Preventing envirotex from leaking

[kasskaboose]

How to create a waterbody in the front of the layout without the envirotex leaking out the front?  Should I use calk to seal the gap, or tape, or something else?  The envirotex doesn't leak from the bottom b/c I put down plaster of paris (POP). Instead, it leaks out the front. 

Also, another part of the layout has the envirotex leak from the botton despite putting a layer of POP.  How to prevent it?  Preventing the leaks is critical b/c the envirotex product is about $25.

Thanks! 

[NVSRR]

 OST instructions I have seen have you put down a thick coat of base color paint before scenery started but after basic plaster form work is down.    For the front edge,  tape across the front then apply white glue around the outside edge of the tape       Luke Towan demonstrates many different situations of water at layouts edge in a lot of his moduals on you tube.   

shane

[selector]

New length of masking tape, the green painter's kind that has the extra surface coating that supposed to seal even better if water-based paints leak into it.  Apply across as good an outer set of surfaces as you can craft, even if you have to sand them or buff them, or scrape off something....just make sure the surface to which you will affix your masking tape doesn't make it an impossible surface to seal.

Then, if you need proof of leakage, or the seal, apply a couple of cups of 'wet' water into the prepared vessel and see if you get leaks.  Or, I would consider using my finger and running it around a thin bead of caulk set at the inner margines, wait of it to cure, and then pour you 'water' fluid.

[BigDaddy]

David Popp in the Canadian Canyons video ran a bead of caulk on the edge of the plywood and glued a piece of styrene to it.  When the water set, he cut the caulk to remove the styrene.  You get a little miniscus on the edge where the water meets the styrene.  He cut that off with a sharp blade.

[MisterBeasley]

As for the cost problem, look for coupons from Michael's.  They regularly had a weekly ad worth 40% off on one item, but that will get you a whole package of Envirotex for a substantial discount.

[richhotrain]

I used Envirotex Lite to create a large river in an urban area. The river bed was constructed of plywood. Since I had to build the river bed in sections, I used wood filler at the plywood joints and sanded the joints even with the adjoining plywood sections. I did not use Plaster of Paris or Hydrocal to form or seal the river bed. I did use paintable caulk to seal the edges. I painted the plywood river bed and then poured the Envirotex Lite.

In the following photo, the open space is the site of the river bed.

In the following photo, you can see where I applied wood filler to plywood joints, then sanded the wood filler and painted the river bed.

In the following photo, you can see where I applied caulk along the edges and then painted the caulk to match the river bed.

In the following photo, the river bed opens up to the aisle, so I needed a way to contain the Envirotex Lite. 

In the following photo, you can see the poured river, the Envirotex Lite epoxy. Rather than building some sort of dam to contain the pour, I let the Envirotex Lite spill over into a tray on the floor. There was very little waste at the edge of the layout, and there were no leaks in the bottom of the river bed.

[richhotrain]

kasskaboose

How to create a waterbody in the front of the layout without the envirotex leaking out the front?  Should I use calk to seal the gap, or tape, or something else?  The envirotex doesn't leak from the bottom b/c I put down plaster of paris (POP). Instead, it leaks out the front. 

Also, another part of the layout has the envirotex leak from the botton despite putting a layer of POP.  How to prevent it?  Preventing the leaks is critical b/c the envirotex product is about $25.

Thanks!  

What is the surface of the river bed?  Plywood? Foam?

Rich

[kasskaboose]

Fantastic pictures.  That's what I want to emulate.  Of course, not as good!

Rich: the riverbed surface is foam.  I coverered the area with Plaster of Pasis before painting it.

[mbinsewi]

Nice Rich.  The perfect color of the Chicago River!

Mike.

[richhotrain]

kasskaboose

Rich: the riverbed surface is foam.  I coverered the area with Plaster of Pasis before painting it.

Do you think that the river bed is leaking through the bottom where the foam seams meet?

One good thing about Envirotex Lite is that it flows like syrup, not like water. So, you have an opportunity, and the time, to work with it. Using something like a Popsicle stick or a paint stick, you can stop the pour short of the front of your layout and then coax the pour to the edges without much waste over the front edge.

Rich

[richhotrain]

kasskaboose

Fantastic pictures.  That's what I want to emulate.  Of course, not as good!

Rich: the riverbed surface is foam.  I coverered the area with Plaster of Pasis before painting it. 

Thanks, Mike. On my first attempt on my old layout, I used Royal Blue - - LOL. It didn't look like the Chicago River. In fact, I'm not sure what body of water it looked like. This time around, I went on Google Maps and studied the aerial views to get the color right.

Rich

[kasskaboose]

Thanks everyone for the help.  I added another layer of plaster on the bottom of one lake and calk around the edges of both.  Hopefully, that all works.

[richhotrain]

Please keep us posted on your results.

Rich