Snowy Bases

[fieldarchy]

Ok, I just came back from a small hobby shop here in PHX. I was told to go there to get some basing materials for my minis by the owners of my FLGS. When I went there and spoke with the owner of the hobby shop and asked about snow he said to go get a $0.50 box of Arm & Hammer baking soda and use that as snow. He said it is much cheaper and what you buy from hobby shops is really the same thing.

 

Has anyone tried this approach before? I thought it was kind of interesting but I have been using corn meal to get sand and a dirt look on my bases. Maybe baking soda does work for snow. . .

[Froggy the Great]

I've heard people used baking soda for good effect. I have a product called Snow-tex by DecoArt. It's like this paste you spread on. I find it incredibly fiddly, but it works best of what I've tried. I've got Woodland Scenics snow flock, but I haven't figured out how to use it.

 

Another thing you can do for an early-spring look is to do your base with zap-a-gap, and then spray dullcote on the mini before the glue is dried so it'll frost

 

Here's one mini where this happened unintentionally, but I've done it on purpose on a few others to good effect:

[dargrin]

I have a product called Snow-tex by DecoArt. It's like this paste you spread on. I find it incredibly fiddly, but it works best of what I've tried.

Fiddy?

[thrush65]

I've know some modelers who use baking soda with good effect. My preference is "Techstar snowflakes" or Top Flite Microballoons Filler. Microballoons are tiny silicate glass beads used to make epoxy joints lighter on RC planes. Mix with epoxy to make a paste and then sprinkle extra dry balloons on top for a powder snow effect with some sparkle to it.

Snow base

[styates]

Anastrianna did a pretty nice snowy base on a fairy not too long ago. If she doesn't chime in here, PM her and ask her what she used.

[prophet118]

personally, i used baking soda and some normal glue... mixed em together..

 

i didnt get much past this stage, sorry..lol

[Enchantra]

You know, I would think the baking soda would dissolve. Baking soda is essentially a salt. What happens when salt hits water? It dissolves. PVA glue has a high water content.

 

I use either snow tex, or liquitex resin bead medium.

 

The resin bead medium is almost clear when dry, so I paint it a very very light grey and then drybrush in white.

[eastman]

You know, I would think the baking soda would dissolve. Baking soda is essentially a salt. What happens when salt hits water? It dissolves. PVA glue has a high water content.

for a snow base, the paste made up from a little PVA glue and a lot of baking soda will be beyond the saturation point.

 

even if some of it does dissolve, when the water evaporates, it will recrystalize.

[prophet118]

yeh, i took like a big healthy bit of glue and some eqaully healthy bits of glue

 

mixed with a popsicle stick, smeared on... when it dried it was kinda ridgy, but i was gonna use it for a desert base anyway..lol

[Rodnik]

Here's a quick one I did for Newbold Enterprises using a baking soda/pva mix. A little "not so known" trick is to crush light bulbs and put the glass in the mix/on the surface---it gives a nice sparkle under light.

 

[Wren]

Here are some links to a couple of tutorials on making snow bases with baking soda.

 

link one

link two

 

I got a canister of the Woodland Scenics snow on sale recently, and the instructions are to glue, sprinkle snow, repeat until desired thickness/look is achieved. I don't see why you couldn't try the same experiment with baking soda. The one snow base I've done, I wanted a new-fallen light snow look. I used a product I found in a craft store called Alene's True Snow. It's a thick paste. I used a smallish brush and just dabbed/scrubbed it on lightly over the other base materials.

[Vaitalla]

I've know some modelers who use baking soda with good effect. My preference is "Techstar snowflakes" or Top Flite Microballoons Filler. Microballoons are tiny silicate glass beads used to make epoxy joints lighter on RC planes. Mix with epoxy to make a paste and then sprinkle extra dry balloons on top for a powder snow effect with some sparkle to it.

Yep, TechStar Snowflakes, or, as we like to call it here, "Toxic Snow". Not good to breathe this stuff in! Make sure you use a ventilation mask or go outside to use it and make sure the wind isn't blowing it into your face. :P

 

--Anne

[fieldarchy]

Thanks everyone. The baking soda trick didn't work but luckily it was a base for a familiar that was easy to do, not a complicated miniature. Techstar seems to be what the majority recommends. Hmmmm . . . where to get some?

[Vaitalla]

Jen Haley's site says to get it from www.discountmodels.com--it's not in their catalog, but she says if you email 'em they'll hook you up. At least that used to be the case; dunno if they'll still do it, but you could try. :)

 

--Anne

[thrush65]

TechstarDM

Link for Techstar snow etc at Discount Models