is there any tutorials to make snow using baking soda. i cant buy any aftermarket snow affects like micro balloons or anything like that so i want to try baking soda. is there a tutorial on using it. i am sure there is more then just dump so glue down and dump some baking soda down and your done

any help would be appreciated

Hi Mike

Beware of using baking soda. It will absorb moisture over a period of time and eventually discolour, becoming yellow. I would suggest you try Snow from Woodland Scenics, available from a number of hobby distributors (eg. Hobbylinc USA).
Regards
Garth

Agreed, the stuff sold for hobby use as snow works much, much better. If you want a dry-snow (powder) effect, just lay down some adhesive, either thinned white glue or spray adhesive, and then sprinkle on the snow. If you want it to look wet and slushy, mix some of the snow powder with lots of future floor wax and then slather it over a muddy diorama base or onto a muddy tank.

If you absolutely cannot buy snow-effect products, then paint your groundwork with a semigloss white paint, but don't do baking soda - you will regret it. Take a look at real snow to see how it piles up.

Hope this helps, even though it's not what you want to hear.

I've found that discoloration of bi-carbonate of soda can be easily avoided by adding a little white paint to the mix. Also sealing it with varnish/ hairspray/ or glycerin seems to work well.

I've always used bi-carbonate of soda in my dioramas and have been happy with the results.

I tried various synthetic snow scatters and materials and just didn't like them. Found the too furry or not realistic enough.

Here;s a how-to.

perfect thanks

i tried the mixture of 1 part water, 1 part white glue and 2 parts baking soda and it looks like it does in the link while wet, but how long does it take to dry. it has been sitting for a while and it is still quite wet

i have tried different mixtures and the best i could come up with doesnt look like snow, it looks like cake frosting.

can someone help with the mixture ratio, if i should apply it thin or thick??

I've tried a few different things for making snow, but the one that I like the best is spackling compound. It's cheap, easy to work with, and cleans up with water. You can use the premix and thin it if need be. I dusted it with some white paint when it was set and that is about it.

Yeah watch out for that yellow snow Sorry I know thats not helpful but I couldn't resist.

I found that baking soda won't yellow if you apply it properly, this way:
- you make a mixture of baking soda, acrylic carrier resin or clear (you can add white drywall plaster for volume and an opaque white color). You apply it with a brush.
- then, you sprinkle some baking soda on the surface while it is still wet but has taken some shape, for the crystal effect;
- wait until it dries then seal it with Future or other acrylic clear. This way it is closed from the atmosphere and won't absorb humidity, and also the crystal effect will be better.

I have made several figure bases and vignettes for the last 4-5 years this way and I could not observe any yellowing. However, if you make the snow from very old baking soda it can look pink (which is equally as annoying as yellow).

i think i may have been doing it wrong originally. i kind of covered the area, but it is was too smooth, it had no texture to it. i made it a lot thicker and it looked better. now i just need to finish the model so i can put snow on it.

i will make sure i spray something over it when finished so it doesnt yellow

screw baking soda, i just use a mix of chalk and plaster dust. work finre for me, doesnt discolour.