hey, im thinking of building a dio in the winter season but i dont know what to use for the snow! so i thought i would ask you guys if you could give me some help please

Hi,
Ive just built my 1st dio, a winter scene and im very happy with it. I used bicarbonate of soda. Looks well because the crystals catch the light, like frost.
Heres what i did
http://groups.msn.com/armorama/myfirstdio.msnw
http://groups.msn.com/armorama/finisheddiorama.msnw
hope this helps you,
Martin

Ola MAr

This might be of Help
Distraction Step by Step

It`s a snow dio that I finished a couple of weeks ago and on the 6th page I tell how I made the snow in the dio

and this is from the whole campaign where the dio from the article was in
https://armorama.kitmaker.net/modules.php?set_albumName=Winter-Dio-Contest&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php
So maybe for inspiration and the use of snow

I too had an entry in the Winter Campaign. I took a more 'off the shelf' approach. I used a product called - get this - SNOW. It is made by woodland scenic and is very easy to use. You put down a coat of water/white glue mix and sprinkle on the snow. It is a bit of work to get drifts and depth, so plan ahead and build up a good base of styrofoam underneither first.
I found the stuff at a hobby store in the rail road section!

"Snow" that you can buy in a hobby shop is known as micro balloons.....Micro balloons are sold in plastic shops by the pail full for less than it costs to buy a small bag of it in the hobby shop......they work the best out of everything I have ever used throughout the years.....the choice where you buy it is totally up to you....and how thick your wallet is.

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Just a word of warning here : only use microballoons outside or in a well-ventilated area. They are extremely light and they spread around the room faster than a SARS virus.
Not only are they hell to clean up (they blow straigth through the vacuum cleaner !), they irritate your eyes and respiration.
At least wear a protective mask with carbon filter and shield your eyes, and KEEP THIS STUFF AWAY FROM KIDS AND PETS.

And yes, microballoons DO look good to make snow. But I won't touch them anymore since my last encounter. i had swollen eyes for a whole week.
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You could use plaster of paris. Mix it with water then pour it out like a cream

I used alum that I got at my local pharmacy.

I was pleased with the results.

Patrick

I have had the best results with microballoons! Baking soda will also work
Good luck!

You could go to Michaels and look for Ralistic Snow. It goes on just like the name says.

Ola Houdini

Another thing you could use very good for snow is the Busch snow that they sell in railroadmodelingshops. It`s a powder that you mix with water and then you can add it to your dio with a brush.. I have bought it in Germany a couple of months ago and I have tested with it but it looks really good and it`s easy to work with

I never did a winter dio before but I noticed that Backing Soda is till in use by most.




Call me stupid, but what is alum?

I have used both the SNOW product from Woodland Scenics as well as banking soda. I must say that baking soda seemed to work better. Soda layers stuck together better and after spraying with hairspray it all settled nicely.

I'm gonna have to play dumb too, Ronny. I don't know what it is used for, but I read in FSM years ago to use it for snow. So, I went down to my local pharmacy and got a big bottle of it for $1.17. Don't know what in the world you do with it, but it looks good.

Patrick

When I worked for International Paper I know that they used alum in paper production. I also know it can be used to tan animal hides. I have no idea what medicinal uses it would have, though. Walgreens must have a lot of Mountain Men as customers I suppose.

Greg B.

Alum is otherwise known as aluminum sulfate. It is used as a coagulant in potable water processing, as a binder in the paper industry, as a clarifiying agent in the beverage industry, as a clumping agent in cat litter, as a setting agent in the dye and clothing industry, to turn hydrangeas blue in the garden (lowers soil pH), it can be found in baking soda and icing sugar to keep them powdery, it is used to tan hides, and lots of other things.

the cheapway isto use baking soda and white glue. you can mix this two and you'll have frozen snow or put white glue and just sprinkle over the baking soda. the efect is very realistic and in time is not yelowishing.
enjoy, Sebastian

Here in the Philippines, alum is comonly known as "tawas"...

We use it as Anti-Perspirant and Deodorant... Also used to cure some mouth sores and problems..^_^

Try eating it and your taste buds won't taste anything for week..^_^