Basing miniatures

Started by Adamwest, 28 June 2020, 12:11:06 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

Orcs

I use the "Resin woodworking PVA" to stick 28mm metal figures to metal washers. No problems at all.

I used to use PVA for 10mm but the figures kept falling over in the PVA even if the base was flat. Now I stick them in position with superglue then PVA the base and sand it
The cynics are right nine times out of ten. -Mencken, H. L.

Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well. - Robert Louis Stevenson

Adamwest

Thanks for replying all
Think im going to try not putting as much superglue on them, i use to get my glue from a model train shop and i never had this problem. That stuff was lethal too, it would stick my fingers together just looking at the bottle!

jimduncanuk

If you must use superglue then try the gel variety. It won't run everywhere.
My Ego forbids a signature.

hammurabi70

Quote from: mmcv on 28 June 2020, 02:06:15 PM
I do use flock too. Depends what I'm basing. E.g. my Chinese I've mostly used sand with static grass tufts, but the Aztecs use a mix of flocks and scatter. Just depends how "lush" looking I want it. Vary the colour of paint used as well, from sandy brown to a darker richer brown.

I use scatter but I am not sure about this flock.  Are they strips you glue down or what?

chrishanley

Neat Unibond PVA for sticking figures onto the base. Same for the base texture, I use ground olive stones which has the same texture as fine sand, but not so abrasive. When dry I apply thinly diluted PVA to seal the base texture, add a drop of brown or sand coloured ink and then puff some fine green flock to produce clumps of foliage.
Never had an issue with any figure falling off the base, even works for wheeled vehicles and artillery pieces with skinny wheels.
PVA is dead cheap, apply with any rough old brush, dilutes and washes with water and if you ever have to do the dreaded re-basing, just soak the bases in a saucer of boiling water for a few minutes.
I also use PVA to stick figures to a painting stick. For 10mm figures I use a length of wood about half an inch wide and 16-17 inches long. Onto this I can put twenty small blobs of PVA and then stick on twenty figures, all the same pose and all facing the same direction. When painted and varnished the careful application of a Stanley knife under the corner of each stand pops of the figure ready for basing. Please apply normal precautions for fingers and eyes...

FierceKitty

Quote from: hammurabi70 on 29 June 2020, 12:03:09 AM
I use scatter but I am not sure about this flock.  Are they strips you glue down or what?

Coloured grains of powder, simulating grass, earth, shingles, or what would you.
I don't drink coffee to wake up. I wake up to drink coffee.

mmcv

Quote from: hammurabi70 on 29 June 2020, 12:03:09 AM
I use scatter but I am not sure about this flock.  Are they strips you glue down or what?

Quote from: FierceKitty on 29 June 2020, 12:08:41 AM
Coloured grains of powder, simulating grass, earth, shingles, or what would you.

As FK said. It's often just coloured sawdust. Suspect it's the same thing you mean by scatter. Then foliage power and clumps are the coloured sponge and I tend to call general other bits "scatter" - coloured plastic strands, grit, leaves, etc.

hammurabi70

Quote from: FierceKitty on 29 June 2020, 12:08:41 AM
Coloured grains of powder, simulating grass, earth, shingles, or what would you.

I use scatter but have never tried flock; this suggests flock as finer grains than scatter.

Lord Kermit of Birkenhead

Quote from: hammurabi70 on 29 June 2020, 02:00:51 PM
I use scatter but have never tried flock; this suggests flock as finer grains than scatter.

Thats right, I mix 2-3 different greens to get a decent colour, some are far to bright.
FOG IN CHANNEL - EUROPE CUT OFF
Lord Kermit of Birkenhead
Muppet of the year 2019, 2020 and 2021

mmcv

Quote from: hammurabi70 on 29 June 2020, 02:00:51 PM
I use scatter but have never tried flock; this suggests flock as finer grains than scatter.

This is the sort of thing, https://www.serious-play.co.uk/collections/modelling-flock

As Ian said, often you can mix them to pleasing effects. My ECW mix for instance is mostly moss green and brown with a smaller proportion of dark brown, dark green and light green. Then some grass and scatter over the top.

E.g.



Or for some recent bases I've been just adding to the base in patches for textual and visual difference:



Crusader basing uses a mix of browns and yellows with a very small proportion of green:




Looks a bit odd close up like that but at a distance has a pleasing effect.


fsn

I use 2mm Javis static grass (available from your friendly neighbourhood Pendraken). 2 parts Summer, 2 parts spring, 1 part autumn.
Lord Oik of Runcorn (You may refer to me as Milord Oik)

Oik of the Year 2013, 2014; Prize for originality and 'having a go, bless him', 2015
3 votes in the 2016 Painting Competition!; 2017-2019 The Wilderness years
Oik of the Year 2020; 7 votes in the 2021 Painting Competition
11 votes in the 2022 Painting Competition (Double figures!)
2023 - the year of Gerald:
2024 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!

Adamwest

Plenty of food for thought, mmcv i like your crusader bases very autumny!

DHautpol

I find that PVA works just fine on the thin plywood bases I use.  Once the glue has set I texture the bases using BASETEX (Colour Party Paints) and dry-brush.  On the few occasions I've had to re-base (usually because I've made a mistake), I've generally found the figures to be infuriatingly well attached.

I wouldn't generally use Superglue, but I make one exception.  I also collect ADLER 6mm and the figures are quite widely spaced on their strips.  This means they have to be snipped into individual figures and then based.  In this situation, Gel Superglue is the "Holy Grail" of adhesives as it is viscous (I think that's the right word) enough to support the weight of the figure being glued - place your blobs of Superglue on the base, position a figure, count to ten and move on to the next figure.  Occasionally a figure or two may start to lean but these can easily be straightened, count to ten again and then let go.
2016 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!
2018 Painting Competition - 3 x Runner-Up!
2023 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!