water and elmers glue

[knapster9 (Joe Knapke)]

I have a base for a life size whitetail doe, and I was  wondering how much water and elmers glue i will need for it to secure some dirt.  The base is roughly 6'x3'.  I was going to put some dirt, dead leafs, and a stump on it.  Thanks a lot!

[Jim B]

Probably a quart will do.I like to buy it by the gallon.It's cheaper in the long run,you won't run out and you will always use it.I like to cut the Elmers 50/50 with water,then mix it into my dirt,making a wet mud,then apply it that way.It doesn't look like mud when dry but sticks well and is completely sealed so you don't have a lot of loose stuff coming off all the time.You can imbed small rocks and small sticks in it when wet.

[Matt]

I have done what Jim suggested with great results. However, I did try peatmoss the other day, and liked it even better. Plus, for alot of the large bases I do, it is lighter in the end. One thing with the peatmoss though, you don't want to mix too much water with the glue as it will shrink up. I mix it mostly with glue and very little water.

[knapster9 (Joe Knapke)]

I was planning on putting some saplings on the base also.  What would be the correct steps to securing these to the base?  Would apoxie sculpt be strong enough?

[Studio106]

 I use Elmer's glue mixed with brown paint (50/50 mix), spread it on liberally but not too much to run, sprinkle on  your ground clutter (leaves,small twigs,pine needles, or whatever you want to put on it) and cover that liberally with dirt. After it cures I will tip it on it's side, blow it off and do any touch-ups if neccessary. You can also lock down anything on the base by mixing Elmer's with water (Thin it down so you can get it to spray out of a spray bottle) and spaying the entire base with a coating of this mix. Once dried it should lock down everything. I will mix peat moss with my dirt sometimes to give it more texture. Remember to do an area that you are able to cover without the glue skinning over or the dirt won't stick as well. I like to stop putting the dirt/ground clutter about an inch or two from where I stopped putting the glue/paint down so that I don't cover my brush with dirt when I am putting the glue/paint down on the next section. All I know is that when I am in the woods hunting, I rarely see a place where it's ground that is dirt with hardly any ground clutter. Post some pics when you're done and have fun with it.

[Studio106]

How is the base made? Is it plywood with chicken wire and plaster/burlap over the chicken wire? Need details or P.M. me and I will give you my phone # and talk to you about your project. Much easier to talk than to type this crap out