Making Snow

I've used a salt and water paste before. It looks good cause it sparkles like snow. Scott There is a fine line between "Hobby" and "Mental Illness."

can of hairspray and talcum powder, easy to make a light covering, deep hard snow or wind blown drifts, used it ofr years

Wow, thanks for the quick responses.

Alan

in article snipped-for-privacy@mb-m28.aol.com, Banshee741 at snipped-for-privacy@aol.com wrote on 25/1/04 16:46:

Try going to your local optitions ,the type that make your glasses in about an hour and ask if you can have some of the wast grindings from the lens making machine. They are fine,white and sparkly and can be held down with hair spray.

Alan,

I'd suggest two different items. First, white Celluclay, when mixed smoothly, looks like a snow pack. For a dusting of snow, or a sparkly snow field, nothing beats marble dust which is what you probably saw in the model railroad section. It's non organic and so will retain its sparkle forever.

Mark

First, try Celluclay, or A&B putty, to build up your groundwork. Then lay down baking soda (with a good white glue, such as Sobo). Baking soda will not yellow, and has a "flaky" quality about it. You can even add in some salt, or very fine glass beads (used in stained-glass production, I believe) to give it a sparkle.

Tinactin foot powder which is 99% talc.

KW

My method.

Base material for the surface made from a paper towel soaked with dilute white glue. Drape this over an uneven form, eg lumps of styrofoam, to simulate uneven ground or lay the paper towel as flat ground. When dry the paper towel is very taut and strong.

Moisten the dried paper with a spray of dilute white glue again and sprinkle powdered tea leaves (as from a used tea bag) over it to cover the paper. Add your details, eg. rocks, branches, shrubbery. The add more tea leave again to make it look natural.

The snow. For the main drifts I use a slurry of Plaster of Paris. When that is dry spray it lightly with artificial snow from the Christmas Tree aerosol can stuff. The aerosol gives a random distribution of fluffy snow that looks realistic. It also settles on tiny upper surfaces like window ledges to add to the realism.

If you really need snow...I got plenty out in my front yard this morning. Where do you want me to send it?? ;~)

"The world would be a much simpler place if every one could pick and choose their obligations, but we can't and we shouldn't." Major Charles W. Whittlesey

and I can make it yellow for you ;-)

I have had good luck with lightweight spackle. It is cheap and easy to work with, and doesn't seem to yellow over the years. It is available anywhere home repair supplies are sold, anywhere from discount stores to lumberyards. For an example of a diorama I made using spackle see