Looking for sand

[Bomech1]

I'm building a 28mm diorama of wh40k space marines(converted poses) in a dessert scene. Can't seem to find any really fine sand. Tried etching sand and some others but no go. any help?
Brian

[Mr. Badwrench]

I think Woodland Scenics has a fine powdered "sand" product. Check the model train shops.

[Andrew Gorman]

Get some model railroad scenic dirt- North End Train Center in the basement of American Eagles in Lake City will have it. It's a lot easier than screening your own, and it comes in any color you want.
Andrew

[Kylwell]

Check yur shorts.

Railroading supplies, if that doesn't work hit the craft stores and look for craft sand.

Worse comes to worse, find ultra fine salt at the grocery store.

[kovertops]

Baking soda?

[Beacher]

Powdered pigment? ($$)
Talcum powder?

[Buzzbomb]

My fav at the moment for bases and stuff.... Tiling grout.
Fine as you can get and self adhesive to boot

[Mark Yungblut]

Go find some dry clay in your area or dirt that is the right color. then sift it through a kitchen style sifter. nothing works better than the real thing.

[Owen E Oulton]

If you know of a large office building, the type with an ashtray of sand outside, try making friends with the janitorial staff. The sand used in this sort of ashtray is a very fine white sand, perfect for dioramas.

[Bomech1]

All exellent ideas, thank you. Got my wife talkin to housekeeping at her work, they got the sand. going to american eagle this weekend and gonna swing buy my moms and ck her garden.
Brian

[Umi_Ryuzuki]

All craft stores sell two or thee different colors of sand.
I bought 2lbs of "Estes Art Sand" for a model base several years ago.
I still have 1.99lbs of the stuff.
It should come in Grey, white and beige.

[Cloudwalker]

i buy a stick of pastelle chalk in whatever color i want my dirt/sand to be, and run an exacto blade across it, and voila, you have perfect scaled sand/dirt. It's scrapes off into a fine powder, that has just enough texture to it to look sandy.

[Emergency Design Hologram]

do not use baking soda or tac. bad bad bad. the rail road stuff is exellent.

[Kylwell]

Talc is way too fine for sand.

[Kolschey]

Another place to look is at pet stores.

Many pet stores carry fine-grit sifted sand specifically for use in terrariums and reptile cages.

I know this because I have a pair of leopard geckos. 8)

Hope this helps!

[Mark Yungblut]

Dude i'm tellin yah that unlessyou are in the red clay areas of the deep south, grind up some dirt from the yard and sift it. ZIf you don't have a mortor and pestle to grind iit in put in a cople of baggies one inside the other and pound it with a hammer. Unless you are doing a beach schene or the deep desert like the Sahara then you should have different sized bits in your ground work.

Something like this:

http://groups.msn.com/WolfgangsModelMak ... PhotoID=86

or this:

http://groups.msn.com/WolfgangsModelMak ... PhotoID=14

http://groups.msn.com/WolfgangsModelMak ... &PhotoID=6

http://groups.msn.com/WolfgangsModelMak ... hotoID=130

I usually find a rock the color I like and grind it down from there that way everything looks natural (as in the rocks under the mechs). It's a trick I picked up from Shep Payne and some of thosee ifgure guys. "If your doing a civil wark schene and need to simulate the red clay stop by the highway on your next trip south and use the real thing or if you have a friend that lives in the south have them send you some.

In fact it's not unsual to see me stop on the way back from a show and pick up rocks or dirt from the cuts in the highway.

[Kylwell]

Or in areas that used to be peat bogs.