Basing Sand for 10mm

Started by Noktu, 01 July 2019, 05:34:08 AM

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steve_holmes_11

To collate the warnings (from above).

1. Wash any building sand thoroughly: Several changes of water.
    You'll benefit from a neutral pH, and eliminating any potentially reactive contaminants.
    Your batch of sand may not actively attack your basing material, or provoke lead rot - but why risk it.

2. Dry is good - bake in an oven as advised - don't use the best family Le Crueset / Tefal as this tends to open hostilities.

3. Allow it to cool before use - Because medieval castle defenders knew a thing or two about pain.

Smoking gun

Play sand has been cleaned, it's for kids and they put anything in their mouths, The sand for aquariums is also washed and sterilised and is pH neutral.

Regards,

Martin
Now they've knocked me down and taken it, that still hot and smoking gun.

Techno

Don't leave the sand outside.....If there's a lot of it.

The local cats will use it as a 'latrine'.......(Unless you like the smell of ammonia. :o X_X)

Cheers - Phil

Terry37

My two cents - I find sand is heavy, and abrasive. That's why I use model railroad ballast, in various grades. If i need smaller than the smallest I just put some of the smallest sold between some pieces of wood and grind it down. Have never had an problem. I use it for bases, grass clumps, small shrubs, and leaves on trees. A small bag is very cheap and lasts forever!!!

Terry
"My heart has joined the thousand for a friend stopped running today." Mr. Richard Adams

Ithoriel

Bought 3 kilos of decorative sand (intended for floral arrangements and candle beds) for 99p in an end-of-line sale at Sainsbury, over a decade ago now. Very, very fine grains.

Still lots left.

Though that may say more about how little painting I manage these days!
There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

John Cook

I had an extension built about 20 years ago and the builder left a bag of ready mixed sand and cement intended for brickwork.  I've been using it for bases ever since.  It is quite fine textured, you can add a bit of grit to it, it dries hard and is the colour of light earth.  I use PVA glue, diluted a little, to apply it - paint the stand with PVA and dip it in the sand/cement mix.  It takes a while to go-off during which time tracks and detail can be added as required.  One dry I dress it with static grass etc as necessary, depending on theatre.  If it is the Levant/N Africa I leave it more or less as it is and it dries to just about the right colour for desert terrain.  Never had a problem with any kind of reaction to metal figures, resin or plastic.  On the rare occasion I've needed to rebase anything, bending the plasticard bases I use makes it come away easily.  I wouldn't use anything else.