I would like to know how you make realistic looking glaciers. The ones on the models of Mt. Rainer and Mt. St. Helens are passable, but too smooth and glossy.
No guarentee as to the results, but the idea that popped into my head would be to pour melted parrifin over Christmas tinsel on a level surface and, after it sets up put it in position, hiding the
edges with simulated snow. In fact, depending on the installed angle, a little snow might well have accumulated on the surface of said glacier.
Little Jack
Another technique would be to mix a couple of sizes of ballast in with white spackling paste. Spread liberally with a knife over the area to be covered by the glacier. Don't be too careful, glaciers
aren't neat and clean. In this case, I would use the regular spackle, and spread it thick so it will crack. The cracks in too-thick spackle look just like the cracks and crevices that form in the
surface of a glacier. If the spackle is too grey, add a little white paint power when you mix in the ballast.
Let dry.
When dry, sprinke ballast along the edges, and completly cover the front edge. Spread tallus of various sizes along the bottom of the front edge. If the glacier ends in water, you'll need to add a
little blue wash (use fountain pen ink diluted with water--it's about the right color, and mostly water anyway). Let the wash concentrate in the crevices.
If the glacier ends on the ground, and is receeding, then make sure the area if front of the glacier is just dirt and rock.
I've never tried this. The idea occured to me while reading and thinking about Jack's response. I don't have any mountains that are high enough to warrant a glacier, but it'd sure be worth a try.
Scott Whitmire
I want to incorporate a frozen lake with ice skaters. Does anybody have any ideas on producing realistic looking ice?
Environtex with a few drops of Titanium White Acrylic Paint added during mixing does a pretty nice job.
Don Cardiff
Sand blasting a sheet of plastic is an idea. Glass might work too, or you could try a chemical treatment, like paint thinner (mineral spirits, acetone, etc.) on plastic, but I think the sandblasting
would be best.
pumper
You can buy frosted glass at your home center...they'll even cut it to size for you...looks just like ice... :))
big john... :))
The sandblasting technique would be the most effective - provided the plastic is mounted in the "lake" frosted side down. From an aerial perspective (and the way we see our models), real frozen lakes
have a very reflective surface immediately backed by a diffuse whitish appearance. Ground/frosted glass won't provide such an appearance whether mounted frosted side up or down (the latter because of
its thickness). Neihter will white plexiglass, as it's reflective surface is too "flat" with regard to reflectivity. The Envirotex, colored with a small amount of white or slightly whitish-grey
paint, might be affective, however.
To really bring out the effect of a frozen lake, try mounding some snow here and there on the surface, and particularly around the edges. Or scratch in, with a fine pin, some ice skater's tracks on
the ice, along with a couple of Prieser skater figures. If you're layout depicts the 1930's or earlier, a really neat idea would be to model some ice harvesting in progress. It would tie in very
nicely with the RR.
jbortle
I was wondering if anyone could tell me how to make snow for a diorama...... any help would be appreciated.
The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet - Free! Spread white glue over the area and cover it with Wondra flour - the nice fine-sifted stuff.
Tom Cleaver
My wife found a product called Snow-Tex by DecoArt, at a department store. The stuff is about as thick as marshmallow cream. It spreads OK and dries 2-6 hrs.
Chuck Ryan
I did a winter diorama using styrofoam as the base and then used Woodland Scenics's Flex Paste as a cover (it llooks sorta like stiff whipped cream. I also used Snow-tex and Duncans Glitter Gloss to
give the snow a slight sparkle. To get the effect of freshly fallen snow I used window decorating spray snow and fogged it on from about 3ft above the base. This is a fairly peminent material, after
about 5 years the diorama still looks not too bad.
Carl
I have had very good results using salt. Mix water into table salt until you get a paste like substance then just spoon it on and it will when dry stay where you put it. It also has a glittery effect
like snow. And its cheap.
Scott
A common technique in model railroad dioramas for photography is to use baking soda sifted onto the diorama. I have not actually done it myself, but most of the winter scenes shown in magazines use
this method. A recent issue of Model Railroader magazine has a contest-winning photograph of a diorama with baking powder snow. I don't know how well it works for a permanent diorama.
-Jim
Get a power sander with 150 grit sand paper and some white sheet styrene. Sand down the plastic and it makes a pure white snow. If you know a vac form modeler convince him to keep the powder..
Keith
I have a faint memory of reading something about some white powder with the characteristic "glitter" effect of snow. Plaster or some white putty should be usable for the general shape and then the
trick is to get that porous top surface. It's not always that it hangs from branches and things like in those nice X-mas postcards. Don't forget that snow easily gets dirty, footprints, exhaust soot
et.c.
Robin
That spray canned snow from Xmas time
John S. DeBoo