I am going to start working on my first base today and I'm trying to make dirt. I know I can mix dirt/peat moss with elmers glue and water. I need to know how much water to mix with glue? And how thick should the mixture of dirt, water, and glue should be befor I put it on the base? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks. MichelleW
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I use Elmers white glue and mix about 40-60 with water, water being the 40%. Unless I want a "mud" or "wet" soil I do not mix any soil in with the glue. I do add water base brown paint to give the glue a base color. I also paint my base before I spread the glue.
After the base has dried i "paint" it with the glue and then pour the soil on top. I like it to be VERY dry and dusty. I push in into the glue and after a few minutes turn the base up and pour off everythink that did not stick. After all that dries you can touch it up using the same method. If the weather is hot and dry I will lightly spray a little water over it after I dump off the excess.
When dry I hot glue leaves, sticks, small rocks and things as needeed. For grass I boke a little hole in the foam, squirt a little whit glue in the hole and stick in the grass, then dust he area with a little dirt.
Have ya some fun!
Go to a lumber yard,(Menard's) and buy one gallon of Stucco-it.
Its a real thick and rough looking compound,kind of stinky also.
Then buy a can of dry powder piant, (Black) at a art store, (Hobby Lobby)
mix in the paint with the Stucco-it,until the color you desire. To get a real rich black soil look to it, it will take a lot of the powder paint. I just apply to the base, with a spatula,and mix in some habitat. It dries solid, no loose dirt falling everywhere.Works great for my turkey,pheasant, etc, bases.\
Try it and you'll never go back to real dirt.
Could you use this for a rock ledge for a mountain lion to hang on the wall or would this be to heavy. was thinking of putting it over a foam rock ledge would this work alright maybe use a sand color paint with this.
Thanks for all the responses. I appreciate it. MichelleW
I think that would work great as a rock ledge. It wouldnt be heavy
at all,in fact Im sure it would be lighter than a dirt mixture.