I have a bag of it that i want to use as a small stream on the western end of Smokey Hollow. But i want to know how easy is it to use? Does it dry clear, as the pellets are a yellowish color? Whats the dry time? can i color it while it still liquid? I'd rather not splurge 17 bucks on the ready to pour stuff.
If these are the plastic pellets that have to be melted on a stove, you'd be better off going to a local hobby shop and purchasing the new Woodland Scenics Realistic Water that is in liquid form.
A club member used the EZ Water on an area of our layout and it didn't come out well at all. First, he overheated and discolored one batch. It turns brown when scorched. The rest cracked as it cooled, possibly because it was poured on too thick. We have a large lake that has big cracks and looks like sheets of ice.
It is more costly but I am totally satisfied with the results of using "Magic Water." It is one of a few "signature scenes" on my layout. I know it costs more, but water scenes tend to be such showpieces with visitors that I think it is worth it.
Dave Nelson
I don't know of anyone who has used it and is satisfied with the results. The only benefit is that it's cheap, but apparently, it's a royal pain to get it right.
That said, you don't need to splurge on the "ready to pour" sfuff. Although I have used it, it is a self-healing product, which means that it doesn't fully harden. My son once set a hot wheels car down in the pond on his layout. When I tried to pull it off, it was stuck. I got it off with a putty knife, but there was a clear impression of the bottom of the car on the surface of the lake, 4 deep holes where the wheels had been, and a gouge where I had worked the putty knife under it. These went away after a couple of months.
The biggest problem with the ready-to-pour stuff (Realistic Water) is that it collects dust and is really hard to keep clean.
You can use any and all of the following to model water:
-- Artists gloss gel or medium
-- Enviro-Tex epoxy resin
-- Polyurethane finish (such as MinWax Polycrylic)
-- Clear latex or silicone caulk
-- lots more.
In this diorama, the stream coming down the hill is gloss gel, and the river at the bottom is gloss medium poured abuot 1/8" thick.
Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford
My recommendation would be WS realistic water. I have used it on my layout and am quite pleased with the results. I think, as with any water scene, getting the base color right is of most importance.
Dave
'there's something happening here, what it is ain't exactly clear' Modeling the Hard Knox Valley Railroad in HO scale http://photos.hardknoxvalley.com/
As long as we're recommending alternatives, I'm a fan of Envirotex. It dries quite hard and smooth. It can be colored with cheap acrylic paints while liquid, and the seams between layers are invisible.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Thanks guys. Your help much appreciated. I'll just what till this weekend when my family and i are on vacation (Traverse City, they have a hobby shop).
Another thing to consider, particularly if you're on a tight budget, is the cost of these items. You'll find that Woodland Scenics and other "train products" are pretty much only found at train stores. "Generic" items like matte medium and Envirotex may be found at craft stores like Michaels or A.C. Moore.
Now, here's the deal: Craft stores are much more competitive. The sell to the ladies. Ladies love coupons. So, if you go to www.acmoore.com, you will usually find a coupon good for 40 or 50 percent off one single item. Suddenly, that $36 large size package of Envirotex Lite comes down to a much more manageable $18. Michaels has similar coupons, but I find their web site (www.michaels.com) harder to navigate. But, since they are competitive, they will accept the A.C. Moore coupons, at least around here where both have stores.
I've got to get over to one of these shops myself, to pick up some cheap jewelry chain. If they ask me what it's for, I'll tell them I'm going to use it to tie logs on to flat cars. That should leave them puzzled.
..... Bob
Beam me up, Scotty, there's no intelligent life down here. (Captain Kirk)
I reject your reality and substitute my own. (Adam Savage)
Resistance is not futile--it is voltage divided by current.
Woodland Scenics Realistic Water that is in liquid form.
I used this for a pond on an N scale layout... it worked great... looked perfect... for about a month then it turned cloudy? I don't know why....just walked in one day and the pond looked like it had fog under the water? weird.
The Skipper
CEO Gulf Breeze & Holley Railroad
Thanks guys for your help. Over the weekend i bought a package of Magic Water, and i just did a pour for my stream on my Smokey Hollow Railraod. I love the stuff, real easy to use. Looks great so far.
Only major problem: some of the gravel from my streambed have decided to defy natural thinking and float. How do you guys suppose i go about fixing this?
analog kid Thanks guys for your help. Over the weekend i bought a package of Magic Water, and i just did a pour for my stream on my Smokey Hollow Railraod. I love the stuff, real easy to use. Looks great so far. Only major problem: some of the gravel from my streambed have decided to defy natural thinking and float. How do you guys suppose i go about fixing this?
Unfortunately, you're already too late for the best fix, which is make sure your scenery materials are well fastened to the layout before you pour.
If the Magic Water hasn't set yet, take a toothpick and shove it back to the bottom of the river. Otherwise, cut it out with a hobby knife and patch the hole. You will never be happy with the appearance of your river if it has floating rocks in it.
Grrr. More problems. Looks like this Magic Water is doing its magic thing: disappearing. The past 4 hours i've been battling a leak in my riverbed that i can't find!!! The stuffs been oozing out around my cofferdam at the end of the stream for some time now. my original depth of around 4/8th of an inch (not sure if thats good or not) has steadily dropped to close to 7/16ths of an inch deep, with no signs of stopping.
HELP!
analog kid Grrr. More problems. Looks like this Magic Water is doing its magic thing: disappearing. The past 4 hours i've been battling a leak in my riverbed that i can't find!!! The stuffs been oozing out around my cofferdam at the end of the stream for some time now. my original depth of around 4/8th of an inch (not sure if thats good or not) has steadily dropped to close to 7/16ths of an inch deep, with no signs of stopping. HELP!
So, let me see if I've got this right. In 4 hours, the level of the stream has dropped 1/16 of an inch?
The stuff shrinks a little when it dries. Are you absolutely certain you have a leak? How did you make your cofferdam? I generally use a piece of styrene (modeling plastic) held in place with duck tape.
Still, you're not supposed to pour the stuff deeper than 1/8" on each pour. If you need a depth greater than that, make successive pours after the first has cured (24+ hrs). That said, I'm not sure why you'd WANT a water scene deeper than that. You should simulate depth using paint, not actually model the depth.
Go fix your floating rocks, and let the stuff set. THEN if you don't have enough "water" in your water feature, pour another layer in.
My stream had a detailed bottom that i wanted to partially display. I did use scrap styrene as cofferdams. The box said that i could pour Magic Water as deep as i wanted to without layering. And as proof of a leak, i went down stairs about an hour ago to check how it was setting, and discovered a puddle of thick, brownish goo on the newspaper i had spread out to catch any messes.
Good news is that the rocks issue has been resolved. No more floating rocks. About a third of the Magic Water leaked out, but it did better reveal the riverbed, so it now looks much more realistic. All in all, it was not a complete loss. The river is now about as thick as caramel, so no more worry about the leak. The river looks great, and i know now what i need to do next time. Any way, i once again thank everybody for your time.
Theres always a first for everything.
P.S. I should get a Photobucket thingy or what ever that is so i could show how it turned out.
analog kid My stream had a detailed bottom that i wanted to partially display. I did use scrap styrene as cofferdams. The box said that i could pour Magic Water as deep as i wanted to without layering. And as proof of a leak, i went down stairs about an hour ago to check how it was setting, and discovered a puddle of thick, brownish goo on the newspaper i had spread out to catch any messes. Good news is that the rocks issue has been resolved. No more floating rocks. About a third of the Magic Water leaked out, but it did better reveal the riverbed, so it now looks much more realistic. All in all, it was not a complete loss. The river is now about as thick as caramel, so no more worry about the leak. The river looks great, and i know now what i need to do next time. Any way, i once again thank everybody for your time. Theres always a first for everything. P.S. I should get a Photobucket thingy or what ever that is so i could show how it turned out.
Yes, sign up for Photobucket (it's free) and post some photos. We'd love to see your work.
It sounds like your first attempt at modelling water came out a lot better than mine.
And while you CAN pour these materials as thick as you want, they take forrever to dry that way (am I right that yours hadn't fully cured after 3 days?). I find it better to use several thin layers.
CTValleyRR And while you CAN pour these materials as thick as you want, they take forrever to dry that way (am I right that yours hadn't fully cured after 3 days?). I find it better to use several thin layers.
While some materials may work OK if poured thick, others do not. Envirotex, in particular, should be poured in thin layers. I use about 1/8 of an inch. There is no visible seam between layers.
As a test, I did a small test pour of Envirotex about an inch deep. As it cured, it trapped air bubbles near the bottom. It looked more like 7-UP than water.