In designing my new layout, I planned for a large urban river in one corner of the layout, A series of bridges span the river connecting an isolated manufacturing district to the mainline layout. This river represents a portion of the South Branch of the Chicago River and measures 30” wide and 12’ long, the HO scale equivalent of a 217.5’ wide by 1,044’ long waterway.
I experimented with a number of different techniques to create the “water” and finally settled on Envirotex Lite. This required slightly in excess of 1 gallon of 2-part epoxy, covering approximately 30.5 square feet of river bed. Envirotex Lite comes in a variety sizes ranging from 8 ounces to 128 ounces (1 gallon), so there is a quantity available for the smallest size pond to a very large body of water such as mine.
To construct the river bed, I installed 1/2” plywood, primed it, and then painted it with latex paint. I had to build the river bed in sections and cover the seams with wood filler and the edges with paintable caulk. From what I read, the epoxy will find the smallest pin hole, so I was careful to seal the seams and the edges. Here are some photos thay show the progression of the river bed build.
Looks good. Since you painted the surface of the wood (bottom of the water), do you think adding paint to the mix changed anything? Especially since the water is only 1/8" thick? Did it creep up along the edges anywhere? Although you got a perfect pour, anything you would do differently?
The reason that I added some paint to tint the mix is that when I prepared a test sample I could see some small imperfections in the painted base. I didn’t want to risk that in the actual pour. Another reason is that I had seams in the wood at 3 foot intervals and even though I carefully sanded the joints, I wasn’t going to take any chances on the painted seams showing up. That said, the sample pours without the tint looked pretty darned good.
I really didn’t notice any creep along the edges. I was concerned about it beforehand, but it didn’t happen.
The only two things that I might do differently if I had it to do over would be accessibility and water movement effect.
Regarding accessibilty, I do have one popup hole on the opposite side of the aisle. Initially, I had built a second popup hole but I removed it in the final build. I could have used that second popup hole during the pour.
Regarding the water movement effect, I knew in advance that the epoxy is self leveling, so I wondered from the start if the calm appearance of the water would look unnatural. In the end, I like the look and I found prototype photos to support it, but over time, if it bothers me, I will add some gloss gel to create the appearance of water movement.
Ooh, that makes me feel good. I researched long and hard to find just the right color and then computer matched it at my local Ace Hardware. The first time that I created water under a bridge on my old layout, I used Royal Blue. That never did sit well with me. Thanks, Mike.
Fortunately, the South Branch of the Chicago River does not get the green dye. If it did, that would require another pour at the beginning of each March, then another pour after March 17th to restore the original color. The depth of that river bed is 4" from the ground surface, so after 16 years I would be in big trouble. [+o(]
I have a nice tug that will be placed in the river after I clean it up. The tug took a beating when I surgically removed it from the Woodland Scenics Realistic Water while demolishing my old layout.
I also plan to add a barge under that warehouse building so that I can make use of that pillar crane sitting front and center.
Oh yeah, a tug and barge would look great. Lots of watercraft possibilities.
Having acrylic water effects or not can be a quandary of sorts, either way looks neat. Water effects depict action and kinda help hide dust build-up, but a tranquil water scene with those beautiful reflections is somehow soothing.
That’s why it took me two weeks to finally make the pour after I was actually ready to do it. I was scared. A big part of my problem was accessibility. I could reach a lot of it from the aisle and some of it more remotely from a pop up hole opposite the aisle. But, for some of it, I had to crawl up on the layout.
Had the pour failed, I don’t know what I would have done. It would have been a gallon and a quart of sticky slop just laying there under the bridges. Not fun.
As I stated in your other thread, Rich, this is very commendable and realistic.
If you think you’d like to try some variations, say on a small diorama you might wish to create some time in the future, and you’d like to create a more wind-driven surface, or maybe some turbidity in the water, I have some suggestions. Please let me know when/if you get there.
I’d be pretty puffed up if I made a scene as nice as yours.
Looks great! Glad you got it right on the one and only shot.
Thanks for the detailed explanation and the YouTube link.
One question though: do you have the secret formula for the color paint you got from Ace? I can go down to the local store and try to get a color swatch that’s a pretty close match and take it into the 5000k lighting of the layout room and see what’s what. It’s kinda hard to tell from the photos on my laptop or smart phone screen.
I bought the paint at my local Ace Hardware store a few years back. The problem with Ace is that it keeps changing brands every few years so sometimes it is impossible to match prior cans of paint without some sort of computer matching.
Anyway, the brand is Royal Interior Latex Flat, and the color is “Green Forest”. I do notice from a Google search that the Royal line of paints does seem to be available from some vendors other than Ace. If you cannot find it anywhere, I can always send you a color sample that you can computer match.
