Golden or Liquitex gel/pastes I reserve for figure bases. |
acctingman1869 | 16 Aug 2016 1:50 p.m. PST |
That's what I was hoping to hear :) Thanks for the tip Old Peculiar. Thanks gents! |
Yellow Admiral | 16 Aug 2016 2:10 p.m. PST |
When I pull sand off a beach for any use in the house (including terrain projects), I strain it outside first to get out the wood, grass, bugs, rocks, and other unwanted detritus, then bake it in the oven for about an hour at 350° to dry it out and kill any small critters living in it. You have to spread it out on trays for the oven so the center to come up to temperature quickly. I recommend trays or pie pans with tall lips, so you don't spill any in the oven. When it's done, turn off the oven and leave the sand in there until it cools. Sand retains heat very efficiently, and it will burn you right through oven mitts, melt holes in counter tops, crack glass surfaces if you drop it, and scald you if you spill it on yourself. - Ix |
acctingman1869 | 16 Aug 2016 2:22 p.m. PST |
Hmmm….didn't know it was a process :) Michaels also sells hefty jars of sand for $4 USD…might do that and save some time! Thanks for all the knowledge folks! |
Zephyr1 | 16 Aug 2016 2:29 p.m. PST |
Or hit a home improvement store and get a big bag of 'playground' sand… ;-) |
nnascati | 16 Aug 2016 2:48 p.m. PST |
Cheap is always better. And thanks for the reminder, I'm headed for a week at the shore, I will bring along a large plastic baggie. |
Ivan DBA | 16 Aug 2016 4:25 p.m. PST |
I think sand and glue looks better, and is easier and faster to apply. |
CATenWolde | 17 Aug 2016 5:51 a.m. PST |
I've been using Yellow Admiral's suggestion of fine potting soil and white glue for basing – works like a charm! |
Joes Shop | 17 Aug 2016 6:13 a.m. PST |
I use Pumice Gel in two different grades. Yes, it is expensive in stores but can be purchased online at discount especially if the large size tubs are selected. |
Zargon | 17 Aug 2016 7:07 a.m. PST |
I'd love to know what you can buy for $4 USD in the States besides a jar of sand? |
PentexRX8 | 17 Aug 2016 9:05 a.m. PST |
I use sand with wood glue for large terrain pieces. It seems to hold a bit better than PVA, though that may be my imagination. |
VVV reply | 17 Aug 2016 12:00 p.m. PST |
Pumice gel gives you a product ready to use when you want of a standard quality. You pay for what you get. Removing sand from beaches is illegal in many European countries link |
jwebster | 17 Aug 2016 12:35 p.m. PST |
I'd love to know what you can buy for $4 USD USD in the States besides a jar of sand?
Anything that should cost $2 USD or less Don't forget to take into account Michaels discount and sales tax John |
GildasFacit | 17 Aug 2016 1:35 p.m. PST |
I don't know that the removal of sand in small quantities is illegal in the UK. What is illegal is any act that can be considered as damaging to the specific environment. If I were to take a barrowload of sand from my local beach then, quite reasonably, I could be prosecuted. If I take a kg home for basing I doubt I'd be committing an offence. In answer to the OP, sand & PVA every time for me, the textured gels set too inflexibly and are damned difficult to remove. It is not only cheaper but much quicker to use sand & PVA. |
VVV reply | 18 Aug 2016 6:03 a.m. PST |
" could be prosecuted. If I take a kg home for basing I doubt I'd be committing an offence." Oh yes you could, because lots of people taking a little = a big :) Beaches belong to someone, mostly the Crown. So you taking a bucket of sand is no diffent from going into someones garden and taking a bucket of their garden. |
GildasFacit | 19 Aug 2016 10:52 a.m. PST |
By that argument picking daisies is illegal. The Crown owns the foreshore (mostly) but not necessarily all those things in or on it. The law is considerably more complex than that. Most prosecutions for removal of materials from the foreshore are for sand or shingle in quantity (usually for building or road making). Relatively small quantities that are unusual are in sacksful, a small bag or child's bucket is very unlikely to be a problem. I'll accept that there is little difference in theory but the law is a practical subject. Also I'd accept that there are places where ANY removal is specifically banned, SSI's and such. I'd hazard a guess that you'd get laughed out of court if you tried to sue someone for taking a kg of soil from your garden. |