Alternatives to Woodland Scenics Water

[cruikshank]

I building my first sceniced layout.  I chisled out the way of the stream and harbor.  1" foam over ply.  I laid plaster strips in the bed of the creek and harbor.  What alternatives are there to Woodland Scenics or similar plastic water.  I guess from reading I should paint the creek almost a black and not a blue, add some pebbles, and then the Water treatment whatever it is.  Thanks I did make some progress today.  Dave

[Anonymous]

You might look at "Magic Water": http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/754-100.

It's not cheap, takes at least 24 hours to cure, and you musthave a watertight area, or it will leak out before it sets up.  But it doesn't crack or discolor, either.   

[MisterBeasley]

Envirotex is a 2-part epoxy, I believe, that's available in craft stores like Michaels.  It's a lot cheaper than the WS stuff.  I've never used it, but a lot of people do and the results I've seen are really good.

[CascadeBob]

You might want to check the section on modeling water in Dave Frary's book entitled,"How to Build Realistic Model Railroad Scenery" 3rd. Edition from Kalmbach Books.  The section can be found on pages 86-97.  He discusses several different techniques for creating realistic water effects, including the use of EnviroTex.

Hope this helps,

Bob

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I know this is an old school approach, but I'm an older guy, I use gloss medium.

[nbrodar]

Enviro-Tex works well, for shallow areas with a detailed bottom.

I like acyclic gloss medium to simulate deeper areas.  I used gloss medium for this expanse:

I also use a product called Lexel to make water falls and rapids:

Nick

[cruikshank]

Thanks we are close, I'm in Reading.  Being a newbie, what is Gloss Medium, and where would one buy it?

My harbor area is about 6" x 9" x 1" deep.  is that still considered shallow ?

 

My Stream is lined with plaster cloth.  Should I plaster/spackle it to keep it from leaking, if not what should I use. 

Thanks,  Dave

 

[ft-fan]

You can get gloss medium at an arts and crafts store, like Michaels. You would spread it on with a flat brush. If you stipple it, you will get a wave-like look.

FT

[Anonymous]

Thanks we are close, I'm in Reading.  Being a newbie, what is Gloss Medium, and where would one buy it?

My harbor area is about 6" x 9" x 1" deep.  is that still considered shallow ?

 

My Stream is lined with plaster cloth.  Should I plaster/spackle it to keep it from leaking, if not what should I use. 

Thanks,  Dave
 

Since gloss medium has a consistancy of paste, I don't think the streambed needs to be water-tight. But you wouldn't fill up the whole 1" of depth - typically the application consists of many thin layers building up to maybe 1/16 - 1/8". I've only read about it so anybody with different experiences, jump right in...

[whywaites]

I used something called "Industrial glass resin" it's most likely called something different in the US but it's a 2 part resin that's used in industry for modelling purposes ( used for display purposes etc) it dries as a plastic resin but it's looks like glass. I have used it for mounting things in for an award ceremony presentation. It's also very hard wearing alot more resistant to dings than normal 2 part resin.

Shaun

[wjstix]

Gloss medium and matte medium are used by artists to seal in their paintings once they're done. They're a clear finish, if you've airbrushed using acrylic paint like Accu-Flex, their gloss finish is (as best I can tell) acrylic gloss medium.

I've used the acrylic gloss medium with good results, but yes it's not really a good choice to fill in 1" deep, though you could if you poured many layers I guess!! It's really best used in a situation where you've painted a flat area to look like water, and then are just adding a couple of top coats to it. However I have painted an area flat black and put a drop of acrylic paint into matte or gloss medium and used that to add color too.

BTW if you do choose to do layers, you can use matte medium for the early layers, it dries clear but with no shine, then use acrylic gloss for the last layer or two. Don't mix the gloss medium with water though, that removes the shine!!

1" is about 7 ft. in HO scale, you normally can't see that far down into water unless it's unusually still and clear.

The stippling for ripples in the water works really well by the way.

[mikelhh]

I made mine from clear estapol varnish poured to a depth of about 2mm over painted chipboard. No heat or fumes that way.  While it sets you can make some ripples on the surface.

 Make sure you paint it pretty dark where you want it to look deep.