How should I make mud using putty? I have Squadron's green putty, and Testor's contour putty. Which should I use and how?

Thanks in advance.

hey,

I use real mud,I'll go to the backyard,scrape some dirt into a small plastic container,turn it into a fine powder,then I'll add a small amount of warm water and white school glue.mix it very well,about like tomato soup,if I'am looking for clumpy build up,I'll use less water and alittle more white glue,it'll stick,(if you want to remove it,you'll need to soak it in warm water).When it dries it be the color of dirt,no glue color at all,you want wet mud,just brush on some gloss coat,it'll look alittle darker and damp looking.

Joe

I go for real mud every time. I collect it from the garden in a plastic container and dry it for a couple of days then crush it with a spoon. I then sieve it into another container to get all the crap out of it. Its free and looks like mud becuase it is

Same here. I went around my area and have bottles of filtered dirt in several colors / shades The other added benefit is you get texture

Pre mixed, really cheap, simple to use, sticks like a rock, dries flat, and you can mix in anything you like for texture. I use static grass, saw dust, rail rail ballast. Dries pretty fast, and just don't thin too much as it will turn whitish, so mix up small batches. I apply with those wonderful, "good for nothing other than stippling armor texture and appling this mixture" brushes from Testors. If the bristles are to long, simply cut them down with a razor blade.

I dont have a back garden or front garden for that matter ... so I use powdered spackel as my base. Then add white glue diluted with a little water, acrylic brown colour and static grass. Then stipple it in place with an old useless brush. Can be cleaned off easily if your not happy with it.
Just before drying, I stipple it again with different colour pigments. this dries very flat and looks good for dried mud ... then add somemore over it with a little gloss and a darker brown for fresh mud. Mixing the two gives an excellent effect!

I use plaster of paris and mix with the earth tone you like, thin to the right consistency add some lumpy bits and some stringy bits and splatter it on


Dave

Making mud depends upon whether it is for your base or spattered on the vehicle.

The guys above are generally giving methods that are good for making your base (some use them for the vehicle as well). For my bases I also like using Cell-u-clay, mixed with pigment or poster paint to get the underlying colour. Add more white glue and some small twigs, tea leaves (from a regular tea bag) and other bric a bracto provide scale texture. Mix thorougly and apply over the base. Make sure the base is sealed with a couple coats of varathane to prevent the water warping the base. The additional glue helps the celluclay stick as without it, it has a tendency to peel away from the base after drying. Once dry, add static grass and some small pebbles as required to get the look you want and then paint everything, grass included, with your airbrush.

If this is your first time, don't expect to get any of this just right. There is a large element of trial & error in getting things to look the way you want.

If you are talking about mud spatters on your vehicle, then I suggest going to an art store and picking up some Liquidtex textured acrylic medium. There are several types and the one with embedded fibres is my favourite for "thrown muck" although several of the others offer interesting texture choices. Apply the medium relatively thickly with a brush and let dry. It will become thinner as the water evaporates and the texture will stick out more. I apply this _before_ I paint the vehicle (wash the model with detergent prior to painting) to ensure the maximum adhesion to the model. Then paint over it as you paint the vehicle. Once the base coat of paint is dry, you can colour the mud as part of the weathering process.

Regarding using _ any_ of the solvent based putties to make mud, on either the base or the vehicle, just one word - DON'T. Applied thinly, they do a poor job of simulating mud. Applied thickly you run the risk of partially dissolving the underlying plastic and, because they dry over a really long period, you will almost certainly have cracks develop over time as the material continues to shrink long after you have painted it and put it on your shelf.

HTH

Paul

Paul:

Let me just say thank you for the very informative post. Though I wasn't the one who posted the question, I still took away a lot from your answer. We novices are very grateful to those who give their time to pass along their experience.


Dave

I use premixed Interior/exterior "Patch-N-Paint" lighweight spackling paste. Mix in liquid Raw Umber or Burnt Umber pigment and you get mud that you can flick, wipe or paint on anything. Cheap and easy. No organics that may appear in your ground work at a later date.
Cheers,
Charles

Humbrol matt paint+Mig's pigments for dry mud.

I use a combo of water, some tamiya thinner, tamiya red brown, and some desert sand to lighten it just a touch. I then add baby powder for substance, and for the grit I use some baking soda, arm and hammer works well. The baking soda is great to add a scale grittiness to the mud no matter what your recipe.

If I want it to look wet I spray some thinned tamiya red brown over it, couple of layers then brushing some thnned mod podge, and then a coat of future through the airbrush. Keeps it looking nice and wet.

Michael

This is my way to make mud:

http://freeforumzone.leonardo.it/viewmessaggi.aspx?f=94140&idd=567


I use wood powder mixed with glue and paint with different color of dark brown up to the lighter.

ciao
piero

Thanks for the comments, guys.




So could I use real mud to represent mud on the vehicle, or no? I'm drawn to that particular idea because it's cheap and there is no lack of fine dirt in our garden.

Sam, you have loads of good suggestions, all work, what you need to do is experiment, and find what works best for you and your style of modeling.

De nada, mi amigo. Keep that up & I'll get a swelled head.

Let's face it, experience is what you use to avoid bad things happening, however, the only way to get experience is for bad things to happen. Since the bad things have already happened to me, others might as well benefit. :-)

Paul

I have used Celluclay (paper machete) moistened with Liquitex paint. It has a very "fibery" chunky texture, and the paint color can be tailored to you choice.

Hi Samuel,

What I HEARD from a hobby shop owner many years ago, he uses tamiya putty (tube type), thin down with tamiya thinner mixed with sieved beach sand. Apply using decomissioned brushes, sprays the color later.

Frankly I haven't done it myself...You may wish to do it on the base on of your tank to test out.

Personally, I avoid using real dirt- perhaps due to humdity in tropics, I get spores growing after using real mud (BUT I must admit nothing looks better than real garden dirt).

Now I do my mud by mixing white glue with fine sawdust (mix a little detergent for better mix),mix well with some artstore acrylic color/pastel powder or pigments, apply them onto the tanks with fingers or brush (it takes some work , it may not stick as well initially (may be due to the oil residue in the sawdust from electric saws). Top mud with fresh pigments for fresh soil when curing....it dries mud color, no glue marks, its light (unlike putty and sand) and most importantly, no micro organisims and spores growing from mud in the living room. Spray light layers of gloss for wet mud

Music

I'd avoid that like the plague. The solvent based putties, when applied in layers more than about .030" (.75mm) thick take a long time to completely dry out. Years. And they keep shrinking all that time. Been there, done that, won't do it again.

You can certainly use real dirt, but the problem is getting it to stick to plastic. Once you've added a glue of any sort to the dirt, the colour has changed, so you have to paint it anyway. I like the Liquidtex method as it is still pretty cheap (a CDN$7 250ml bottle will last until you die if applied just to the models) and it is completely controllable. You get the same results each time and can develop a technique that works for you.

Also note that as a solvent based product (water is the solvent here) this stuff also shouldn't be applied too thickly, so it's not really for deep coverage on a base. Broadly and thinly over a basic structure, sure, but not more than 1-1.5mm thick. It's more flexible than model body putty, so it won't crack, but it takes a while to dry if thick.

Paul

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I tried using real mud, and I think it looks good. What do you think?



Enjoy!

So what do you guys think?

Shaping up nicely Sam.

Dave, what do you use to thin the wood filler? Is it water soluble?

Yep, water does the trick. Just a drop or two though, as too thin it loses it's color, and turns chalky whitish.