Does anyone have experience building a log pond using acrylic gloss medium to model the water? I have a MR article from Jan 1984 which describes modelling water with acrylic gloss medium, however the author describes the technique of applying the medium on a flat surface. I want to rout out approx, 3/16 of the plywood and glue "logs" to the bottom of the routed area and model the water around them. Any ideas?
I have done that using Woodland Scenics CW4510 Deep Pour Water with a slight murkey tint. Mine was about 0.5" deep. I used real tree branches for the logs and flattened them on one side to make them appear to float at the proper height. It worked well.
Charlie - Northern Colorado
David Popp built a log pond as part of the original Olympia series.
I have no experience with any Woodland Scenics products. Is it water-based material?
Dunderhead I have no experience with any Woodland Scenics products. Is it water-based material?
No, it's a two part epoxy resin. Not as easy as a water based acrylic but it gives great results. I have played with glossy acrylics like Golden brand Gloss Medium but only in thin surface coats. I'm not sure how it would behave in thicker applications like a pond. Woodland Scenics make several products specially designed to model water scenes.
This might help you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmWYv4uxCuM
My rivers etc on my layout are all gloss medium now. You start out with a flat surface like masonite and paint it to look like a river bottom and then a few coats of gloss medium. Tried the epoxy befor but didn't like the creep ect. that you get. As for logs, don't rout out a space but flatten the logs and you can place them after the water is done and if you intend to add russing water effects you can then add them.
I've been happy with Envirotex for ponds and streams, even trackside drainage ditches. I typically scoop out some of the pink foam, about a quarter to half an inch deep. Then I cover the area with plaster cloth and a thin coat of gypsolite to cover the pink bumpiness of the carved out pink foam. I paint this with craft acrylic paint, making the deeper parts darker and the shallow parts lighter. I typically add talus and small rock castings. Then I usually use three pours of Envirotex, with the first deeper pour tinted dark, the second light and the third clear. This gives the pond more of an illusion of depth. If you want a swampy look, after pouring the last coat, drip in some light green craft paint, one drop at a time, stirring and swirling the paint around in the wet Envirotex. Think of how the current would flow in your water and typically parallel that with the faint lines of green.
After the Envirotex dries, I go around the pond and add ground cover, sticks and tall grasses. This hides any resin creep up the edges.
I haven't done logs but I have put beavers In my swamp. I flattened the bottoms and painted them, and then put them in the pond right after the last pour of Envirotex. They sink down to the second level and are eventually seen to be floating half submerged in the top layer.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Thanks for the link, the video gives me some good ideas.