making sandbags

Two-part epoxy putty (such as "A+B") works wonders, and has about a bazillion uses in scale modeling.

As Greg said, 2-part epoxy putty. Mix it together, and roll it into a long weiner with the approximate diameter of the sacks that you want. On a firm surface, cut into lengths with a knife and leave the cuts somewhat flat. If you're stacking the sandbags, I'd suggest that you stack these while the putty is still somewhat soft to make them sit better. Let dry throughly before messing with. .

Just happened to think of something. If you find yourself at a garage sale or such, Pla-Dough made or makes a former for their product. Among the forms are a couple of "spaghetti" formers in different diameters. Using this (assuming that you could find it) could speed up your process and give you better uniformity.

you can buy those new. play dough is very much alive. and those are stock forms.

in article snipped-for-privacy@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com, ce5s97p at snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com wrote on 5/15/05 2:09 PM:

Kevin Keefe, a former member of my IPMS Chapter and an excellent armor modeler, submitted this article for our newsletter some years ago:

The following recipe is for sandbags in 1/35 scale, but you can adjust for any scale. Your materials might vary, depending on your likes or the quantity that you need to make. It is a monotonous procedure, but the results are far better than purchasing store bought sandbags.

Materials that you'll need, and remember, this is what I use and do. Your mileage may vary. I suggest trying out a few prior to installing on your diorama or vignette.

• Self-hardening clay. I use Marblex. It comes in a 5 lb. box/bag and it is safe, easy, cheap and washes up with water, sets up in about 30 minutes, fully cures in about 12 hours. Gray in color and paints up well. The only draw-back with using Marblex is that it will shrink slightly. * A hard, non-porous, smooth surface. (I use a scrap piece of lexan) - * Something with a 1/4" diameter thru hole. * X-Acto knife * A scale or ruler (I use a 6" metal scale. Nice and thin.) * Scrap piece of T-shirt * White glue (Elmer's Glue)

Roll out a length of clay to approximately to 1/4-inch in diameter. Cut this diameter into approximately 3/8-inch lengths. Flatten these lengths with T-shirt material, rounding the top surface to give them the 'burlap bag' look.

White glue the area where you are placing the sandbags. DO NOT over-glue, but make sure that you use enough to help minimize the clay shrinkage. Gently remove individual bags from work surface using thin metal scale or something similar. The thinner, the better.

Press sandbag into desired location with T-shirt material. Notice that I said 'press.' What you want to do is get the bags together as close and as tight as possible because as the clay dries, it will shrink a little. (The shrinkage works as a plus to highlight the individuality of each bag.) Touch up along the way with the T-shirt. Try and keep from touching the clay with your fingers as finger prints do not look realistic. Make sure that the bags conform to whatever surface you're applying them to. This Marblex will allow you plenty of time to do so.

Once the bags are in place, and starting to cure, you can take something like the size of a pencil point and create seams in the bags. Or if you want to get really fancy, you can create the 'necks' of the bags with drawstrings attached.

Set everything aside to dry?the more that you've made, the more drying time is required. Usually a couple of days maximum, just to insure that the 'lower levels' cure properly.

Paint, weather, dry-brush all you want. These bags are close to being rock-hard, and by far more realistic in scale and appearance than any plastic sandbags that you can buy. -- Kevin Keefe

Hope this is useful.

Pip Moss I used to feel cheap 'cause I had no signature.

question about the uniformity of sand bags. were they always flat bags? when I see on the news people putting out bags to prevent flooding, they are anything but uniform, but just bags filled with something, more pear shaped then flat like a pillow.

am thinking that just about any shape would do.

Craig

Seeing as there was never any giant "ACME Sandbag Filling Machine" uniformly filling the things....I imagine they were as random, as a bunch of guys shoveling sand into a bunch of bags could be.

:o)

Real cheap? white glue and tissues (Kleenex, etc.). Roll the tissue into desired diameter, cut to length, glue the ends with CA, soak the 'bags' with white glue. Form as the bags dry. Texture is already there so just paint and detail as needed.

-- Chuck Ryan Springfield OH

Sure. Chiclets gum. It comes in two sizes, suitable for 1/35 and 1/72. Just soak the Chiclets in water until the candy shell dissolves, and you have something that looks very like a sandbag already, even has good proportions.

You can mold and paint them, and they will eventually dry out and harden.

BTW, got this from a Sheperd Paine article, so it's not a joke.

I don't know when that change occurred, but it was well after WW2. Old sandbags were cloth bags, sown at bottom end with wide seam, filled with sand, other end doubled over, maybe pinned or clipped. At some time in later years, plastic bags, like small garbage bags began to be used. Bottom sealed, little ridge left so bottom is very smooth. Top sometimes tied with tie wrap like garbage bag. Many now yellow. But WW2, Korean vintage, maybe somewhat later, were indeed course fabric- like old cloth flour bags.

that's what I figured. I'll add this to the list of the "requirement" that invasion stripes have absolutely clean lines......

hessian.

RobG

It would be a lot cheaper to use playdough, a non toxic mix of flour, borax, salt, cooking oil and food coloring. Google it for homemade formulas.

Cheaper...yes (unless like many modelers, a supply of A+B is always at hand); but the epoxy putty is much finer-grained, adheres to your base and/or model much better...and will most likely *not* attract insects, like things made with flour...lol (re: never use flour to make "snow", unless you don't mind weevils possibly showing up in the future).

I have several wall craft models of grocery vegetables made of flourdough. They are varnished and mounted on a wood tile. They have been hanging there for something like 20 years and appear as good as the day I bought them. My initial misgiving of flour playdough was that it might crack when dry but this example belies that. As for beetle attack that is what the Borax is for. Its an effective insecticide but harmless to humans and safe enough for a tot to play with playdough. Small amounts of borax can be bought from the Chinese grocery store where it is used to preseason food. US origin Muletrain brand borax is no longer available from the regular grocery stores I partonize. You may be able to buy bulk borax from one of those new age tree hugger shops that sell them as eco-friendly substitutes for laundry detergent.

A tyoical playdough formula can be found in

Hmmmmm...I am pretty sure that the "20 Mule Train" stuff is still available here. I might look into it; as an additive for "snow". I like to use baking soda, as it won't yellow, like flour. The Borax, I assume, stays white as well; and has a "flakiness" quality similar to baking soda; so the two might make a good combination.