Diorama disaster!

[Cave_Dweller]

So I'm trying my hand at making a 'nicer' diorama base that simply painting it black. I'm using these pre-routered pine bases from hobby lobby. I sanded it up and this time actually stained it with minwax, which looked very nice.

I had assumed at this point the minwax would make an impermeable seal and allow me to apply my grout and floor tile adhesive to do the groundwork.

But, I was sadly mistaken.

Two things happened:

1. The floor tile adhesive receded as it cured and broke lose from the minwax surface into a nice pancake like disc (LOL). I'm guessing it just can't adhere to the oily minwax surface.

2. I majorly screwed up and just slopped on ridiculous amounts of grout, which while drying, badly warped the shape of the wooden base. I should have known better about that, as it's happened to me before. :-[

So last night I tried letting the warped base sit in water overnight, and it seems to have reformed the wood into its original shape. I'm at work now so I'll have to see how it looks tonight when I get home.

Now, to prevent this from happening again, I've got several ideas but would love some tips from more experienced diorama makers than myself.

One idea was to paint the top of the base to give the floor tile adhesive a nice surface to adhere to, but I'm still worried the paint itself could fail to adhere to the minwax, as it seems to be hydrophobic. Maybe actual spray on primer, like automotive primer would work in this case?

Or a clear coat on the minwax? I use krylon clear coat mainly, and not sure if it's compatible with minwax either.

Thanks!

 

[Grendels]

I quit using minwax products when I bought some wood putty that never cured. I went back and read the package and right on the package in small print is states that it won't cure.

To me that is worthless.

You do need to seal up the wood if you are going to use any water based products for ground work. I have had those wood bases warp like mad from using paper mache or other such products. They also shrink up quite a bit while curing, which is not what you want. I had one base split in half when the paper mache shrunk up. It just cracked the wood.

I started using light weight spackling, with a primer base. You can tape off the sides of the base and stain and varnish only the sides.

 

[Cave_Dweller]

I've cracked a couple wooden blocks before, too. :-\

I do have some lightweight spackle, should have gone for that instead of the heavy-duty stuff. I like the floor tile adhesive and I've used it alot for my warhammer stuff. It hardens very nicely and is carvable, and very durable, but it doesn't pile up very well and shrinks a little as it cures.

So as an update, the water soak did correct the shape a bit. The base is still a little deformed, but not bent like a banana as it was earlier.

I guess I don't need absolute perfection flat surface type craftsmanship, but a diorama built on a bent pancake it a bit hard to sell. ;D

I can live with a slight amount of bowage. The question is how to build up hills. I think I might switch to a combo of insulation foam with glue, to build up the bulk, then cover it with a combo of floor tile adhesive, to seal it in, and build up the sculpted details with the light spackle.

Hopefully my neighbors won't complain about me throwing 'frisbees' into my backyard if it goes bad again.

 

[Grendels]

I would watch the insulated foam, I have used that before and found that if it is not sealed correctly it will melt when certain products touch it...

 

[Cave_Dweller]

I would watch the insulated foam, I have used that before and found that if it is not sealed correctly it will melt when certain products touch it...

Huh weird. I've sprayed automotive primer right on it with no problems. The blue and pink type of foam, although I use the blue variety now.

But the foam was definitely the way to go. I also clearcoated the bases after I fixed the shape, and they're indeed shaping up nicely. I'll have to post some pics here.

 

[Grendels]

Anything lacquer based will eat it, along with casting resin. I was pouring some clear resin on a foam base to simulate water on a diorama and it just ate up the pink foam. I didn't seal it up right.

Enamel and acrylic paints won't harm it. Automotive primer isn't lacquer based, so it works fine.