Water anyone??

snipped-for-privacy@COSLINK.NET wrote: : : What do you use to simulate water? Why do you like that product? : Water is difficult to simulate. Also, how deep is the water you want to simulate? Small/shallow water can be simulated with clear acrylic gel.

Deeper water is a big problem. Clear epoxy has heat, cost and air bubble issues. Acrylic gel has opaque issues if it gets too deep, and both can have dust problems when you are talking large areas.

There are model railroad products that can work, but note that the Woodland Scenics "water" that requires you heat it on a stove has yellow issues, and lots of hot material and plastic models don't get along well.

I think Mig has just announced a material that they claim dries clear, and can be used for waterfalls. Hmmm - that, I have to see. Moving water/waterfalls is still a very difficult scene to replicate. : : Please describe how you apply it? : Depends on what you choose to use. :-)

Bruce

some extent it depends on the scale; for a ship in something like

1/700 scale the water does not need to be transparent, and plaster or Sculpey may work fairly well, although plaster dries awfully fast unless you mix some vinegar into it. I did this one with plaster: size and shape is also highly dependent on scale, as are what ship's wakes and bow waves look like. Landing craft should not be shown approaching Omaha beach at 30 knots, and a ship's bow wave angle is directly proportionate to speed of the vessel making it. But if one is doing something like a 1/32 scale vessel, the water should have some transparency to it, and that's a pain; in that case you are probably taking about using some sort of transparent or colored resin over it, although with enough work the effects could be spectacular... imagine a diorama of a PT boat at full speed with a semi-transparent wave coming out from under it and a torpedo visible underwater a second or two after its launched? It's stuff like that that wins model contests. You could do some really spectacular water by making a solid blue-painted plaster water base, covering that with a layer of tinted transparent resin, and then painting the whitecaps on top of the resin, so that you could see a few millimeters down into the water.

Pat

I spotted this while digging around on the web after my other posting:

photo in particular is very impressive: in regards to both the water and the foliage. The buildings give it away, but the rocks, foliage, and water on this are also very convincing: Pat

I produce a "how to" cd that explains a process I have developed over many years to create the most realistic water you will ever see. Check out my web site at flagshipmodels.com. In short, I apply Super Sculpey found in arts and crafts stores. SS is like modeling clay except after it has been applied it must be cured in an oven at 175 degrees which means the model can not be in the base at the time. Sculpt the waves how you want them leaving a hole in the Sculpey for the model. Once the Sculpey has cooled place the model in the hole. Apply a generous coat of artists Gel Medium (found in arts and crafts stores) over the entire base and let dry 24hrs. Now paint the water with your choice of paints. Personally I use acrylics. The final step is to apply two thick coats of Future Floor Wax for a super shiny appearance.

I know you must still have questions, which is why you need the cd, but that's how it is done in a nutshell.

Rusty White Flagship Models Inc.

I use acrylic medium. It is sold in art and craft stores. It is like a very thick transparent varnish. You paint it on base (paint blue first), building up waves with brush. I sometimes peak up the ridge on some waves and paint the ridges white. The acrylic medium comes in matt or gloss- I use the gloss.

I have also tried the wrinkled aluminum foil method (which is then painted blue and clear overcoated). However, I prefer the acrylic medium.

That's great stuff; I wish I had had it as a kid rather than modeling clay. One warning about its use: If it comes in contact with a something that has dried superglue on it, it will fracture at that point during cooking. I used a 12" G. I. Joe figure for a armature to build a Kzinti warrior over with Super Sculpey, and it cracked at the joints where they had been superglued to make them rigid. Once cured in the oven though, and cooled, you can use superglue on it. It also is easy to carve it with a Dremel tool after cooling. That two-part epoxy putty ribbon is also pretty handy.

Pat

Woodland Scenics has, in addition to the little golden beads that you melt to make water, a liquid gel called "Realistic Water" in a bottle with a blue label. Pour it out and, depending on thickness, let it cure overnight (or a day or two if it's really thick). Stuff dries crystal clear (I did my pour over a painted blue-green bottom to give the illusion of depth). I mounted a boat in it after it was poured and let the stuff harden around it. Another way that I've used is clear silicone shower caulk. I hardens and again, I spread it over a pre-painted bottom. Then I sculpted waves and tugged wave-caps out as it set. When dry, I edged them with a bit of flat white paint.