Diorama bases

[paddy]

Hi all you Dio builders ;-0 when you make a base with lose rocks and shale, how do you fix it all in place or do you not bother ? I'm a long way off that step yet but i would like to be in a position to tip the base on its side without the whole lot falling off. Not a problem with buildings trucks figures etc but sand ? and gravel ? I think my base will be mostly flat but i will need to add ridges etc with modelling clay ? ruts in a track for example ?
TIA

 

[jknaus]

I use white glue Paddy. I have also used micro foil adhesive. I've read pf people using sprat adhesive. Alternately you can use polly filla and tap the sand ect down into it, but will still need to use some glue.
James

 

[chukw]

kid- Glue it all down. Sheperd paine was my inspiration as a kid- check this out!

link

 

[paddy]

Sp each individual rock here is placed and glued in position ?

 

[chukw]

Yes- but he makes the groundwork with Celluclay- a gluey papier mache kind of stuff. You press the stones in when it's still wet and sprinkle sand and dirt. When it's dry- viola! It's kind of fun to compose the groundwork- rough here- smooth there- moss over there. Dynamic ground work is amazing.

A nice thread at ARC

Note his glue bottle.

 

[paddy]

Thanks Chuk Pictures are worth a 1000 words
Looks like i will be doing it the hard way then ! all good fun all the same

 

[Bagge]

One method i use for sand and dirt is to spread out the sand or dirt and then drip dilluted whiteglue (add a drop of dish detergent) so it sucks into the sand and then you can build up with stones etc. see my road to el Alamein entry :drinks
//Mats

 

[Tankbuilder]

You can also spray diluted white glue with a spray bottle. I get my white glue and spray bottles at a dollar store. Two things to be aware of is that white glue will darken ground cover slightly and it also shrinks slightly as it dries.

The spray bottlw is also an excellent way to mist diluted whit glue onto canvas truck tops or any tarp made from tissue paper. It's a fine mist and thus because the tarp is already in position on the vehicle does not tear the tissue.

Cheers

 

[paddy]

Excuse my ignorance but do you use water to dilute white glue ?

 

[Tankbuilder]

Excuse my ignorance but do you use water to dilute white glue ?

If you're asking me Paddy then the answer is yes. Some prople use alcohol. I find water works well and carries the glue deep into whatever material I.m putting on the surface of the diorama.

Cheers

 

[moon puppy]

Agree with the watered down white glue. Haven't tried the alcohol in this case, I would think it evaporates too quickly to penetrate inside stuff. I know I don't do bases but this is based on the little thing Ant, Tom (To Tom! :drinks ) and I did a while back.

Here's a not too good shot of what I ended up with, it's still one of those WIP

 

[paddy]

Cheers Bob, i noticed Pete said

"I find water works well and carries the glue deep into whatever material I'm putting on the surface of the diorama."

How does that work with sand and rocks are you saying you place the medium first then spray it in position ?

 

[moon puppy]

Exactly. you can even move it around after a good soaking.

Check out this link Paddy

https://www.modelersalliance.com/forum/anthony-reeves/26269-groundwork-class-with-anthony-reeves

 

[paddy]

Great link Bob, its all here somewhere , its just knowing where to look
I know what i am doing now

 

[TomN]

Paddy
If it hasn't been mentioned already, it is a good idea to wet your groundwork, sand, gravel, rocks, what have you,
with "wet" water (water + a drop of dishwashing soap) before gluing. The soap helps to break the surface tension
of the water and allows it to seep into the groundwork. Mist this on with a spray bottle, then dribble on the diluted
white glue, with a drop or two of soap in the glue too.

If you try to put the glue on first it can make the grondwork ball up and stick together and cause quite
a frustrating mess.

Hope this helps,
Tom

 

[paddy]

Cheers Tom what you say makes good sense, Looking forward to giving it a go now i have half an idea what I'm doing

 

[Prop Duster]

You can also spray diluted white glue with a spray bottle. I get my white glue and spray bottles at a dollar store. Two things to be aware of is that white glue will darken ground cover slightly and it also shrinks slightly as it dries.

The spray bottlw is also an excellent way to mist diluted whit glue onto canvas truck tops or any tarp made from tissue paper. It's a fine mist and thus because the tarp is already in position on the vehicle does not tear the tissue.

Cheers

Tanks for that hint Tankbuilder. Getting ready to do a truck tarp and this will be the way to go :v (OK, I got fumble fingers and Know I would tear the heck
out of the tissue)

Also thanks to you,Patty, for bring up the subject. I thought I knew how to do this but these guys ideas make it much clearer

 

[Brokeneagle]

Sounds like everyone has clued you up on the ground work construction, but if you are looking for some more info you can get some ideas and hopefully help from my Masters section.

I have a sci-fi ground work construction post that should provide some visual guide. This was done in the latest sci fi group build but will be finished under my masterclass section. :v
https://www.modelersalliance.com/forum/ian-hill/80605-the-trouble-with-karl-or-a-trick-of-the-light-#80605

Also some older how to's on dio base painting that will no doubt be helpful when you get to the painting stage.
- how to create a small base
- how to create a larger base

Dop me a mail if you need anything else or just reply to the blog you are looking at.

Good luck.

Ian.

 

[moon puppy]

Updated the links to include those great articles from way back when. Man it's true, we really do have everything here, just have to dig it back out.

 

[paddy]

Thanks for that Bob, found them and many thanks to you too Ian for a great article. Its good to get these things back in circulation, i did a search but i would never have found them.