I need a lot of “dirt and mud” for my Jimmy but my MIG stash is almost depleted, anyone know of a website where I can buy more, for less than $7.50 a bottle?
In other words, discounted off of retail? Plus postage? Seems cheap is relative…
This should be one to watch - where’s my popcorn?
dahut: Is $7.50 the going rate[:O]??? I was in a bind time-wise when I purchased the bottles originally from my LHS…kind-of-thought I was takin’ one in the shorts, but if that’s the cost I guess I’ll have to suck-it-up and pay the $$$. Having the order filled, in-full (I ordered 5, got only 2), was a challenge too[|(], maybe just a more reliable web-source would be helpful…[sigh]
Hey SMJ, if you can find an old construction site, or somewhere with a lot f truck or vehicle traffic, like the entrance to a dirt driveway or parking area, or a construction site, go there and dig up some pounded-flat dirt, It’s usually so depleted and sunbaked that you don’t have to worry about any “live” criiters or seed. It usually crushed so fine, too, that you don’t need anything artificial; there’s nothing like real dirt to simulate “dirt”!
Dig up a pail full, crush it onto a piece of fine wedding lace (available through any craft store), and VOILA!–you have a huge supply of dirt or “mud”.
Mix and apply it with either white glue, acrylic paint, or even thinner–there are a myriad of ways to get what you want. I use this in a lot of my builds, and it’s FREE! [:D]
doog: I own a tractor…I could go “pound” my own dirt, then let it bake in the sun[8D]!!! The fine wedding lace is to sift it, right?..what about using a flour sifter instead?
LOVE THE FREE PART…time to go fire up the John Deere!!![C):-)]
Well, Mark, I don’t think you would want to dig up any dirt–you;re going to have “critters” in it if it’s coming from under-the-soil, and the reason I recommend a hard, sun-baked lot is becasue it’s been sitting there for weeks or months, and you have a pretty good chance that anything even remotely alive in it at one point would have been sun-baked to death and dead for a while, as well as it being too depleted of nutrient to sustain anything that might fall into it, so be careful about using “live” dirt!
Yeah, any kind of fine sifter would work fine as well!
doog: Mark who?..you mean Steve[;)]
…Actually, I have some areas on my property where I moved dirt like a construction site, it should be critter and seed free…I just need to go pound it some more…thanks for the idea[tup], I can probably buy a sifter at the dollar store too.
AAAARGH! I’m sorry, Steve! It’s so hard to keep all the various ‘correct’ names straight with all the avatars and psuedonyms used between the various members here whom I speak to in PM’s or emails! SOOOOORRY!!! [:I][B)] I must have got you mixed up with “Sexy Mark Junior” [:-^] LOL!!![(-D]…[:-^][:D]
I hate when I do that!!! [sigh]
Glad to have “inspired” ya – more money to spend on paints and kits now! [:D]
You guys go get a room! [:)]
Back on subject, try http://ausfwerks.com/ for $5.50 + Shipping. Jeff is a good guy and sets fair prices and shipping rates.
edit: that should fix that link! /edit
No problem Kurt[(-D]…nothing like a little humor!!! More $$$ for kits, YES!!!
Bad link there…
SST
I’ll second the endorsement of Ausfwerks.
http://ausfwerks.com//store/mig/main.html
SST, the above link was working as of this morning when I posted this, so should be good to go.
LMFAO!!! [(-D][bow]
doog:LMFAO…huh[%-)]
I know I should know what that acronym stands for, but I don’t[D)], help me out would ya’[#dots]
“Laughing My F*ing A Off!” LMFAO! [(-D]
I think $7.50 IS the going retail for such things. I was at my LHS today and loaded up my arms with goodies…then put stuff back when I got my mind around the cost of some of that specialty stuff.
The free dirt is is a great concept, and makes me glad I started modeling back before all this stuff was around. Sifting almost any soil with the right size sieve will give you what you need. , But Karl is probably right… err on the side of caution with raw soil. Go for the barren, sunbaked stuff. Another place you can look for very fine, sandy stuff is on the side of the roadway and in gutters. Both are places where water and wind and grinding do their work for you.
In fact, this lead to a whole mindset. I call it my “miniature radar”. Kitty litter makes good rocks, guitar strings good air hoses, and so on. Try this:
Have a crawl around on your belly and really look “small” at things in nature. There are all sorts of free things that can fit into a diorama or modeling setting just waiting for you. Things like weeds and lichens and even twigs can be seen “small,” and take on a whole new visage this way.
The best part? You normally dont have to look farther than your front yard.
Fixed now, thanks to Bill for posting the direct link to the MIG page.
SMJ - I was going to shoot you over to Ausfwerks as well…but it appears I’m not the only one who has that fine site bookmarked. Heh. [;)]
I’ve got plenty of free dirt on my property you can have, btw…bring a pickaxe though. You’re going to have to fight the ice/snow layer for it! [}:)]
two good hands dictate that i make my own pigments.rust comes from rust .box of earth tone pastels is 7.00$.imagination priceless.my credo :if you can’t make it, you don’t need it,and by that i mean things like weathering powders.nature offers more to you than you realize.
MIG pigments are way overpriced. Their rust colors are useful (and vietnam dirt), those are pain to mix. For dirt and smoke, I use w&n soft pastel, buck per stick from art stores, then oil wash it to the right color.