Hello everybody,
just wondering if anybody has any experience using Envirotex lite for creating water?
Here is a website http://www.michaels.com/art/online/displayProductPage?productNum=gc0511
Merry Christmas everybody
Frank
It is actually the best product I found for doing water. It will find perfect level and must be dammed well as not to leak. Use of a hair drier on real low temp or breathing on the pour will help the trapped air bubbles to disapate. Because of the glass like finish, any wave, ripple, foaming and other water effects are better done on the cured surface with gloss medium. Many have had success in coloring the product with acrylics or dyes. I will generally pour on an already plastered, painted and sceniced base/ bed.
I agree completely with bogp40. It also has the advantage of drying to a very hard finish and so doesn’t become a magnet for dust that will stick to the surface. I have used the WS stuff that is made to do waterfalls to create ripples and other water effects. I just brush it on after the Envirotex is completely cured.
Be forwarned it stinks to high heaven as it cures. I recommend some serious ventilation.
Scenic Express sells a series of dyes which mix well with environtex. www.scenicexpress.com
You really can’t shape waves into it that easily. So you’ll want to use Woodland scenics water effects or Gloss Medium as a topper for waves.
While the environtex cures, it will form bubbles. There are two ways to get rid of them. Skewer or blowing on them. (I heard people recommend a hair dryer so you don’t turn green inhaling the fumes.)
It runs quite easily. So make sure all cracks are sealed up properly. Or you may have a waterfall in your lake!
Disclaimer: This message is purely from what I’ve read from Kalmbach publishing as well as several of their videos, and individual web postings from people who have. But I have seen the results first hand, and am impressed.
It actually doesn’t smell so bad, it is that breathing the fumes which can be very not good for you is not a good idea. Yes use good ventilation and leave the room for a while. I have never had any problems with bubbles staying in the resin after it is dry. Some bubbles will form early on but will disappear before it dries. The directions say to use a hairdryer or propane torch (try not to burn your house down, please!) or to blow across the resin as it sets until the bubbles pop. It is the carbon dioxide that breaks the bubbles not the movement of the air. I have some setting right now down cellar on a cross that will be a Christmas Present for my sister. That’s one reason that I am upstairs playing with the computer…
Yep, done envirotex water. Here’s a photo:
(Click image to enlarge)
I explain in detail how I did this water here.
Basically, I did three pours of envirotex, putting dye in each layer. Envirotex sets up perfectly flat, which isn’t realistic for most water, so I added a layer of acrylic gloss gel on top that I put on with a paintbrush and stipled in place in a ripple pattern. You can see the result in the photo above, and read all about how I did at the link above.
Envirotex DOES NOT SMELL when curing. A slight musty smell is all that comes from it. Other acrylic liquids in which you mix a little hardener with a lot of resin do smell.
This stuff is really good and a nice finished product on your layout. I loved the end results on my layout. It does not smell either as one stated.
I just finished doing a creek on the layout and can agree that Envirotex does not smell bad. I found a place on the Internet that had 16oz of the stuff on sale for $7.10. I used it before and found that a quick swipe with a blow torch took out all of the air bubbles. Use caution with the torch of course.
This time I did read the instructions and followed the suggestion to cover the pour for the first 6 or 7 hours so dust would not stick to the surface. I placed a layer of scrap cardboard a few inches above the surface for that time.
There is nothing magical about the dyes that Scenic Express sells “explicitly for Envirotex” - not true since they are from Castin Craft. I questioned customer service at Scenic Express about this. I ended up not using the dyes since the coloring on the creek bed was enough in my case.
You do great work Joe and I followed your lead and placed some gloss gel medium on the surface one it hardened to create some ripples and the sense of movement. I think it came out pretty good. The medium on the surface seems to scratch easily and I think it will be necessary to reapply a light coat when needed over time. Even added a touch of white on the ripples where it goes around rocks and abutments.
All I need to do is touch up the edges of the creek and add a little foliage to cover-up the creep from the pour.
I
I agree. I use Envirotex because of the consistent results. I have never ruined any scene using this product.
Peter Smith, Memphis
Yep Great Stuff
I used some acrilic paint also found at Michaels to color the pond green
Check out Joe’s “How to” posted above
Good instructions !
Environtex Lite does not have the odor problem; straight Environtex does. That is what the Lite stands for – no odor. Limit pours to around 1/8" and build up thickness as needed. I use food colors to dye it a light blue/green. It does self-level, but I have found that by using the fiberglass aquarium filter pad material dipped in it, I can build ripples downstream from rocks, trees, etc. For a waterfall, I attached angel hair to the top of the falls and let the Environtex run down the angel hair to produce falling water. If you don’t mix the two parts thoroughly, it may remain sticky – another pour mixed properly and applied over it will take care of the problem. If the streambed is painted properly, you won’t need [or want] much color in the Environtex. Want fish in your stream? For N scale, I cut curved slivers from a round toothpick, painted them silver, dipped them in AC and applied them to the surface of the water before the final pour. Everyone thinks they look very realistic, even though they have to use a flashlight to find them.
I have used straight Envirotex for many years but awhile back I decided to give this Envirotex Lite a shake; it was so light I found that every time I tried to use it by the next morning my rivers were flowing across my ceiling!!!
I’ve used regular Envirotex for water, but nowadays prefer water-based High Gloss Urethane over painted Durabond patching plaster. The finish is extremely tough, even with 3-d waves and whitecaps, and I often take layout photos with the camera sitting right on the “water”, with no scratching or breaking of detail. Easy to do, and inexpensive too, with no odour.
Wayne
Envirotex for my log pond.
Peter Smith, Memphis
Hello again,
and thank you everybody for replying to my question. It is amazing to see the amount of truly great model railroading that is going on here by the members of this forum.
Frank
After looking at Joe’s pic higher in this thread it appears as though his stream dead-ends at the edge of the layout. Someone said to limit each layer to 1/8" or 1/4" layers yet Joe’s pic appears to be thicker. Does this stuff laminate to itself so well that an edge veiw shows no layering?
Joe mentioned doing his water in “three pours” so one would assume that the stuff can layer over without noticeable layers.
Check out Joe’s website for some really great information on water and scenery in general. The guy is very good at what he is doing. [tup]
Here is a problem I’m having with my Envirotex. I’m fairly certain I followed the instructions right and mixed it correctly, however, I applied it (less than 1/8 of an inch) over 48 hours ago, and while it is bubble free and clear, it is not hard yet. The temp of the surrounding climate is probably 60 degrees. I noticed online from envirotex.com that it should dry hard in that temperature in 72 hours max. Am I to be concerened that this is not hardening yet or should I just wait it out?
Just relax and sit it out for another day… (lets see 72 - 48 = ah, Hmmmm) Yep, give it some more time. If you mixed it properly and pour it correctly it will harden up for you.