Pumice

The idea here is to disguise the figure's base and make the whole stand look a little like a mini-diorama. Caution: it is possible to go overboard here.

I like the grey pumice from Vallejo because it's pre-mixed with glue, goes on nicely and dries hard as a rock with a nice, sandy grain to it. The one thing I don't like is the tendency to form annoying pinholes around the edge of the base. If these are a problem, it requires a second pass to cover them up. This usually happens the deeper you pile the pumice on--but remember, you don't have to cover every square inch of the stand and you don't want an even coat.

I applied it with a Starbucks wooden stirring stick I sharpened a bit. It was plenty long, so when the tip got encrusted with dried pumice, I just cut it off and carried on. You can buy a whole bagful of these sticks at Hobby Lobby...but then you wouldn't get any coffee.

If you don't want to spend the money on the pumice, you can always use sand, cat litter, model railroad scatter or grass, sawdust, dried coffee grounds...I use all of these plus acrylic patching plaster. Experiment and find a glue that works well on the metal surface.

Once the pumice is on and dry, it's time to prime.