Woodland Scenics coarse turf - grindable?!

[torqueofthedevil]

Has anyone ever tried to crush the coarse WS turf to make a finer grade? If so, did it work? 

The reason for my enquiry is as follows: I am trying to make a 1:48 diorama of a Dakota at Dien Bien Phu, and the accounts I have read describe 'clouds of orange-ochre dust' which were thrown up by the first aircraft to land. Even once the airstrip had its PSP cover, there would still have been plenty of dust around and underneath, and WS Fall Rust is probably about the right colour - but the coarse texture won't look much like 1:48 dust!

I'm new to building dioramas, so if anyone can help (or suggest an alternative material) I would be very grateful! 

[PhoenixII]

Hi Torque,

never tried to crush any Woodland Scenics, but if you want to save yourself time and mess, you could try either of these,

AMMO of Mig, MIG 3022 VIETNAM EARTH or Vietnam Ground, the latter is a larger container.

Reasonably easy to get hold of, depending where in the Country you live, BUT they can be quite expensive, this is relative, of course.

 

You could always use earth from the garden, if you happen to be in the South West, as there are areas where the soil colour is 'red'.

Place in a sealable plastic bag in a glass container and stick it in the microwave for five minutes, this will kill anything nasty living in it.

When it's cooled, take it outside or in the garage and give the bag a really good pounding, as it's the dust you want.

 

One other thing worth remembering, the dust got everywhere, uniforms, boots, packs, vehicle floors, inside fixed wing and helicopters,

tyres, wheelwells.......the list goes on and on!

 

Have fun, and hope this helps.

Paul

 

[Gorby]

As Paul says, garden soil might be an option. I cook it in the oven which not only kills the bacteria in the soil it also dries it out. You will be surprised how dusty it is when it's sieved. You could experiment with making it redder by using ground up red chalk or pastels.

[torqueofthedevil]

Brilliant, both great ideas. The soil here in Shropshire is pretty regular in colour (unlike the stone which is distinctly reddish) but it could certainly be altered. 

 

Many thanks to you both for the quick replies! 

[Gorby]

7 hours ago, torqueofthedevil said:

unlike the stone which is distinctly reddish

If that's sandstone (as I assume it is in Shropshire), you may be able to grind it down to get a reddish powder from that. I don't know how you would be able to fix it to the base and still make it look like dust. When I use soil I mix it with PVA, but that produces a damp earth or mud effect. 

I'd be interested to see the results of your experiments.

[Stromness]

If you have an artist‘s supply shop in your vicinity look for pigment powders. They come quite inexpensive and are quite effective. 

[torqueofthedevil]

On 5/7/2019 at 7:20 PM, Stromness said:

If you have an artist‘s supply shop in your vicinity look for pigment powders. They come quite inexpensive and are quite effective. 

Thank you, that is another interesting idea 

 

On 5/7/2019 at 7:40 AM, Gorby said:

If that's sandstone (as I assume it is in Shropshire), you may be able to grind it down to get a reddish powder from that. I don't know how you would be able to fix it to the base and still make it look like dust. When I use soil I mix it with PVA, but that produces a damp earth or mud effect. 

I'd be interested to see the results of your experiments.

I'll let you know what happens...unless it's a complete disaster in which case I will pretend I never asked! 

[Badder]

I once found some very fine red/orange sand dumped by builders at a fly-tip. That would be perfect I would imagine. So, my suggestion would be a visit to a builder's supplier, yard, or building site, and just scavenge a cupful or two.

But Gorby's suggestion to grind-up red sandstone (which is probably what the stuff I found was) is also a good one.

 

Rearguards,

Badder