I haven't posted anything for over a week, partly because I went away last weekend with the family and partly because I have been working on project that just didn't go to plan in any way, shape or form. I wanted to make a big batch of vehicle dust clouds for my desert games and I had a cunning plan to make them. The reality however was quite simply an unmitigated disaster and a very disheartening experience.
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| A big bag of tiny Polystyrene balls - beanbag filler actually. I didn't need this much, this was just the only size bag I could find. |
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| Glued together with PVA glue the tiny balls look like billowing dust clouds. This took a really long time (several evenings work) but they look pretty good. |
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| Each base was built up one ball at a time with copious amounts of PVA to bind everything together. I then coated the while model in PVA to seal the Polystyrene before painting. |
The idea was that the PVA coating would protect the foam balls from the paint. I wanted to spray the models and realised that the solvent in the spray paint could very well dissolve the styrene balls. I decided the PVA coating would do the job and opted not to hand paint the models with a non solvent based paint... BIG mistake.
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| Gutted! Days of work dissolve before my very eyes! Time for Plan B!! |
I was so disheartened by this disaster that I have decided not to continue with this method. The huge bag of polystyrene balls have been thrown in the back of a cupboard and I have reverted to
my original method, PVA soaked clump foliage. Plan B is progressing slowly as this method needs several days drying time for the models to harden. I'll post some pictures when I finish the dust models but in the meantime I need to consign this sorry episode to the waste bin and move on.
I have heard of people using spray insulation foam.
ReplyDeleteI hate it when plans like this come unstuck but a lesson learned hard is not forgotten. cheers
ReplyDeleteThe un-painted balls looked good. Might have been a good time to break out the air brush to paint them.
ReplyDeletePVA will work as a spray barrier, But you will need a few coats. You will not know how many coats until you decide how much spray. So I would advise more coats, and then more coats.
ReplyDeleteThe Dust clouds do look very good in a cartoon kind of way if that makes andy sense at all. But more PVA coats, and then a few more for luck.
oh dear!
ReplyDeleteAt least you tried...and learnt what (not) to do for next time :)
ReplyDeleteDon't think of it as a failure, think of it as educational for the rest of us - your magnimous gesture may save 1,000's of hours of futile effort on behalf of other hobbyist who now know not to take this route.
ReplyDeleteOr you could try again with an airbrush and acrylics.
I was already regretting the 'brainwave' that lead to this method. Building the models took ages but I persevered and decided the effort would be worth it in the end. But when they melted that was the final straw. Reverting to my original method (PVA soaked clump foliage, sprayed and drybrushed) is also a slow process but most of that is drying time rather than build time.
ReplyDeleteI would have thought they could be salvaged- try hand painting one? Once painted, the melting might even enhance the look.
ReplyDeleteBummer. One thing I have found is using varnish to seal. PVA tends to reliquify when it gets wet. Also, not sure if you're aware, the blog is unreadable in the mobile version because it repeats your blog banner as a background. Just FYI.
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm with Simon. Give yourself a week to get over the annoyance and come back to them with a handpainted undercoat and a drybrush. I reckon they'll turn out much better than you expect.
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking the same as Simon, you never know yu may have stumbled cross a better method the originally planed.
ReplyDeleteI have some 'concrete bits' which are foam backing with an all over coat (or so I thought) of polyfiller. These have repainted a couple of times and now have some very authentic looking cavities, just like real decaying concrete.
ReplyDeletePacking. Foam packing.
ReplyDeleteWell at least you tried something new. Even if it didn't work you leaned something.
ReplyDeleteHave you not tried using synthetic fibres that are used for filling pillows ? It sticks easily to based with white glue and you can use canned spray paint to make it any colour you want.
Ah well. Its happened to all of us. But theres only one way to find out.
ReplyDeleteHonestly , in the pic you posted, I think they look okay - the undissolved balls look a little too perfect and cartooney, in contrast.
ReplyDeleteHey, Lee. Don't worry. We've all been there, dozens or times or more. As Miles (above) mentioned, thanks for sharing the disasters as well as the triumphs. The blogosphere is all about learning from each others' mistakes, as well as showing stuff which goes right. Always keep trying new things - for every disaster or two, you'll always find something new which is amazing.
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