Sanding and Sealing

[fat zombie]

Hi, just wanted to ask:

For those people who use sand on their bases, particularly GW sand and other materials, what is your method?

My method is to place the sand on before I undercoat the model. Then, once it\'s dried, I go over the sand with a 50:50 mix of water and PVA. This means that the sand doesn\'t come off after or during painting.

Does anyone else do this? Do you apply the sand after you\'ve sprayed the model? Do you seal the sand? How?

Discuss please.

 

[Ogrebane]

I do all my bases after I have painted the mini. But I am coming around to doing the base before I have finished the mini. I use the same method as you do except when the initial glue is dry I mix 1/3 glue, 1/3 water/ 1/3 black paint and coat the base. Saves 1 step in the painting process. As I usually have 30 - 50 bases to do it really does save time. On a single mini I wouldnt bother.

 

[fat zombie]

So do you undercoat your models by hand? I use a spray-undercoat, so mixing paint in doesn\'t seem necessary. But a good idea for hand-undercoating.

Does it completely coat the sand? Or gather in the recesses?

 

[james sequeira]

i glue sand on before i spray so it seals its self

 

[Ogrebane]

I undercoat by hand. I have no luck with spray. Too hot and dry were I work / paint.

I covers very well and you can use other colors like browns depending on the army theme. I usually do bases a blue/grey or brown.

 

[Modderrhu]

I don\'t seal again. Gluing the sand to the base with PVA before undercoating is enough for the sand to seal itself. However, before I undercoat, I always brush the sand with a fairly stiff brush, to remove any loose bits. Painting onto PVA glue doesn\'t always work so nicely, I\'ve found, because; the glue can get tacky and take on an odd texture if you paint over it whilst tacky.

 

[fat zombie]

Originally posted by Modderrhu
I don\'t seal again. Gluing the sand to the base with PVA before undercoating is enough for the sand to seal itself. However, before I undercoat, I always brush the sand with a fairly stiff brush, to remove any loose bits. Painting onto PVA glue doesn\'t always work so nicely, I\'ve found, because; the glue can get tacky and take on an odd texture if you paint over it whilst tacky.

Well, you should wait a bit for it to dry.

 

[Modderrhu]

I\'m talking about the glue developing a tacky surface after having already dried, and after being painted over. The wet paint makes the surface tacky. If you mean to wait for it to dry between layers of paint, you\'re right. But I\'m a tad too impatient for that, I expect the paint to be dry 10 seconds after I\'ve put it on. Painting over PVA, I could expect to wait a minute.