Sergeant_Crunch Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 Hi all! I'm about to head out to the local craft store and was wondering if anyone has had any experience with the Woodland Scenics E-Z Water. Comes in a bag and looks like little wax pellets that you melt and pour where you want water. Is it worth my time or should I go with a clear acrylic resin for water? Intended use for this (eventually) is a collection of modular river pieces so I can add rivers to the table in different arrangements. Sgt Crunch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dargrin Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 Note this stuff does not work well will foam! The pellets need to be heated up to a molten state. I would look into realistic water if working with foam.. Comes in a bottle and can be poured right from there. The down side to this stuff it takes a while to cure completely (couple days) and I found out in the resent past that you can't leave anything on top of for an extended amount of time. But the stuff looks the nuts soon as it drys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VelveteenRabbit Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 I tried e-z water, I was not impressed. Realistic water is the way to go. Main problem being it bubbles and cracks too easily. Not a big deal if you were using a base and sides that are not foam, but in order to repair the water with a heat gun you end up melting the foam. I don't really see a way around it. Take back the e-z, get the realistic. Or just get some laquer. Realistic has issues too in that your surface has to be perfectly flat and your base cannot bow. Both things make the realistic water pool up in certain spots making the water uneven. In retrospect I wonder if the added effect is worth the effort over say a thin laquer coat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erion Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 I definitely prefer the Realistic Water, but you need to know where you want it to go and seal it off very well or you will get unexpected pooling and leaks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergeant_Crunch Posted July 1, 2005 Author Share Posted July 1, 2005 My plan is to use foam core as the base, but it will be covered in plaster to make the river bed and banks. I think that should take care of the heat issue...unless you have to get the stuff really hot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painfully Posted July 3, 2005 Share Posted July 3, 2005 I've tested a few different "water" products, and have to agree with the others that Realistic Water is the way to go. Alternatively, I find that Self Leveling Clear Gel from Golden is just as good, and may be more available to you if you frequent art stores. The E-Z Water product may not dry clear if you don't heat it enough, or for the proper amount of time. And just because you sealed your river bed, it won't prevent the heat from reaching your foam, and possibly causing damage to it. If at all possible, it would be better if you used a hardboard, or MDF for the base of your river pieces. I've been wanting to make a river as a terrain project for some time, but haven't gotten around to it. I still have a waterfall/lake scene to finish though, and it is what got me experimenting on all the different ways to make water. I have yet to find a good way to make that foamy/misty water that happens at the base of a waterfall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastman Posted July 3, 2005 Share Posted July 3, 2005 ... I have yet to find a good way to make that foamy/misty water that happens at the base of a waterfall. have you tried the WS Water Effects for that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawgiver Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 I've not used it myself yet, but I've heard that hot glue works, particularly for waterfalls and dripping tunnels/pipes. Depending on the depth you need successive layers of Elmer's clue works. Don't put it on too thick though or you'll get a white/foggy layer. Easiest method is to literally just brush it on in a thing layer. It's time consuming but works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlordgarou Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 I'll vote against Realistic Water - I've used it several times, and found that, in the brief time it was in my car, I lost several finished pieces. They went from calm, placid ponds to festering, bubbling swamps. Granted, this was summer in the midwest, but I wanted water terrain that I could transport. I have heard good things about Envirotex Lite, and while I have some, I have yet to try it. Hot glue works well for "sludgy" liquids. I use it a lot for sewege or toxic waste pools. Two part epoxy works pretty well, but gets pricey and problematic for anything beyond a small pool or fountain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painfully Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 Hot glue can appear too yellow IMO. Maybe there is a clear type that I haven't seen yet though. If anybody has seen pictures of Niagra Falls, the misty, crashing water at the base of the waterfall is what I am needing to simulate. I'm contemplating cotton balls pulled into very thin strands, and held in with hair spray as a possible option, but I think it might come off looking like smoke. I'll test it soon anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlordgarou Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 Hot glue can appear too yellow IMO. Maybe there is a clear type that I haven't seen yet though. I never really looked at it closely - I've always repainted it neon green, or yellow, or something like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawgiver Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 If anybody has seen pictures of Niagra Falls, the misty, crashing water at the base of the waterfall is what I am needing to simulate. I'm contemplating cotton balls pulled into very thin strands, and held in with hair spray as a possible option, but I think it might come off looking like smoke. I'll test it soon anyway. I've got n old GW terrain book that suggests taking strands from an old mop head and fraying them and glueling them across the surface to acheive the water fall effect. Layers of glue and a rock in the middle of the lip and half way down the hill give it some credibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergeant_Crunch Posted August 30, 2005 Author Share Posted August 30, 2005 These pieces will mostly stay at home, in the air conditioning. But this project is taking a back seat to a recent urge to actually paint my minis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VelveteenRabbit Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Back to the Realistic Water option... I just learned that sealing the basecoat is critical. I hit my river bed with a Realistic Water layer and it did two things that were unexpected and bad. First, it turned the tacky glue I'd used on my field grass white. Yay. Have to repaint and do another coat for that I think... Second, it grabbed a hold of the paint on the base coat and pulled it up into little ridges in the middle of my river! Unacceptable! Fortunately it didn't pull quite enough up to split the paint and show thru, but it still looks a little shoddy. Bleh. No fixing it. Fortunately half the section that was damaged is getting covered with a bridge anyway... Just wanted to throw some warning out! I still like the stuff ok... I would not leave it in a hot car though, as mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primeval Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 I will add in another vote for Realistic Water. However, the one trouble I have had is that it shrinks up as it dries, so you will probably have to do several layers and they take awhile to dry. It also makes for great blood when colored! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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