The 'structions on the side of the Woodland Scenics Realistic Water package state that it should be poured in depths of no more than 1/8" at a time and that no more than 3 layers (i.e. 3/8" total) should be poured.
I've only ever used it in small amounts in gulleys and ditches.
Anybody ever used more than 3/8"?
What happened?
Did the world end?
Craig
DMW
I've poured Envirotex much thicker than that in a test pour, and somewhat thicker on my layout.
This thread on Layouts and Layout Building is running right now:
http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/t/137706.aspx
When I did a very thick single test pour, over an inch, I ended up with a lot of embedded air bubbles. It looked like club soda. Since then, I've stuck to a quarter-inch or less and had no problems. Again, that's with Envirotex. Also, my "water" has only been in place for a month or so, and I haven't had time to see if there are any long-term effects.
In that same thread above is a link to Joe Fugate's scenery clinic. His water is quite a thick pour. Since it's on the layout edge, you can actually see a cross-section. Looks pretty neat.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
If their Realistic Water is still the plastic beads that have to be melted and poured on, it turns yellow and begins to crack, eventually looking like ice on a pond or lake if made too thick, especially in a building with no heat in the wintertime when unoccupied, such as our clubhouse.
The thicker you pour WS Realistic water the more it will shrink and the longer it will take to dry.
Nick
Take a Ride on the Reading with the: Reading Company Technical & Historical Society http://www.readingrailroad.org/
It would seem that Envirotex gives better results than the Woodland Scenics product.
Check out Joe Fugate's Scenery Clinic. The section on water starts with the last post at the bottom of page 4.
I have also heard of several reports of WS water going cloudy over time and having to be replaced. I have uses Magic Water with good results. http://www.unrealdetails.com/
Simon Modelling CB&Q and Wabash See my slowly evolving layout on my picturetrail site http://www.picturetrail.com/simontrains and our videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/MrCrispybake?feature=mhum
As others have stated, "WS water has many problems !". I much prefer either Magic Water, or Envirotex. By all means, read Joe Fugate's suggestions on how to create realistic water and how to hide the unrealistic "creep" of plastic water. Apparent waterr depth is achieved by color preparation of the base. Bob Hahn
I used Realistic Water over a fairly wide area about 5 years ago when I poured Bullards Bar Lake on my MR, and have had no problems with shrinkage, cracking or the water turning 'cloudy'. I used the liquid RW, according to the instructions, after preparing the river and lake bed, and poured it in 1/8" layers over a period of about a week. So far, no problems, and my layout is in a relatively uninsulated garage.
But I will say that some of the water effects I've seen in photos here on the forum using Environtex are absolutely amazing. It's gotten me to re-think any future 'water' projects on my layout. However, I'm happy with the way Bullards Bar turned out and don't see any reason to pull it up.
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
Craig, I used a two-part epoxy from my local hardware store. It was in the finishing section, along with the acrylic craft paint bottles, spray cans, regular gallons of paint, sand paper, and so on. I believe that Envirotex is of this nature, so if you can do a price comparison, you would be well served by using the epoxy.
In my case, I topped a two-layer pour, which turned out quite nicely, if very flat at the surface, with Mod Podge to get a wavy texture on the top. I didn't like my results, and found that I could peel the Mod Podge acrylic gloss medium off as if it were a skin!
Next time I do this, I will still use the epoxy...it produces consistent results, and I like its hardness and clearness. I may try the realistic water effects stuff as a topping. Although, many guys have dug into the surface of hardening epoxy with a big screwdriver and forced it into waves that stayed peaked after a certain point in the hardening. It looks darned good.
-Crandell
twhite I used Realistic Water over a fairly wide area about 5 years ago when I poured Bullards Bar Lake on my MR, and have had no problems with shrinkage, cracking or the water turning 'cloudy'. I used the liquid RW, according to the instructions, after preparing the river and lake bed, and poured it in 1/8" layers over a period of about a week. So far, no problems, and my layout is in a relatively uninsulated garage. But I will say that some of the water effects I've seen in photos here on the forum using Environtex are absolutely amazing. It's gotten me to re-think any future 'water' projects on my layout. However, I'm happy with the way Bullards Bar turned out and don't see any reason to pull it up. Tom
Hi Tom
How thick was your final body of water? That is, how many 1/8" pours did you do?
Thanks for all the responses but I haven't quite got the answer I was looking for so I'll rephrase:
Has anybody ever poured more than the recommended three individual 1/8" layers of Realistic Water?
If so, what was the result? I'm wondering why WS makes this reco.
Thanks,
Note on Envirotex: I've used it quite a lot but fnd that when it has been tinted with a tiny drop of paint it takes a lot more work to get the bubbles out.
Dallas Model WorksHas anybody ever poured more than the recommended three individual 1/8" layers of Realistic Water?
Four layers and five layers for a total of 1/2" and 5/8". (I like to create three dimensional stuff beneath the water's surface - rocks, fish etc. I also put my boats IN the water not perched on top of it. You can't do that with paint and gloss varnish)
Anyway, the world did not end but it did take a month to dry, even though I spaced pours 24 hours apart. The realistic water does not fully harden though. You can dent it with a fingernail even when fully cured.
As for the Envirotex, carefully passing a blowtorch flame above the surface will remove the bubbles quickly. Disclaimer: Do not try this at home without proper precautions and training!
Also you can add a tiny drop of green oil based paint with a toothpick after about 20 minutes. It will spread out a bit on the surface and look like algae.
Karl
The mind is like a parachute. It works better when it's open. www.stremy.net
Dallas--
I did three pours of 1/8" , but I allowed at LEAST 24 hours between each pour. The whole project took me a week, as I remember. Then I used the WS 'water effects' for rapids on the rivers draining into the lake, and some of the waves on the lake itself. It represents a non-natural lake (Bullards Bar is a reservoir) that is pretty deep, so I used dark hues to color the bed.
Here's one of the few pictures I have of it. It actually covers a little more territory than this on the MR.
larak Dallas Model WorksHas anybody ever poured more than the recommended three individual 1/8" layers of Realistic Water? Four layers and five layers for a total of 1/2" and 5/8". (I like to create three dimensional stuff beneath the water's surface - rocks, fish etc. I also put my boats IN the water not perched on top of it. You can't do that with paint and gloss varnish) Anyway, the world did not end but it did take a month to dry, even though I spaced pours 24 hours apart. The realistic water does not fully harden though. You can dent it with a fingernail even when fully cured. As for the Envirotex, carefully passing a blowtorch flame above the surface will remove the bubbles quickly. Disclaimer: Do not try this at home without proper precautions and training! Also you can add a tiny drop of green oil based paint with a toothpick after about 20 minutes. It will spread out a bit on the surface and look like algae. Karl
Thanks. I think I'll experiment off layout just to see how thick it can go.
I also want to show subsurface detail. The lake I am doing has rocky shores that one can see disappearing into the depths -- and a layer of plexi-glass won't cut it in my case.
As for the Envirotex, my tinting tests showed that the bubbles are harder to get rid of when the 'tex is tinted.
When it's pure, you can just breath on it and the bubbles disappear -- no torch needed.
twhite Tom
That's an awesome scene, Tom!
Craig:
Thank you. I consider it a real compliment. Actually, I had a friend from Canada comment that it was the COLDEST looking water he'd ever seen. I told him it was in the Sierra in October and there was some early snow-melt coming down the river from the high peaks.
Anyway, it was three pours over some colored shallow plaster 'sculpting' on the bottom to get a kind of 'shelving' effect for the water depth. I'm sure that you could do more pours to get the same effect, but I'd really wait at least 24 hours between pours. I do understand that the WS becomes a little 'spongy' after more than three pours if you don't wait a good long time for it to cure. I was actually thinking of another 1/8" pour, but I decided that I kinda liked the lake the way it was.
Thanks again.