Looking for opinions and recommendations for water product. What have you used? Like? Don't like? If you did it again hat would you use.
Gary
Like gloss acylic varnish but then I tend to model fairly flat water. I like the control which I don't get with other products. With all products it is the prep work and underpainting that makes the real diffence.
I have nothing but praise for Magic Water from Unreal Details. It has held up well, no yellowing, and still looks great. That said, I have been careful not to bump that part of the layout. A buddy used EnviroTex near his narrowest aisleway and the bumping caused it to crack.
Dave Nelson
I'm quite satisfied with my painted Durabond rivers, with three coats of brush-applied high gloss water-based urethane...
It's easy to clean, when necessary, using the brush attachment on my shop vac (all of the bridges are removeable), and has stood up to the placement of dozens of cameras on the water's surface, not to mention tools used for layout work.
Wayne
Plexiglass can be an option in some situations and it's durable, as to realistic; that's in the eye of the beholder.
Regards, Peter
I can write you a book about things that did not work for me.
My best results have been with Envirotex that I blow with an air nozzle as it hardens, but I do not like the way it tends to wick up surrounding scenery.
I have never experience envirotex cracking.
The absolutely most realistic water can be achieved with Vallejo's line of water effects, but to do anything Model Railroad sized would cost a fortune.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Wayne and Peter,the water in your scenes is terrific.
I used Woodland Scenics Realistic Water and Water Effects,and have been happy with the results. Poured about 3 years ago,and no changes yet.
Mike
I also like Envirotex. I get it at Michael's, and use their 40% off coupon for it. If you keep the caps and screw threads clean, it has a long shelf life.
I like thin pours, several layers, and I tint each pour with a drop or two of acrylic craft paint. You must be careful to seal your riverbed or lake bed, as Envirotex will seek out small holes and drip out through them.
Envirotex dries hard and flat. I have seen one excellent water scene where the builder stayed up all night, teasing the slow-setting resin into waves, but it's probably easier to add waves later with gel.
I've never had Envirotex crack, either.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I only use epoxy covered with gel gloss medium that is stippled to make the otherwise smooth glassy surface look natural. I have used Nu Lustre 55 from Swing Paints and Envirotex. Both work and end up the same, clear and glassy...and hard if you measure and mix very thoroughly. I also add a pinch of plaster of Paris for turbitidy and a mix of two acrylic paints, a drop each of:
Hauser Green and "Yellow"
I went with Woodland Scenics Realistic Water, but never again. Takes way too long to cure and clear, and it never really hardens.
This time around, I went with Envirotex Lite, and I am extremely pleased with the results. I recently started a thread on the use of this product.
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/281865.aspx
Rich
Alton Junction
I used gloss Mod-Podge. It goes on white but dries clear. Apply several thin coats, as opposed to anything thicker than 1/8th".
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
I have to say that I think all of the water scenes in this thread are fantastic. It is very interesting to see the different methods.
Rich, your tutorial is excellent. I'm not surprised that you were a bit intimidated by the project, but the results are superb!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
This was my latest failure with water, but it was an experiment from the beginning.
I rebuilt the scene four times, and this was as good as it got.
I will be going back to Envirotex.
Hi There,
I have to say that Magic Water worked great for me. I built a N scale layout about 14 years ago (4' x 2' in a Ikea coffee table) and used this product for my water feature. I added a few drops of blue/green) to the mixture, and the color I mixed then still looks the same, no discoloration or cracking. Of course, the coffee table layout is in our living room so there are only slight temperature changes, but I would not hesitate to use the product again for a new layout.
Jeff
Since you wanted to know what doesn't work, I tried Matte Medium colored with craft paints. I was trying to achieve a Canadian Canyons look where one river runs into another of a different color.
Besides the issue of color, I had bubbles up the wazoo.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
What a timely post. Adding water is something I worry about for leaks, lack of realism, etc. This topic is worth adding as a favorite. The pictures of a train reflecting on a waterbody is quite realistic and majestic.
I used a product from Walmart, don't what it's called, but comes in a box of two equal part solutions, really dirt cheap ..It was in the floral department, and is used for clear water pours in glass or plastic jars , thickness doesn't seem to matter [in the jars up to three inches thick], and after seven years it hasn't yellowed at all ..
How about some real water? I know nothing about this, it just popped up as a suggested YT video.