Looking for advice, or tips on making snow/ice bases

[Sugarwookie]

I\'m starting a new Space Wolf army and want to give them the snow style terrain bases. Has anyone found something to help them in the form of a guide, or have you done something similar?

I\'d appreciate any tips you might have, or links!


Thanks,

Dlol

 

[Legacy Account]

Buy some Techstar Snowflakes. Mix to a watery paste with PVA and water and slop it on. Easy.

Good tute here too:

http://www.drunkdwarves.com/pages/artttgttcn9snow.html

 

[supervike]

ayep...

I think the Tecstar stuff is the most convincing snow, but save yourself some money and just buy MICROBALLON FILLER, which is the identical product, for a fraction of the cost.

http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/pra/pra7010.htm

That 12 oz bottle will last through hundreds of snowy bases!! All less than 5 bucks.

Of course, if you can\'t find it TECHSTAR SNOWFLAKES are available in the CMON shop.

 

[Dragon Forge Design]

Originally posted by supervike
I think the Tecstar stuff is the most convincing snow, but save yourself some money and just buy MICROBALLON FILLER, which is the identical product, for a fraction of the cost.

http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/pra/pra7010.htm

That 12 oz bottle will last through hundreds of snowy bases!! All less than 5 bucks.

Of course, if you can\'t find it TECHSTAR SNOWFLAKES are available in the CMON shop.

Vike hit it on the head.. White microballoons. Look for them at hobby shops that deal with building RC model aircraft.. its used to thicken epoxy glue.

Wear a dust mask when working with the stuff as it is tiny glass beads.. you dont want to inhale them.

Techstar is just white microballoons.

Hudson and Allen if you can find it makes a nice snow and slush packages. Both have a powdered adhesive added into them so you just mix with water and apply.

If you want it to look icy, apply the microballoons with CA glue..it will look crusty/icy.

 

[mickc22]

Bi-carbonate of soda is cheaper still, mix with PVA and apply, then give a light dusting to finish off
thats how I did the base on my Shaggoth

 

[Einion]

Baking soda mixed with PVA to a stiff paste works great and even without sprinkling more onto the surface you can get a nice sparkle that looks very convincing.

One thing to watch out for though, if you apply very small dots of it can turn into little droplets over time - I used this once for sprinkled snow on the shoulders of a large-scale bust and had to remove all of it a couple of months back. A couple of the blobs of clinging snow on this figure have changed too.

Einion

 

[Dragon Forge Design]

Originally posted by Einion
Baking soda mixed with PVA to a stiff paste works great and even without sprinkling more onto the surface you can get a nice sparkle that looks very convincing.

One thing to watch out for though, if you apply very small dots of it can turn into little droplets over time - I used this once for sprinkled snow on the shoulders of a large-scale bust and had to remove all of it a couple of months back. A couple of the blobs of clinging snow on this figure have changed too.

Einion

yes you want to be careful using organic materials.. They can attract insects and can grow.. in some cases crystals. Its stick to man made materials when possible.

 

[Modderrhu]

I\'ll go with bicarb as well. A tiny touch of blue ink into the mixture will help make the snow look just that bit colder too, but please, a tiny touch, lest you have blue snow.

Bicarbonate of soda is the mineral H2CO3. I heard some people say that bicarb has yellowed after a couple of years, but I haven\'t seen that on the first snow bases I did. They\'re over two years old. My chemistry is rusty, but it is possible that CO2 and moisture in the atmosphere might react with the bicarb to produce a more stable carbonate which is very, very slightly yellow-tinged. As a precaution, seal the \'snow\' with varnish.

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by Modderrhu
Bicarbonate of soda is the mineral H2CO3. I heard some people say that bicarb has yellowed after a couple of years, but I haven\'t seen that on the first snow bases I did. They\'re over two years old.

I personally think that\'s a myth or if people have seen it it\'s caused by something other than the sodium bicarb.

I checked with a couple of different sources (including a doctoral chemist) and the other sodium salts are all white too and industrially sodium bicarbonate is stored outside and stays white indefinitely. I don\'t think it could be from atmospheric pollution (cigarette smoke for example) as I used to live with a smoker and the oldest of mine - done with the sprinkle method so the baking soda is \'naked\' on the surface - is still white and it\'s over fifteen years old now. The glue might be a cause, Elmer\'s for example is known to discolour over time.

Originally posted by Modderrhu
As a precaution, seal the \'snow\' with varnish.

For me this would defeat the purpose of using it as it would give a glazed look that doesn\'t look like snow. Besides, some varnishes yellow!

Einion

 

[airhead]

Hmm, any good chemists here? What causes the yellowing? the varnish? the PVA?

Anywho, to get the bright glittery snow look, final dust it with alum instead of bicarb or balloons. Little dab of this goes a long way.

 

[Modderrhu]

Oops, I got it wrong, sodium bicarbonate is NaCO3. I can\'t remember aqueos chemistry for the life of me. :duh:

Originally posted by Einion
I checked with a couple of different sources (including a doctoral chemist) and the other sodium salts are all white too and industrially sodium bicarbonate is stored outside and stays white indefinitely

I took a look at the box of bicarb that I used for the fish tanks, and it\'s still quite white. So I guess it\'s as I thought, the yellowing isn\'t the bicarb.

 

[minimaker]

By the way, what is microballoon filler normally used for? Filling resins or so?

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by minimaker
By the way, what is microballoon filler normally used for? Filling resins or so?

Yep, I think that may be its primary use.

Einion

 

[airhead]

Originally posted by minimaker
By the way, what is microballoon filler normally used for? Filling resins or so?

It is used to thicken epoxy mixes. Especially in making fillets as opposed to actually gluing the joing. The fillet is the radius placed in the joint for additional strength - often with more glass fabric too. Another alternative, but less stable than microballoons is wood flour (basicly sawdust). but that is not usable as snow.

 

[supervike]

Normally?

Originally posted by minimaker
By the way, what is microballoon filler normally used for? Filling resins or so?

I guess that depends on who you ask...

I normally use it for snow!!lol

 

[Modderrhu]

Originally posted by airhead

Originally posted by minimaker
By the way, what is microballoon filler normally used for? Filling resins or so?

It is used to thicken epoxy mixes.

Wait, wait... I\'ve had a bag of very, very finely ground >>wollastonite<< which I have been using to thicken epoxies. It\'s a very light beige colour. Is it the same stuff? ???

 

[airhead]

Doubt it, Microballoons are hollow phenolic glass spheres (Silica). VERY light. A quart jar ways something less than an ounce. (liter just a few grams). You pick up the container and swear it is empty.

But it sounds like it is a similar product.

 

[Ogrebane]

I use Bicarb and put a tiny dot of blue paint to stop the snow going yellow. All my ogres have this as a base as well as an entire army of Kislevs. I also paint over the top of the snow with a mix of PVA and white paint to make the snow base solid.

 

[Sanitarium]

For snow I usually use some thin sand and paint it with a blue ink or normal dark blue (regal blue would do fine) colour with 60% of water, then drybrush it with space wolves grey and finally with skull white (don\'t need to shade it too much).