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Alternate water solutions.


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I will be using foam,but the pond will be on a well sanded and painted ply board of hardwood, several layers of dark paint (blacks, brown, etc) with sanding in between each layer of paint for optimum smoothness. Paint(or varnish) raises the grain of the wood by the introduction of moisture. Once the smoothness is satisfactory then I will begain shading the water's depth and color.

 

Hosercanadian, I'm not planning on doing much water effects in the future, but I'll keep your technique in mind if I find I enjoy making water.

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if you have a Michaels handy, go towards the toys/models/school projects section and look for stuff called Scene A+ Rama it's made by Woodland Scenics, and is meant for doing dioramas and other school project type stuff. They have kits for doing water effects, grass bases, and all sorts of other things. For a miniature hobbyist, i find their stuff invaluable 

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All of these methods are pretty good, save for the E-Z Water, which gets mixed reviews in model railroading circles. It yellows and apparently forms bubbles below the surface over time.

 

All poured methods have two issues. The first is from surface tension. The poured liquid will creep up the terrain at the edges and leave an un-water-like shine or gloss there. This can fixed by repainting the terrain to cover it, after it dries. The other problem is depth. Deep waters can require many layers, and if you pour layers too thick, they may crack, overheat (if resin) or never dry (if acrylic).

 

I've never done this myself, but I've seen great results for smaller water features by modeling the bottom, then covering it with a pane of thin glass or stiff clear plastic, and disguising the edges as the shoreline. You can apply a thin layer of water effects over the clear surface to make it look more natural, without the problems of depth.

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Something to keep in mind.  The woodland scenics pourable still water is just acrylic glazing medium.  Thats it.  So much cheaper to buy at an art store.

 

Wait! That means we could experiment in using it as an additive to increase flow? I will blame you for putting more ideas into my head  :devil:

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I've never tried water effects, but am getting ready to try it with some 40 mm, to 100 mm bases (part of the each base).  If you want the water effect on just part of the base that goes to the edge, what techniques do you use to keep the water effect stuff within the edges of the base until it cures?  I just ordered Woodland Scenics Realistic Water so that is the product I'm going to try it with.

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I've never tried water effects, but am getting ready to try it with some 40 mm, to 100 mm bases (part of the each base).  If you want the water effect on just part of the base that goes to the edge, what techniques do you use to keep the water effect stuff within the edges of the base until it cures?  I just ordered Woodland Scenics Realistic Water so that is the product I'm going to try it with.

 

Lego blocks can build quite a nice box if you seal the edges of the blocks or use a waterproof liner. (This is fairly common for short-run mold making, too.)

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I've never tried water effects, but am getting ready to try it with some 40 mm, to 100 mm bases (part of the each base).  If you want the water effect on just part of the base that goes to the edge, what techniques do you use to keep the water effect stuff within the edges of the base until it cures?  I just ordered Woodland Scenics Realistic Water so that is the product I'm going to try it with.

 

Lego blocks can build quite a nice box if you seal the edges of the blocks or use a waterproof liner. (This is fairly common for short-run mold making, too.)

 

Thats how I make my mold boxes.  Much more reusable than plasticard 

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