Most river-bottoms are seldom smooth because of varying currents, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. One thing, after painting and detailing the bed itself (WS makes a lot of neat 'debris' that you can use), whatever 'water' you decide to use (WS Realistic, Environtex, etc.) will find its own level and even out the bed. I used WS plaster cloth to form my river and lake beds, but only smoothed it out enough to seal the bed from leakage when I poured the water. The water (I used WS Realistic Water poured in three 1/8" layers, allowing about 48 hours between each pour) did the rest.
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
Yes, use 150 grit sandpaper and do a light smoothing of the surface. Wipe or vacuum clean. Then you can do some painting with straight acrylics right out of the bottle/tube and that will seal the surface. Or, you can do a combo of paint, especially black or very dark green toward the middle of the channel, and you can also spread some glue and sprinkle fine sand for a gravelly bottom toward the edges that will be more transparent. Then, use your medium, whether epoxy or a scenic medium, say Mod Podge, but in at least two pours, none of which is thicker than about 1/8". Be patient and let each one set completely and dry completely to non-sticky hardness...tap with finger nails to test. If you will need a large area, and some depth of 1/2" or more, count on about six or seven pours.
If you have some tiny bubbles after the pour, wait 15 minutes for them to form, rise a bit, and then blow gently across the surface with a soda straw tip at an angle just an inch above the surface. They'll disappear. If you want a wavy surface at the end, cover the surface with Gloss Gel and stipple it with a sponge or with a sponge/foam brush, the disposable kind. I used a gel which took four days for the thicker wave tips to dry clear from white.
If you want clear water, and no colouring, just use whatever as is. If you want a bit of green, use a drop of acrylic green. If you want some turbidity, a bit of opacity, add a teaspoon of Plaster of Paris well mixed into your pour.
If your "experiment" doesn't turn out, add another layer or two and cover up your error(s).
-Crandell
If you havn't scenic it yet then I would try to sand alittle and see if that makes you feel better/happier
Just me, but I'd leave it as it is and then use WS Realistic Water after painting. If the 'roughness' is too obvious then works small rocks in and create small swift flowing spots. WS has dead wood and other details that ought to fit in.
I made the river using this stuff. It's fantastic but not terribly smooth compared to the WS stuff. Should I get it smooth for a river bottom? If so, how?
Also, where to get scenery [branches, tires, bodies (LOL!)] to put in the river and how to make it float?
TIA!
Lee