how to make "snow"?

lets see, ive heard od baby powder being dusted over a acrylic liquid. look around at hobbysites, they sell premade snow powder made for railroads that looks pretty good. if that doesnt float ur boat, they sell little bags of snow made for 1/35 armor, but its really pricy.

Lay down your base. Get everything in position and then spray a mixture of white glue and water on the base. Use plaster sifted through an old fashioned flour sifter. Put it on in light coats. Again spray with the glue/water to hold it down. Continue with the sifted plaster untoll you get the desired effect. Finish it off with a final coat of glue/water. After it dries blow off the dust and you now have snow.

Talc or bakingpowder sifted and applied like Berny suggested. I've used both and they work great. No discoloration.
My groundwork is contoured using celuclay then I paint it white (or dark if it is spring and you want some mud) to this I add my snow effect.

Mike

Thanks for the prompt and helpful replies.
Its is good to hear from people who are actually doing not just talking about doing.
Cheers, Pete.

i use baking soda ..the tiny crystals reflect light and it looks in scale..paint your groundwork white first .where you intend to place your snow ..use an icing sugar shaker or a fine meshed tea strainer..and sprinkle the soda over white glue...build up areas of white glue where you want your snow to "drift " my T 34 diorama.. posted here.. was done using this method.......

I start off the same way but I use a mixture of baking soda and baby powder

I don't know where you are in the world, but. I use what in the UK is called
Epsom Salts, available from any good chemist or pharmacy or drugstore or whatever. Slap down some white glue and pour the salts on. Wait for it to dry and then tilt the base to get rid of the excess. Spray over in light mist's with varnish, gloss or matt depending on what finish you want.
The result sparkles like the real stuff & looks realistic in 1/72 upwards.
Epsom salts are used to er... clear out your insides, to put it delicately, so be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling it, it's VERY EFFECTIVE!
Pete

I just had a look at the box. Epsom salts is the common name but the proper description is magnesium sulphate. Hope you have some success, now I'm off to wash my hands, just in case!

Thanks for the additional information.

Here in Australia we also call the stuff Epsom Salts and use it for a variety of things...a good clean out...helping lemon trees to fruit...soothing aching muscles in the bath and also making snow.

Wrong time of the year and the wrong side of the equator to see the real thing so all advice is greatly appreciated.

Cheers, Pete.

thanks for the advice guys it saves time looking at post threads

HEY,
It is called Epsom Salts here in the US too. I have never done a snow diorama but at my local hobby shop they have packs of fake snow that people use for scale trains and such. Not sure how it looks but u might want to check it out. Hope this helps.

Randy

Thanks Randy.
I'll get to my local shop as soon as I can...hey any excuse right?
Cheers, Pete.

I also use Baking Soda but I apply it lightly onto the model and base then spray it with hair spray. I repeat the process until I have enough snow.

Snow will look different depending on how long it has been on the ground and how deep it is. 6 inches that has been walked or driven through will have alot of mud in it vs a 4 ft drift from an overnight storm.

I did a snow diorama a few yrs ago with a PzMkIV crashing through the trees (had broken trees behind it, embedded in the tanks path as well as smaller branches that broke off and fell on the hull) with a few infantry as support. I used light weight spackling compound and just smeared it onto the base with a spatula, put a little on the tank, on rocks, in the nooks of trees, etc. I pressed the infantrymen into it alternating steps as they tromp through it. The stuff didn't shrink, looks real, is paintable and super easy to work with. Hope your build turns out as good as mine did.

Thanks for the ideas there.
Plenty of material to think about and put into place.
Cheers, Pete.

Pete for me I have found that a mixture of baking powder and baby powder work great mixed with a little white glue and then a final layer sprinkled on top

To clear some thing up:

QUOTE: then spray it with hair spray.

Do you use the Aerosol in a can or the type with the manual pump?

I remember using some of that 'snow in a can' stuff a few years back. I sprayed it into the air and let it fall naturally on the model on which I had put a thin layer of glue where I wanted the snow.

Thanks for the tip there jonasaberg.
I'll keep an eye for it here.
Cheers and thanks to everyone who replied.
Pete.