I've finished the river.
Step 1) Acrylics used to give impression of a river bottom with shallower area's in the insides of the river bends.
Step 2) Applie Mod Podge in thick blobs and blended together and poked with a brush to give a wavey surface.
Step 3) It took a good 48 hours before the thicker parts of the Mod Podge started loosing the milky color. As some have reported, I got some bubbles, especially under the thicker parts, but over all it came out pretty decent. My guess is the rougher parts of the surface where the acrylics were blended by blotting with a brush acted as nucleation sites where bubbles formed. I'm going to keep this but next time I make a river, I may try to cover the acrylics with something that leaves a smooth surface first before applying the Mod Podge, which will hopefully minimize bubbles.
Still, for a first effort, I think it came out pretty decent. Thank you to Rob Spangler for sharing your methods and thoughts.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Just from my own experience, it needs another 72 hours of cure time to get perfectly translucent. It's not there yet. And that's if the ambient humidity is below 66% or so. Also, from my own experience, it may look a bit coarse, not very colourful...maybe not what you expected? Fear not, intrepid modeler! Once you get your scenery completed with a variety of ground foams and light flocking, especially a mix of lighter and darker greens, and some trees, you'll suddenly feel a burst of pride unlike what you may feel now. Believe me, it will be a great scene.
So, congratulations, first for trying it, then persisting despite maybe some dread that it wasn't going to turn out, and then posting your product for us to see. I don't think my first one turned out anywhere near as well.
Thanks! I put the Mod Podge down last Monday and took those photo's this morning, so it's been 48 + 72 hours now = 120 total. Hopefully it will get more translucent but I think there are fine bubbles giving the thicker parts less tranclucence but I could be wrong and maybe there is still more curing?
I've got the dehumidifier set at 50% and it's not come on much so I think the room is at or below 50% humidity.
Probably it's a good point that as other scenery materials are added, some vegitation along the shore etc. it's going to improve the overall appearance. There is a topic over at MRH where I was reading up on water before getting started. The title of the topic is "Water Scares Me". So I did go into this with a little trepidation and caution determined to at least go at it informed and try to make the best go of it. It's a 1st effort and overall I'm fairly pleased. I've certainly seen other examples I didn't want to replicate either.
Hopefully this will help others by adding more experiences to review. The river bed colors were good and I've learned enough to try some different things with that method to try variations in the future. The river surface looks good to me although my wife feels the waves are a bit too big, almost more like a rapids, maybe without white caps. Considering the scale, I may try to go a bit lighter making waves in a future river.
Next time don't be too consistant with the waves, real rivers will ussually have flat spots here and there, over all it will look great when you finish everything.
I am overall satisfied with how the waves came out so I don't think I'll change anything next time other than make them a little smaller.
Looks pretty convincing to me. Good work, Rio!
Stu
Streamlined steam, oh, what a dream!!
Nice work. The milkiness should eventually subside if it is not an accumlation of tiny bubbles, and as others have mentioned higher humidity levels effect curing. And also as other's have mentioned when the whole scene comes together with vegetation and detail it's going to be very, very pleasing to the eye.
Thanks and regards, Peter
riogrande5761 I am overall satisfied with how the waves came out so I don't think I'll change anything next time other than make them a little smaller.
You already know you're not married to this...anything can be changed. My first pour was dead flat because all I used was a two-part epoxy. Later, I got bold and mixed a third layer of the epoxy, but this time I added a small pinch of plaster powder and a single drop of Hauder Green mixed with a half-drop of yellow acrylic craft paints. It, of course, dried flat...again. Like a glass countertop. Part of my new approach to this now-two-year-old scene was to make it wavy, and when I added the stippled gel gloss medium in a single application, I was gratified.
This was all a preamble to my "...You're not married to anything..." statement above. If you decide to have another go, just pour a slightly dilute solution water and Mod Podge, on the surface to fill in some of the depth of the waves you will probably conclude are a bit coarse, as I said in my first reply. When that dries, you may find the result better to your tastes. Wait a bit, though, maybe a couple of months. See how you feel about it when it's part of a grander scheme.
I waited two years! (...too long, it happens.)
Hah hah, in two years my wife will be looking to move so this 10x18' layout is a practice layout to let me run some trains and test and develope scenery skills and methods.
I put on my reading glasses and they are bubbles galore for sure so the semi-opaque appearance is concentrations of bubbles. Considering I'll probably only have another year or year and a half to work on the layout before it gets dismantled, I'll call this good enough for now and work on other scenery etc. and keep in mind what worked and what needs tweaked.
Looks good. I did some experimenting last year with different products trying to get around the bubbles , for some reason the perhaps new formula of modge podge develops bubbles where as in earlier years it never did. During my experiments if I remember correctly I was able to peel off the layer of modge po I had applied to my envirotex base. My buddy experimenting on his layout with the modge podge found if he diluted with water and applied with a dropper that he got better result.
Lynn
Present Layout progress
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/p/290127/3372174.aspx#3372174
riogrande5761I'll call this good enough for now and work on other scenery etc.
That fits perfectly with my philosophy of "don't do anything over until you've done it all the first time".
Maybe it's not rio grande, but it's rio suficientemente bueno.
I have the right to remain silent. By posting here I have given up that right and accept that anything I say can and will be used as evidence to critique me.
wickmanfor some reason the perhaps new formula of modge podge develops bubbles where as in earlier years it never did. During my experiments if I remember correctly I was able to peel off the layer of modge po I had applied to my envirotex base. My buddy experimenting on his layout with the modge podge found if he diluted with water and applied with a dropper that he got better result.
Soooo where can I find old formula Mod Podge? It might be worth diluting it a bit and experimenting in the future. Thoughts worth pursueing.
If it were stirred, or during excessive stippling action, it would get air mixed into it. The epoxies certainly get tiny bubbles in them, but many of them self-destruct within a few minutes of pouring. For those that seem to linger beyond about five minutes, a soda straw takes care of them very quickly. Simply breath slowly out through the straw with the lower end of the straw held about 2" above the surface. The bubbles disappear as if by magic instantly. Perhaps it is the same for Mod Podge if/when bubbles appear. They have never appeared for me in Mod Podge, but...who knows.
It says on the Modge Podge container to add a coat or two of clear acrylic sealer to cured product in order to prevent tackiness.
reklein It says on the Modge Podge container to add a coat or two of clear acrylic sealer to cured product in order to prevent tackiness.
I noticed the surface is slightly tacky, but the bigger concern was tiny bubbles in the "body" of the Mod Podge which gives a slightly cloudy appearance under some of the thicker waves.
I do suspect that a relatively rough surface from blotting with a brush to get the acrylics to blend likely provides nucleation sites for bubbles to form.
What would be an ideal acrylic sealer?
selector If it were stirred, or during excessive stippling action, it would get air mixed into it. The epoxies certainly get tiny bubbles in them, but many of them self-destruct within a few minutes of pouring. For those that seem to linger beyond about five minutes, a soda straw takes care of them very quickly. Simply breath slowly out through the straw with the lower end of the straw held about 2" above the surface. The bubbles disappear as if by magic instantly. Perhaps it is the same for Mod Podge if/when bubbles appear. They have never appeared for me in Mod Podge, but...who knows.
While it was wet, I was able to eliminate the majority of the visible bubbles as I was teasing with a brush to make waves. The area's that have a cloudy appearance under some of the thicker waves didn't have any visible bubbles while still wet so it wasn't something I could see to have control over while wet.
I like the looks of it, especially the way it catches the light. A friend has some water on his layout that needs a little something to bring it to life, too, so I'll send him a link to your photo.Very nicely done!
Wayne
I shut off the LED light immediately above for the photo's because there was a lot of reflection. Overall I like the way Mod Podge works and expect I'll use it again but with a thin gloss coat over the acrylics first and then apply the Mod Podge.
riogrande5761 wickman for some reason the perhaps new formula of modge podge develops bubbles where as in earlier years it never did. During my experiments if I remember correctly I was able to peel off the layer of modge po I had applied to my envirotex base. My buddy experimenting on his layout with the modge podge found if he diluted with water and applied with a dropper that he got better result. Soooo where can I find old formula Mod Podge? It might be worth diluting it a bit and experimenting in the future. Thoughts worth pursueing.
wickman for some reason the perhaps new formula of modge podge develops bubbles where as in earlier years it never did. During my experiments if I remember correctly I was able to peel off the layer of modge po I had applied to my envirotex base. My buddy experimenting on his layout with the modge podge found if he diluted with water and applied with a dropper that he got better result.
Thats an excellent question, even Dave Frary is having bubble issues.