I’m going to get started on my lumber yard scene. This is a small lumber yard that dosn’t need pavement under it. So I was wondering, can you use sand for gravel? Not the thick sand, but the fine kind(a.k.a beach sand). Can you leave the color as it is, or should I paint it a light oxide red?(If this helps my layout is based in central Wisconsin)
If it’s HO scale, I doubt it. I’ve used sand just for creating road construction scenes and that’s what it looks like, not gravel. If you get some more corse, it might work, but what I was using was fine playground sand. As far as painting, I’d glue it down first, look at it, and then decide if it needs painting. This is me assuming you have an airbrush, which is what I would use to spruce it up accordingly.
-beegle55
Get the coarser sand. It’ll look better.
It’s more like sand box sand. You can see the grains form 3 feet away. And I forgot to add, my layout is HO.
That’s builders sand, it’ll do.
I’ve got a gravel driveway. I brush away the big gravel and get at the crushed up stuff on the bottom. I sift it through a couple different mesh size strainers that I have to get the size I want. And it’s already grey. You could probably color it with some craft paint. Mix it up, let it dry and crush it up through the strainer again. I wouldn’t use it for ballast, but it works for a lot of other stuff.
I split the difference and called it playground sand, deal with it…
-beegle55
I used good ole Pensacola FLorida Beach sand on the shoulders of these roads. It was a pain to glue as it was so fine. Once in position and dried I used an india ink/alcohol wash to darken it up some. It looks decent from the 3 ft rule perspective.
By the way this Law Enforcement officer has since been painted as a Florida State Trooper. He was on loan from the county the day this photo was taken.
Terry
Here’s another shot showing the shoulder from the other side. There’s our new Trooper on the right. Busted a bunch a Hippies in the van don’t ya know.
for this N scale gravel road, Aluminum oxide sand blasting sand is what I used.
You can alwasy get some fine ballast and then grind it up with a mortar and pistle (sp?) to get it to the size you want…
I do that with fine gray talus.
Just a thought–I’d be leery of using beach or mountain river sand anywhere it might get loose and get near a motor–out here in California, our sand seems to have a lot of iron oxide in it, and it gets REALLY attracted to loco motors. I once ran a magnet through a small tub of the stuff, and the magnet was caked! I put the sand out in the rock garden in the back. If you’re using it as roadside fill and WELL away from tracks, it might be okay, but I’d be REALLY careful.
Tom
I too (as loather does, except I have a sand pit) sift sand and use the various “grades” in different applications.
My finest sifting is used as gravel on rural roads and even streets of small rural towns. My method is to lay a goodly layer of tan-ish brown latex paint down first and then, while still very wet, sift on a heavy layer of sand. I then roll this with a large dowel (kind of like using a rolling pin) and let it dry. After 24 hrs. I vacuum up the sand with a small hand vac. and recycle it for reuse with the next graveling project. I haven’t had any trouble with loose sand thus far and it seems to be “stuck” real good. But running a magnet over it could be a good move. Or…world famous, white glue and water, the “modeler’s friend” should keep it in place and out of motors!
I posted a couple of pictures over at the Beer Barn yesterday, so I won’t post here again. If you want to give a “look see” stop in at the Barn.
Yes, but do not forget to “roast” it in the microwave.
Pure sand has a lot of living in it you do not want on your layout after some month.
I once used recycled pool filter sand for ballast on a diorama, and it looked good. It was VERY fine but it had been in our pool filter all summer so it was a bit grimy for that grey/tan ballast look.
EDIT: PS it was frozen for half the winter before I brought it in.
“faraway” you mention heating the sand / soil and I’ve read this before.
I can see where this could be of benefit, but I would also think that my wet water (50 /50 water alcohol mix) and 50 /50 white glue and water, or even in the case of the gravel road with sand in the paint, would take care of anything that was “alive”.
Am I wrong in not doing the heating step? What can be the resulting bad outcome?
I wouldn’t worry.
I’ve been using real world sand, dirt and even the crap the sanding trucks dump on the roads every winter to scenic layouts and dioramas since about 1976.
No new life forms have ever spontaneously formed!
Once everything is cocooned in glue there is no problem. There is more fauna coming in thru the cracks in your house than will come out of the dirt. Magnetic particles are also encased. There is a bigger danger from steel particles from filing steel on the work bench than those in the sand.
I use paver sand. Just keep screening it to the right size.
http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/gravel/
Thank you if you visit
Harold
river_eagle, I examined your posted photograph - I will comment here that it is a fine photograph, good lighting with an absolute minimum of glare and a high saturation of color; your camera position has rendered good composition and your model scene reflects the same thing; one suggestion, however; your depth of field could be improved with a tripod and the slowest shutter speed/smallest aperture you can get; I do not own a digital camera so I’m not exactly sure just how those factors work in the digital environment - anyway, I examined your photograph and my gaze fell on the “gravel” at trackside and I said “Now that looks like gravel”; it was then that I read the caption.
I, too, am an N Scaler and it can be very difficult rendering a 160:1 - or 1:160 if you prefer - reduction in some things; I have had many (positive) comments about my scenery but I have torn out much Hydrocal® in my life trying to attain that magical “illusion” which we strive so hard to master in model railroading. I have never thought of using sand-blasting sand simulating gravel. I do know that this stuff is very, very fine and, for safety purposes, it is advised that a mask be worn when handling it. Thanks for the heads up; I’m going to try that on my new/future layout. You might comment about your method of affixing this product to your base. I would think that (undiluted) glue might be just a little on the thick side; I would, I guess, be more tempted to use a very cheap hair spray but your effect is awesome and my curiousity is piqued.
I use sand acquired locally. I live in the Southwest and
I’ve read some reports where unwanted flora came out some month later. Therefore I suggest just as a precaution to put the sand for some minutes in the microwave. It’s so simple to do would not take that additional risk.