Glue for Base Sand

[offroadfury]

I'm looking for the best glue for putting the GW gravel sand stuff on my bases. Iv'e used watered down Elmers in the past but found that the sand falls off after a while. I'd appreciate any tips and advice you all can give!

Thanks!

 

[MarkK]

You're using the right stuff, just after you apply sand, let it dry then paint another thinned coat of pva (Elmer's) over the top, should bind it down better

[flemingmma]

Is it the actual sand or is it the sandy paint?

[Phil D]

I use PVA (Elmers?) straight. I tried to use it watered down but the sand just fell off.

Paint the PVA on the base, run the base through the sand box set aside and leave to dry for 24 hours, more if you can. Any less and the sand brushes off. I have also tried letting the sand dry and then undercoating the base, but this relies on being able to leave a space in the base to stick the model onto.

I have some bases that were done a couple of years ago and they are fine.

[JackStreicher]

If you put the sand on right after building the model (-> the sand will be basecoated and painted alongside the model), then it won‘t ever lose a single grain ^^

[offroadfury]

Thank you all who replied! Yeah I was gonna use the GW sand cause I like the way it looks. I'll stick with the elmers then!

[RuneBrush]

On 11/17/2019 at 10:57 PM, MarkK said:

You're using the right stuff, just after you apply sand, let it dry then paint another thinned coat of pva (Elmer's) over the top, should bind it down better

^ this.  The second coat of glue (this time watered down) after the first has set basically seals it in place which allows you to be as aggressive as you want with techniques like drybrushing.  I've models that are decades old that were glued like this and nothing come off (and sat in my unpainted pile of shame)

[Charleston]

I actually make my basing material mixing normal acrylic paint with fine sand. The paint gives color, is cheap and binds the sand in a good way. For terrain I used normal paint which normaly is used to paint walls, and it worked out fine, too. The only restriction: The sand should be fine enough

[Pagan]

I like to use a D3 or D4 wood glue rather than regular white PVA glue. Wood glues usually contain a cross-linker which gives a more water-resistant bond when dry. I find that the sand is much more rigid after drying than when I used to use standard craft PVA glue, which is usually at least somewhat washable. If you find the viscosity of the wood glue too high, it can be thinned out with a little water.

 

[daveboy]

I can recommend ponal which is a wood glue. My basing "sand" is normal catsand and just dry earth or dirt.   You have to delute the glue with a little bit of water, place it on the base and dip it into the sand. I usually make a pyramid of sand on top of the base and then let it dry for a day. If its not enough just do it again. After you are pleased just take a old drybrush and sweep away sand which is not glued on the base or just sticks a little bit. Basecoat it and it wont fall off and looks nice if you add some stones or something.  Just works perfect for me. 

Looks like this:

[Digital Dinosaur]

I use basic Elmer's glue for the initial attachment of a sand layer. However I often had trouble with a diluted drip of glue over the top to lock stuff in place - it would often upset the sand and rocks, or wash things away even if I was careful.

Therefore I've started using liquid super glue to drip over the top of the sand to lock everything in place. A brand that works really well in my experience is Starbond, their super thin variety. It seriously runs into every crack. Once the glue sets, the basing materially is essentially indestructible and will never rub off. You won't have to worry about any amount of punishment during the painting process dislodging materials.

An added benefit of this technique is that small rocks and bits of fill-in sand can be sprinkled over the basic glued sand before dripping the super glue. It will all get locked down.

[The Merchant Prince]

When I used sand on my minis I would apply it prior to painting, firstly because actual sand and its colour and variation at that scale doesn't really look right IMO and because the spray primer would seal it in place perfectly.