# modelling snow



## chrisb (Jan 3, 2008)

I want to surround a builiding with snow.  Any ideas for making model snow? Thanks


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## Dougald (Jan 2, 2008)

Laughing as I look outside ... the real thing has been on the ground continuously since mid November and is now waist deep after last weekend's record snowfall. Tell us why you want to model something which is so readily available 6 months of the year? 

Regards ... Doug


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

hehe I model a summer afternoon


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## Paul Norton (Jan 8, 2008)

Snow!! The man wants snow?
 








 
How many truckloads would you like? Snow has become a four letter word here.


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## San Juan (Jan 3, 2008)

Our layout used to be indoors and only came out at Christmas time.  Eventually when I started getting more into realistic modeling and a bigger and more elaborate layout, I wanted to try a snowy look.  But I wanted something that would be easy.

My mom had some quilt batting she wasn't using...well she wasn't using it after I got to it /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/hehe.gif 

So I cut up some to fit around the buildings.  Looked good enough to me.  Might be kind of funny, and not very realistic for a permanent layout, but it worked great for a removable Christmas layout.

Looking online to give some links to quilt batting, I stumbled across this stuff that is used for fake snow:

Buffalo Snow

Interesting stuff, looks a lot like quilt batting I used.

But then if you move outside where it snows, you can have scenes like this:


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## chrisb (Jan 3, 2008)

Aound my house in vermont the show is about 30 inches deep, 6 where it has come off the roof.  I'm doing a diromama
of sorts for a sugar house model i built.  Show is not a good word here unless you ski or snow mobile.


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## suleski (Jan 2, 2008)

If you are doing it for a photo shoot then Flour is a great model for snow.

If you are doing it on a module for one show they make snow in bags for the Dept 56 scenes.

Scott


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## blackburn49 (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By San Juan on 03/13/2008 3:55 PM
if you move outside where it snows, you can have scenes like this:









Now _that_ is_ my _kind of railroad scene !


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## hans911 (Jan 9, 2008)

Living in Southern Cal I have also asked this question. Usually with answers like above...."SNOW? I have 10 feet in my driveway!" I've tried a number of things and seen a number of solutions to the warm weather snow scenes. 

One was a product called Insta snow or snow powder. If you do an online search you will find it. Briefly it is a nontoxic polymer, I believe, that once water is added makes a very fluffy real looking feeling snow powder. it is not inexpensive though. 
I've also used snow flakes and the like from crafts store's around the holidays. A gentleman I know who has a beautiful Holiday display outdoors every year uses crushed marble I think and ends up vacuuming it up when he's done. 

Good luck.


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Wasn't there a guy with in indoor layout who had winter scenes? His photos could give you chills in July.


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Right after the first big snow of the year when my oldest daughter was about 4 she decided that her goldfish would like to have some snow too. So she added about a pound of laundry detergent to the tank...they didn't like it. I've cleaned that tank about 6 times over the years and whatever you put in it STILL promptly dies. 

cotton batting, spray snow, and a good imagination worked when I was a kid.


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## dawinter (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Torby on 04/02/2008 7:02 AM
Wasn't there a guy with in indoor layout who had winter scenes? His photos could give you chills in July.




Is this what your looking for? 

http://www.wvrr.ca/march05_update.htm 

If your thinking of doing something like this outside I might try the same thing with a concrete mix of some kind. Tough to do with real trees and shrubs though. 

Dave 


/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/sad.gif My 'preview' buttons don't work this morning so I hope this is readable.


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## Tom Daly (Jan 3, 2008)

Hi Dave, 
Those shots look nice. 
I always enjoy my "tours" of your railroad. 
You do nice work. 
Tom


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

I thought it was you!


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## blackburn49 (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By dawinter on 04/02/2008 7:48 AM

Posted By Torby on 04/02/2008 7:02 AM Wasn't there a guy with in indoor layout who had winter scenes? His photos could give you chills in July.

Is this what your looking for? http://www.wvrr.ca/march05_update.htm If your thinking of doing something like this outside I might try the same thing with a concrete mix of some kind. Tough to do with real trees and shrubs though. Dave /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/sad.gif" src="/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/sad.gif" /> My 'preview' buttons don't work this morning so I hope this is readable.




Wow. What a great effect ! Love it !


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## dawinter (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By blackburn49 on 04/02/2008 6:39 PM
Posted By dawinter on 04/02/2008 7:48 AM

Posted By Torby on 04/02/2008 7:02 AM Wasn't there a guy with in indoor layout who had winter scenes? His photos could give you chills in July.

Is this what your looking for? http://www.wvrr.ca/march05_update.htm If your thinking of doing something like this outside I might try the same thing with a concrete mix of some kind. Tough to do with real trees and shrubs though. Dave /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/sad.gif" border=0>" src="/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/sad.gif" /> My 'preview' buttons don't work this morning so I hope this is readable.




Wow. What a great effect ! Love it ! 














Thanks 

I'd expect you would be contemplating at least a little bit of a snow scene up there. It's not fun I can tell you that. I still have about 10 feet to do at the opposite corner of the room. 

Dave


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## astrayelmgod (Jan 2, 2008)

I needed snow for a photo shoot last year. I ended up using table salt. Better than flour because it sparkles like real snow. Better than the polymer stuff because the flakes are much closer to scale. Nobody mentioned instant mashed potato flakes, but they are too big, and not very realistic close up. 

Of course, nothing is perfect. I had to be very careful to only put the salt on my rocks, and had to vacuum it up immediately afterwards. If I could figure out how to post pictures here, I would.


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## lathroum (Jan 2, 2008)

what did you use for the snow?


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## astrayelmgod (Jan 2, 2008)

Table salt.


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## dawinter (Jan 2, 2008)

I just used a watery plaster but that had a 'flat' look that needed something. I found a white sparkle product at a ceramics shop that gave it the shiny look I needed.


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