Diorama Sand

[JohnModeller]

Hi everyone.
I just discovered how to scratch build scatter for dioramas (any colour) since actual scatter is so expensive.

What you need:
Sieve
Large plastic cup or small plastic basin
Funnel
Paving sand must not have anything else in it
Children’s paints (powdered ones, non toxic and water based)
Oven (heats to 200 degrees Celsius) sorry about Celsius, I’m from Australia
Water
Large wooden spoon and stick if using a cup
Scrap Tray with sides sloping up
Steel hammer with a flat side.
Towel
Plastic container
Procedure:
1. Sieve the sand into the funnel leading to the cup or into the basin.
2. Mix the powdered sand (whatever colour you chose) evenly throughout the sand.
3. Get the actual mix of powder paint and sand and add about a fourth, fifth or sixth (rarely) of what the mix of sand is. This also depends on the shade of the sand that you want.
4. Thoroughly stir the mixture until the sand is absolutely changed in colour.
5. Pour out excess paint/liquid.
6. Pour out the wet coloured sand onto the tray. With the wooden spoon, flatten the sand on the tray. Carve lines down to the bottom in the tray in the wet sand with a knife.
7. What you have to do now is very important- set the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and put the tray inside. It usually fully dries within 20 minutes but it is safer to check it every 5 min. (I once made a batch of scatter that actually overcooked and turned black)
8. When you have pulled the tray out and is cooled, the sand would had turned to pure coloured sand-stone. Lever the sand out using the other end of the hammer used for levering nails out or use a strong table knife. Just crumble it and for the larger pieces smash it to grains with a towel wrapped around it.
9. If there are grains still stuck in the fibres, shake them out of the towel. Store the Sand in plastic containers,
10. Finished! Also this can now be stuck on surfaces with PVA glue, but it cannot come into contact with water or else it dissolves.

[SyntaxModels]

Hmm, might have to try this when building a diorama (which'll be a first for me nevertheless). Nice to see some Aussies on the forum, I know I have seen others but have never gotten around to shooting them a reply, also you're in Melbourne! Just like me!

[Lee]

Cool - Cheers for tip

[MerseyTrainz]

Hi John,

thanks for sharing this with us all. How much water do you use and when exactly do you add/mix it with the Sand and Powder paint.

[Joesdad]

Great tip John, I'm sure the misses will be delighted when I'm slopping sand and paint around the kitchen and then chucking in it I the oven...