I've watched quite a few diorama modeling videos from Luke Towan where he resin-casts water features and then uses Mod Podge on top to simulate currents/ripples. After applying the MP he uses his airbrush to push it around on the surface to achieve the look of water movement.
I don't have an airbrush, but has anyone tried using a small hair-dryer to achieve the same effect? I don't see why that wouldn't work although the stream of air will obviously not be as concentrated as it would be from an airbrush.
Andy
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Milwaukee native modeling the Milwaukee Road in 1950's Milwaukee.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/196857529@N03/
I saw a video long ago where the guy blew through a straw to get the effect. Just be sure to brush and floss beforehand so you don't blow chunks.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
BATMAN I saw a video long ago where the guy blew through a straw to get the effect. Just be sure to brush and floss beforehand so you don't blow chunks.
Ha!
Yes, I don't know why I didn't think of just using a straw. That's as simple as it gets.
I much prefer using a heavy gloss gel medium that you can find in art supplies. You do not have to blow to get ripples. There is also a step below this in thickness. You can brush or stipple and it will retain its shape.
We have done it with envirotex when building wargame terrain. My littoral landings were all textured like this. If I can find them I will post pictures.
I dont know why you would use an airbrush. The hose for the airbrush goes into the bottom, and that would increase the possibility the hose would touch the surface while working on it, and ruin the water.
We have used a normal "air blower" shop nozzle attached to a regulator to bring the pressure down to 10 PSI. The hose for the air nozzle goes into the rear, and it is much easier to keep the hose out of the material.
We place the terrain piece on about a 15 degree angle and blow the Envirotex uphill. As it tries to flow back down the waves become very convincing. The piece is trimmed to size after the envirotex hardens.
I would caution against doing this if any other scenery is complete. There is a good possibility you could blow loose particles of ground cover that could end up in your water.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Google Michael Cawdrey railroad art. He has some very realistic images of his models. I'm sure you can contact him.
I myself discovered gel gloss medium about 15 years ago. Wonderful stuff. It goes on white and opaque, like cold cream. The peaks will take some time to turn clear, but the rest of it will be clear and cured inside of 30 hours, depending on ambient humidity.
Kevin, out of curiosity, when you pour Envirotex (Lite) how thick do you pour it? I ultimately need a depth of about 3/4" to 1". As I understand it I will need to break these pours up into layers of 1/8" to 1/4" at most. Does this sound correct?
I looked at Woodland Scenics Deep Water Murky today but with either product I'm not sure how much coverage I will get based on the volume I have to fill, which means I'm not sure at this time how many boxes I may need..
selector Google Michael Cawdrey railroad art. He has some very realistic images of his models. I'm sure you can contact him. I myself discovered gel gloss medium about 15 years ago. Wonderful stuff. It goes on white and opaque, like cold cream. The peaks will take some time to turn clear, but the rest of it will be clear and cured inside of 30 hours, depending on ambient humidity.
Will do! Thanks. The pics here look fantastic.
The Milwaukee Road WarriorKevin, out of curiosity, when you pour Envirotex (Lite) how thick do you pour it?
I have never poured Envirotex over 1/4" thick. I do not know how (or if) a thcker pour would work.
I cannot find my Littoral Landing terrain pieces, sorry. The rules to DBA were changed a few years ago, and the board size went from 24 by 24 to 30 by 30. My pieces were too small, so I might have gotten rid of them.
The Milwaukee Road Warrior Kevin, out of curiosity, when you pour Envirotex (Lite) how thick do you pour it? I ultimately need a depth of about 3/4" to 1". As I understand it I will need to break these pours up into layers of 1/8" to 1/4" at most. Does this sound correct?
Rich
Alton Junction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Heq3varRv_Q
Edit: Also, Marklin or Martin of Sweden has a video or two where he shows how to use toilet paper with a brush to make waves, for a harbor scene.
I also do a 1/4" for each pour. To mark that amount, I put a small line with a fine ball point pen at a different point for each layour . They get covered for each layer and no one notices.
By using a straw, the carbon dioxide in your breath pops small bubbles, depending on what material was poured.
Terry