Must-have supplies?
- Thread starter nadine
- Start date
Infidel Castro
New member
If you\'re all talking about pallettes, I use plastic wallets from the stationery shop, one side a day - if you work out that there are normally 4 sides (two in, two out), it costs about 10p for 4 days painting! :wow:
I\'d also grab an old toothbrush for scrubbing those wretched new minis until they are ready for a bit of priming. A hair dryer is also good for drying bases in a hurry, whilst also doubling as a brilliant hair care product.
rev :innocent:
I\'d also grab an old toothbrush for scrubbing those wretched new minis until they are ready for a bit of priming. A hair dryer is also good for drying bases in a hurry, whilst also doubling as a brilliant hair care product.
rev :innocent:
Dragonsreach
Super Moderator
Nah! To celebrate the completion of a good mini it\'s got to be Bushmill\'s \"White Label\" .:innocent:
For a Palette I use the tried & tested White ceramic tile, but I clean it off after every painting session and every time I start a new mini I give it a scrub with Jif (now Cif) bathroom/sink cleaner. Gets rid of the garbage.
For the curious, here\'s my inventory thus far. Most is coming by mail order, but once all the packages arrive I\'ll actually be set to get started priming/painting.
Mini prep stuff:
--set of files (I have no idea what these are going to be like, my hubby ordered them lol)
--800 grade sandpaper, which we actually had lying around the apartment in a forgotten drawer
--xacto knife
--GW spray primer (got a decent price)
Paint
--Vallejo fleshtones paint set
--~14 extra colors (gold/silver/some others that were missing
--drying time extender
--synthetic hair brushes (4--ridiculously cheap but I can start with them and upgrade shortly...hubby suffered sticker shock on better brushes so I went easy on him )
--ceramic tile \'pallete\'
Other stuff:
--GW matte finish
--poster tack (+ wine cork for holding figure)
--various glues
--milliput
--new coffee beans/coffee grinder for fresh coffee while working and port wine for after mini completion celebration
All told, it\'s cost just over $100, no idea if that\'s good or bad.
Next purchases as far as supplies go will be a pin vise, brush cleaner + some better brushes, and some flock/static grass. Though I might like the oregano better!
Thanks for all the suggestions, the discussion has been helpful. The most important lesson from all of this is: buying paint off the \'net is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you\'re gonna get.
N.
Mini prep stuff:
--set of files (I have no idea what these are going to be like, my hubby ordered them lol)
--800 grade sandpaper, which we actually had lying around the apartment in a forgotten drawer
--xacto knife
--GW spray primer (got a decent price)
Paint
--Vallejo fleshtones paint set
--~14 extra colors (gold/silver/some others that were missing
--drying time extender
--synthetic hair brushes (4--ridiculously cheap but I can start with them and upgrade shortly...hubby suffered sticker shock on better brushes so I went easy on him
)--ceramic tile \'pallete\'
Other stuff:
--GW matte finish
--poster tack (+ wine cork for holding figure)
--various glues
--milliput
--new coffee beans/coffee grinder for fresh coffee while working and port wine for after mini completion celebration
All told, it\'s cost just over $100, no idea if that\'s good or bad.
Next purchases as far as supplies go will be a pin vise, brush cleaner + some better brushes, and some flock/static grass. Though I might like the oregano better!
Thanks for all the suggestions, the discussion has been helpful. The most important lesson from all of this is: buying paint off the \'net is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you\'re gonna get.
N.
basing materials
Well, I haven\'t done any extremely elaborate bases yet, but I have accumulated some stuff to do it.
Go out in the yard, or out to the nearest woods, and grab a handful of something that looks the right scale. When I was in Florida I picked up some of the finest sand I\'d ever seen, just from the ground (which I later washed).
Hubby says sandblasting medium comes in various grits, is already washed, and is a neutral color. It comes in larger quantities than you\'ll probably use, but it is widely available at home improvement stores and hardware stores.
For shrubbery, I found some of the neatest looking lichen in Florida, too. It grows in little balls about an inch or two in diameter, and it has a very loose hold on the ground. I picked up a few bits of it, washed it (it gets very soft and flexible in water), and it\'s now awaiting use in a plastic container.
If you\'ve got a beach of any kind anywhere near you, you might be able to find similar materials out in the wild. Be conservative when you pick stuff up, though. If we all went around grabbing enough for the next 100 years of bases, we\'d be pretty rough on the environment (discounting completely the nasty solvents in spraypaint and the unnatural chemicals in the cleansers we use).
Take a look at the fallen wood in your area. I dunno if everyone had the same damage we did, but the storm that came through right before Thanksgiving really knocked down a lot of nice limbs and sticks. Dry them out good in the sunshine and seal them up in a plastic bag after to kill the little critters.
You don\'t have to buy static grass and gravel--it might be quicker but it will be more expensive than walking around the neighborhood. Take a mini with you to stand next to the stuff you plan to grab to make sure it\'s going to fit the scale.
I use a regular plastic painter\'s palette from the art store. I have a big box of toothpicks for mixing and moving paint from the bottle to the palette. I use parchment paper (the kind you cook with) as a working surface, since I can get the painted toothpicks back off it without any trouble. I use those simple clear fishing tackle boxes stuffed with wadded cotton or polyester fluff as containers for my minis so they don\'t get damaged. I keep my set of GW paint bottles in more of the same tackle boxes to keep them upright.
A good lamp is essential. I\'ve got one of those ott-lite desk lamps with the flexible arm, and those are the good stuff, man. I can\'t get over how much better you can see with one of those, even though I was sitting next to a bright window while I painted, the ott-lite shows up stuff I just couldn\'t see before.
Anyway, look at the stuff you already have. Kitty litter and fish tank rocks might serve in a pinch as boulders or rubble. A bit of bark mulch from the bushes might be an interesting overhanging cliff-type rock. Someone else posted about herbs as organic material. Dryer lint and glue gives you a sculpting medium with a semi-rough texture. So does flour and glue for that matter.
Making bases on a budget means you can get creative. You don\'t necessarily have to spend new money on fancy stuff.
Well, I haven\'t done any extremely elaborate bases yet, but I have accumulated some stuff to do it.
Go out in the yard, or out to the nearest woods, and grab a handful of something that looks the right scale. When I was in Florida I picked up some of the finest sand I\'d ever seen, just from the ground (which I later washed).
Hubby says sandblasting medium comes in various grits, is already washed, and is a neutral color. It comes in larger quantities than you\'ll probably use, but it is widely available at home improvement stores and hardware stores.
For shrubbery, I found some of the neatest looking lichen in Florida, too. It grows in little balls about an inch or two in diameter, and it has a very loose hold on the ground. I picked up a few bits of it, washed it (it gets very soft and flexible in water), and it\'s now awaiting use in a plastic container.
If you\'ve got a beach of any kind anywhere near you, you might be able to find similar materials out in the wild. Be conservative when you pick stuff up, though. If we all went around grabbing enough for the next 100 years of bases, we\'d be pretty rough on the environment (discounting completely the nasty solvents in spraypaint and the unnatural chemicals in the cleansers we use).
Take a look at the fallen wood in your area. I dunno if everyone had the same damage we did, but the storm that came through right before Thanksgiving really knocked down a lot of nice limbs and sticks. Dry them out good in the sunshine and seal them up in a plastic bag after to kill the little critters.
You don\'t have to buy static grass and gravel--it might be quicker but it will be more expensive than walking around the neighborhood. Take a mini with you to stand next to the stuff you plan to grab to make sure it\'s going to fit the scale.
I use a regular plastic painter\'s palette from the art store. I have a big box of toothpicks for mixing and moving paint from the bottle to the palette. I use parchment paper (the kind you cook with) as a working surface, since I can get the painted toothpicks back off it without any trouble. I use those simple clear fishing tackle boxes stuffed with wadded cotton or polyester fluff as containers for my minis so they don\'t get damaged. I keep my set of GW paint bottles in more of the same tackle boxes to keep them upright.
A good lamp is essential. I\'ve got one of those ott-lite desk lamps with the flexible arm, and those are the good stuff, man. I can\'t get over how much better you can see with one of those, even though I was sitting next to a bright window while I painted, the ott-lite shows up stuff I just couldn\'t see before.
Anyway, look at the stuff you already have. Kitty litter and fish tank rocks might serve in a pinch as boulders or rubble. A bit of bark mulch from the bushes might be an interesting overhanging cliff-type rock. Someone else posted about herbs as organic material. Dryer lint and glue gives you a sculpting medium with a semi-rough texture. So does flour and glue for that matter.
Making bases on a budget means you can get creative. You don\'t necessarily have to spend new money on fancy stuff.
vincegamer
New member
There is plenty of natural stuff around your home like Shris said, and go for it.
A word of caution though. It is against the law (and a bad idea) to take anything - even sand - from a national park. Some parks have been known to prosecute visitors for removing rocks as \"souvenirs.\"
One thing I could not get by without is old white t-shirts. When they get worn out they go into my rag pile. Then when I paint I lay a t-shirt/rag on my lap and use it to wipe off brushes, toothpics, clean accidental spils etc. My current t-shirt is just about out of clear spaces and I\'ve already flipped it inside out so just about time to start a fresh one.
Oh, I\'ve had great success buying paint on e-bay.
Have fun, and don\'t stick your brush in your coffee mug by mistake
A word of caution though. It is against the law (and a bad idea) to take anything - even sand - from a national park. Some parks have been known to prosecute visitors for removing rocks as \"souvenirs.\"
One thing I could not get by without is old white t-shirts. When they get worn out they go into my rag pile. Then when I paint I lay a t-shirt/rag on my lap and use it to wipe off brushes, toothpics, clean accidental spils etc. My current t-shirt is just about out of clear spaces and I\'ve already flipped it inside out so just about time to start a fresh one.
Oh, I\'ve had great success buying paint on e-bay.
Have fun, and don\'t stick your brush in your coffee mug by mistake
C
Con EL Pueblo
Guest
Shris
\"When I was in Florida I picked up some of the finest sand I\'d ever seen, just from the ground (which I later washed).\"
Why on earth did you wash the ground? Were you forced to by an angry mob? lol
Sorry about that one, couldn\'t help it
I would just like to ask, are the stuff you use for blending/watering down crylics the same as an \"Acrylics Retarder\"??? Has ordered some home, from W & N, hope it\'s the right stuff
By the way, wouldn\'t using Retarder make you more stupid? lol
Oh well, what\'s to lose...
\"When I was in Florida I picked up some of the finest sand I\'d ever seen, just from the ground (which I later washed).\"
Why on earth did you wash the ground? Were you forced to by an angry mob? lol
Sorry about that one, couldn\'t help it
I would just like to ask, are the stuff you use for blending/watering down crylics the same as an \"Acrylics Retarder\"??? Has ordered some home, from W & N, hope it\'s the right stuff
By the way, wouldn\'t using Retarder make you more stupid? lol
Oh well, what\'s to lose...
K
kannan_fodder
Guest
Basing materials
When a friend started demanding that I accent my minis with \"designer bases\", I got creative! Here\'s some of my favorites:
Plain old yard dirt - The stuff around my house is pretty fine (almost as fine as powdered sugar), but is great for accenting bases. It also takes paint well.
Fine sand - I got mine from my yard, so it\'s already \"dirt\" colored. You can also find it at your local nursery (deco sand), home improvement store (playbox sand, or sandbox sand), or pet store.
Tea leaves - Goes back to raiding the spice rack idea. I thoroughly rinsed out some Vons tea bags, let them dry for a few days, and then dumped the contents into a jar. Works great as \"bark\", but also adds texture if you want to paint over them.
Lava rock/cinder rock - Again something from the local nursery. I bought the black variety because at the time I didn\'t intend to paint it. You can use a hammer to break it down into very small pieces.
Sphagnum Moss/Green Moss - The stuff they hang Staghorn ferns with. I\'ve used it on both bases and miniatures. It made a rather interesting mane and tail on a skeletal horse!
And of course - Static Grass.
Other things that will come in handy:
Plastic bases - for those minis that tip over too easily
Super Glue
White Glue
Small tweezers
Tooth Picks
Skewers (the Shish-ka-bob type) - they are perfect for spreading glue with out ruining a brush.
Lots of imagination!
And LOTS of Band Aids (with the X-acto Knife!)
When a friend started demanding that I accent my minis with \"designer bases\", I got creative! Here\'s some of my favorites:
Plain old yard dirt - The stuff around my house is pretty fine (almost as fine as powdered sugar), but is great for accenting bases. It also takes paint well.
Fine sand - I got mine from my yard, so it\'s already \"dirt\" colored. You can also find it at your local nursery (deco sand), home improvement store (playbox sand, or sandbox sand), or pet store.
Tea leaves - Goes back to raiding the spice rack idea. I thoroughly rinsed out some Vons tea bags, let them dry for a few days, and then dumped the contents into a jar. Works great as \"bark\", but also adds texture if you want to paint over them.
Lava rock/cinder rock - Again something from the local nursery. I bought the black variety because at the time I didn\'t intend to paint it. You can use a hammer to break it down into very small pieces.
Sphagnum Moss/Green Moss - The stuff they hang Staghorn ferns with. I\'ve used it on both bases and miniatures. It made a rather interesting mane and tail on a skeletal horse!
And of course - Static Grass.
Other things that will come in handy:
Plastic bases - for those minis that tip over too easily
Super Glue
White Glue
Small tweezers
Tooth Picks
Skewers (the Shish-ka-bob type) - they are perfect for spreading glue with out ruining a brush.
Lots of imagination!
And LOTS of Band Aids (with the X-acto Knife!)
vincegamer
New member
sandpaper query
Just a quick question.
Where does one get 800 grade sandpaper? The local home depot only goes up to 240.
Just a quick question.
Where does one get 800 grade sandpaper? The local home depot only goes up to 240.
No Such Agency
New member
I can get 800 grade sandpaper at my local Canadian Tire (which is not reknowned for carrying exotic items). It\'s the black \"waterproof\" stuff, silicon carbide or whatever. They have 400, 600 and 800, if not higher as well! But I think 800 is probably fine enough if you\'re not polishing silver or something like that
Brother Argos
New member
dremel
Good old Wal-Mart has a dremel like rotary tool called the Rotomatic. It works just like a dremel and only costs about 30 dollars and comes with a bunch of attachments like drill bits in a variety of small sizes, cutting wheels, sanding wheels, grinding wheels and a bunch of others I havent figured out how to use.
Hope this helps.
Brother Argos
Good old Wal-Mart has a dremel like rotary tool called the Rotomatic. It works just like a dremel and only costs about 30 dollars and comes with a bunch of attachments like drill bits in a variety of small sizes, cutting wheels, sanding wheels, grinding wheels and a bunch of others I havent figured out how to use.
Hope this helps.
Brother Argos
Brother Argos
New member
dremel
Correction to my last post. The Rotomatic is under 20 dollars.
Correction to my last post. The Rotomatic is under 20 dollars.
SaxonAngel
nada
The saliva effect
Is created by using clear 5 minute epoxy, which usually comes in a twin syringe thingy (ooo technical term here). When mixed becomes crystal clear and when put on close to it\'s setting time, can be dragged and attached to teeth and such and pulled into lines of drool will a tooth pick or pin..it dries in five minutes but wait 24 hours and you have nice clear, tough lines of drool ala Alien movie style.
Peace!
Angela
Is created by using clear 5 minute epoxy, which usually comes in a twin syringe thingy (ooo technical term here). When mixed becomes crystal clear and when put on close to it\'s setting time, can be dragged and attached to teeth and such and pulled into lines of drool will a tooth pick or pin..it dries in five minutes but wait 24 hours and you have nice clear, tough lines of drool ala Alien movie style.
Peace!
Angela
K
kannan_fodder
Guest
For finer grade sandpapers, you could also try a store that caters to automotive body supplies/repairs or jewelry supplies.
Since one of the criteria is low cost... I might suggest the simple and inexpensive roll of wax paper for the palette. Just rip a hunk off when ever you need it... the paints tend to dry slower on the wax paper and you can mix a bit of water into the paint without worry as the wax holds up against it pretty well.
The important thing is... you are painting minis again...
The important thing is... you are painting minis again...
Corwin the Confused
New member
Drying time extender?
Do you guys recomend Future Wax for a Extender of GW paints? I think that this would keep with the inexpensive part of the requirement. :]
Do you guys recomend Future Wax for a Extender of GW paints? I think that this would keep with the inexpensive part of the requirement. :]
