Dirt roads... How do I make them!

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:) Know what you mean about a second childhood ... been going through that phase for the past 20 years! Okay, so now I feel really dumb ... in other words, keep doing what I am doing then.
 


I picked one up this morning at the grocery store during the weekly shopping trip. One was 15.00 but another was 8.00. Guess which one I got lol. So you might want to check there or Walmart in the kitchen sections might pick one up cheap with no waiting.
 
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tootnkumin said:
I thought this one on ebay would be a good one for grinding earth http://www.ebay.com/itm/White-Ceram...?pt=Kitchen_Tools_Gadgets&hash=item27e0c8e8cb Would do a better job maybe than the smaller types.

Now for the million dollar question. Which is the mortar and which the pestle. (60 seconds to answer)
Click to expand...

Toot! This set much better, and free shipping.
One you listed would be harder to use .. You want the ability to "grind" that the bowl gives you.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-HIC-Por...?pt=Kitchen_Tools_Gadgets&hash=item53fa9103e2
 
Possibly Sherrel, I've got one like the large one, use it to grind pastel sticks, thought the broader pestle in the one I showed would be better with something like dirt to get it down to a finer texture. Would be interesting to compare.
 
It look as though I a now in the market for one of these Mortar and Pestle Bowls. We have a lot, and I mean a LOT, of second hand stores around here so I might have to go scavenging one afternoon :)

Not wishing to get "too much" of topic here, but what do you guys use Chalk/Pastels for other than weathering? I was wondering if using a "grey" or mix of Grey and Brown" crushed Chalk might work for road surfaces, walking tracks and dirt roads. What do you think?
 


An earth or grayish color paint weathered with chalks should work pretty good. Then if the color is off you can adjust it by wiping it off and starting over. But you will need to seal the chalk with Dulcoat of mat medium finish to keep from smearing it.
I am about convinced that the only way to get a dirt texture fine enough not to look out of scale is with paint or something as fine as talcum powder because everything else will have grains that are far larger than 1/87th scale dirt no matter what you use. I think I'll just use the finest materials I can find or make or use paint and call it good. The materials we use or have access to are only supposed to be a representation of real dirt. There is no way possible to truly get a 1/87th scale grain of sand or dirt.
 
Your absolutely correct Tootn, trial and error and see what works for you. To me, scale is important, but I also think you have to be realistic as well and realize that not everything can be perfectly to scale. It all depends on how it actually looks in relation to the other things that are around it. If it looks right, it generally is right whether in perfect scale or not.
 
How rough a road are you trying to make? If it is fairly flat, how about using some fine sandpaper, over-painted to get the color you want. The other thing is how many "dirt" roads are actually dirt? Most I've seen are really gravel, except where you get into a farm yard where it may be dirt. Even then, the color may vary. In the mid-West, where the topsoil is fairly dark black, a dirt road may, if dried out, be some shade of dark gray. Out West, or in the Southwest, it may be more sandy color. Around an industrial area or railroad yard, grease, grime and oil, combined with cinders may have it a flat black. Just a thought...
 
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