I'm not making anything to do with a model railway but thought this would be the place to come, i am making a small beach diorama and i am going to be making the water quite deep, maybe half an inch to 3/4 of an inch, what material would you suggest? i have woodland scenics e-z water but have heard bad reviews of it yellowing, should i do many layers of mod podge?
Deep water is easy to imply by darkening the underlying surface before your pours of whatever. But if you need deep, clear water, then consider the stinky old two-part resins. Since yours is a diorama, you can take it outside until the smell goes away if you have roommates that will object. You'll still want to do at least two and probably three pours in going that deep. That's what I did on my big river scene and it came out well.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
My only problem with EZ water was surface cracking. I never kept a layout long enough for it to yellow.
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Enviro-Tex is probably your best bet for thicker water pours. I have poured it up to 1/2 inch thick with no issues. You can add layers of additional pours for thicker water.
However, as suggested... I think it is better to imply deeper bodies of water by painting the surface before the pour.
Here is reality... deep water seems darker because light can only penetrate so far. The actual depth light can penetrate is variable by many factors. We cannot duplicate this in miniature. Light will penetrate 2" thick Enviro-Tex as easily as it does 1/4" thick Enviro-Tex. You cannot miniaturize the properties of light. So... we need to simulate this by painting the surface under the "water" to make it look deep.
I think you will end up disappointed with a deep pour of clear resin. I do not think it will look deep when you are done.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Here is reality... deep water seems darker because light can only penetrate so far ...
Your comments about why it gets darker reminds me of that Elton John song "all the science, I don't understand. It's just my job 4 days a week" Hah hah.
Well, years ago when I got SCUBA certified the training did explain that the colors of the spectrum are filtered by water and as you go deeper, you lose those colors and it affects how things look when diving. I am a scientist too (BS and MS) in Geology but there was a good deal of optics as part of my Optical Mineralogy course. But I digress.
we need to simulate this by painting the surface under the "water" make it look deep.[
Of course don't need to simulate deep water with a deep pour of Envirotex or some similar product. You can do that with acrylic paints and the put your "water" of choice over the top.
Here I've painted a river bottom with acrylics, simulating deeper parts with dark shades and lighter for the shallows near the banks. The second set of pictures I used gloss Mod Podge as my water:
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
I would definitely go with the two-part epoxy, a good finish-quality product. Envirotex should fit the bill. However, thin, double or triple poured, or deep with multiple pours, it's expensive. THAT is why most of us figure out how to paint a flat and sealed surface to look like it is deeper toward the center of the 'depression', as so many water courses and lakes are. Then, we pour at most two thin layers, maybe 1/8" thick. That's all you need. If you want it to look turbid or semi-translucent from above, throw in a small pinch of plaster of Paris powder. That is what I did, and I think it turned out reasonably well.
selectorI would definitely go with the two-part epoxy, a good finish-quality product. Envirotex should fit the bill. However, thin, double or triple poured, or deep with multiple pours, it's expensive.
While my river project represents the Rio de las Animas, it's nicknamed "The $50 River" because it cost that much. In my case, I wanted the large, deep look it provided, but it wasn't cheap.
OK, since we are just talking water modeling now... my personal favorite are the "Water Effects" line by Vallejo.
They make products for all kinds of different waters. Still, Rushing, Fast, etc. These are EXPENSIVE like eveything Vallejo makes, but the results are impressive. Easily the Best/Easiest solution for all water modelling I know of.
RR_MelI went with Magic Water for all of my water effects, Parks Super Glaze is very close to Magic Water and available at a reduced cost at your local big box store.
Thanks Mel. I have a small wetland area that I've been putting off doing.
mlehmanWhile my river project represents the Rio de las Animas, it's nicknamed "The $50 River" because it cost that much. In my case, I wanted the large, deep look it provided, but it wasn't cheap.
Hopefully, the EPA didn't contaminate it with abandoned mine drainage water...
The depth here is probably measured in thousandths of an inch. Three coats, applied with a 2" brush, of Varathane Diamond Wood Finish, a water-based polyurethane. It's applied over flat interior latex house paint, dirt brown and grey/green blended together where the colours meet, also applied with a 2" brush. The "water" is Durabond 90 patching plaster, about 1/8" thick and applied with a drywall knife over 3/8" sheathing plywood.
Here's what it looked like before the flood...
I also used the dirt-coloured paint (thinned as a wash) over all of my Durabond 90-on-screen landforms, and the grey/green paint for background trees, so the only additional expense was for the Varathane, which was also used on other water features. Easy to do, and it won't stink-up the house, either.
Wayne
Lonnie UtahHopefully, the EPA didn't contaminate it with abandoned mine drainage water...
That didn't help, but any place you stick a hole in that area of the San Juans, you'll get contaminated water draining from it because of the lead/zinc deposits. I wrote a paper about this problem as an undergrad...
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301977891_Experience_is_the_Best_Teacher_Observations_on_the_Evolution_of_Environmental_Water_Quality_Policy_in_the_Silverton_Colorado_Area