Using Premade Grass Tufts

[Tyriks]

So, I have some of the GW and Army Painter remade little grass tufts.  I think they're from the Badlands basing kit.  I have a couple questions about how best to use them.  

 

First, what glue should I use to put them on a base?  PVA or super glue?  I've seen both leave white residue and since it's on top of the texture paints on the base I don't want to have to do a bunch of cleanup.  

 

Secondly, should I do this before or after I seal the models?  If I do it before, do I do both the glossy top coat and the matte spray, or try to avoid it with the gloss?  I could see the top coats kind of clumping up in the grass but I could also see it helping to keep it on the base.  Any help would be appreciated!

[Subtle Discord]

If you want a really strong bond without any chance of white residue, try some 5 minute epoxy. It's a little more effort to mix it each time, but it's much stronger then PVA, gives you a bit of time to get it positioned, and it leaves no 'foggy' residue. Some white glue, used sparingly is still very usable, but just a bit weaker.

 

Adding the grass should happen after you apply any spray clear-coat to the model; the atomized paint will collect on the grass, ruining the effect otherwise.

[Tyriks]

Thanks for the help!

[Tyberos the Red Wake]

Use a tiny dab of super glue and let it dry in an open space and it won't frost. I use a dot of gel superglue and have no white residue, and even if it did, it the dot of glue is smaller than the base of the tuft. I also have Army Painter's brown dead tufts (forgot the name) and Citadel's desert basing kit that comes with yellow tufts.

 

I liked AP's tufts from the photos but when I opened the box I actually prefer Citadel's tufts as they are denser, shorter, and seem to shed less. AP's seem to have higher quality and better looking strands and more invisible sticky base, but the amount they shed and how tall and sparse they were led me to not use them.

 

I would apply them after varnishing but if you do light mists you should be able to avoid any varnish beading up or weighing the tuft strands down.

[Major_Gilbear]

You can use a small dab of superglue, and then add the tuft. However, you will need to use metal tweezers to "force" the tuft tight against the textured base so that it forms a good bond. Use of a small hairdryer also sets the superglue fast enough that it doesn't fog, as well as warming the tufts to get them to conform better. This is what I do, and I've never had issues with fogging, or losing tufts.

 

As Subtle Discord says though, do this after sealing! Otherwise, the sealants/varnishes collect on the tufts and it looks horrible.

 

Similarly, you may want to apply any weathering powders after the tufts are stuck on and fully dry, and try to keep the powders away from the tufts as best you can (you can always brush the tufts gently afterwards though). Some powder on the tufts is okay, but a lot of powder on them looks... not great.

 

Final tip is to drybrush the tufts with a little thinned paint (ivory is usually good). This is because the tufts can look quite shiny as are still made from static flock, and the gentle drybrush not only adds more colour variation/dustiness to the tufts, but also knocks back some of the shine too.