Hello I am laying out a pond/swamp. I am going to try using realistic water. I have never used it before.The pond will be about a half inch deep 6’’ kinda round. Is this to big? I want to add some fallen trees,rocks,cattails, and a loco halfway in the pond from. I have seen threads where guys poured in layers and painted on some. But what about the cattails in the water when do you add them ? Lets see the stuff in you water. Thanks for the help Frank
You do not want to pour more that about 1/8" to 1/4" maximum per pour so it can harden and not warp. We have a pond at the club about the same size in area. If you are going to bury a locomotive in it, cut the locomotive down or bury it in the pond bottom. The pond on the club has about 1/2" total depth at the deep end. I have some other wide stream areas at the club that do have almost an inch if depth. This was the result of bad planning, and it took multiple pours over a 6 week span to get this done. BTW, we had some ‘clouding’ with the Magic Water, but it did clear itself up later. The tall grass and cattails worked out real good.
Jim
Your cattails, grasses, rocks and sunken logs want to be attached before you pour the water. The clumps of grass, etc should be glued into holes. bit be sure the holes do not go all the way through your base or are filled with glue, so as not to cause a leak. Rocks and logs can be glued in place before the pour.
As for coloring, I colored the deeper layers, less color as I got closer to the top. None in the top layer or two.
Good luck,
Richard
in progress shots
plastered and painted
debris placed, surronding scenery underway
scenery finished water poured
lilly pads added final seal cote of future
low level close up
lower water pours tinted green, otherwise same method
submerged gator
I love the alligator. Very nicely done.
I use a few of the Woodland Scenics plant products for this scene - cattails and stinging nettles in the lower right. I glued them to the base before adding the water.
I used a wide variety of plant covers here, including traditional ground foam and flocking, field grasses and a bit of a “pot topper” you can also see near the bottom. Those are female moose from Musket Miniatures, as I recall. In this picture, I added some beavers from the same source:
I also tint the lower layers of my water, which I make with Envirotex. I use a small amount, just a drop or two, of acrylic craft paint. This gives the murky water look you can see in the beaver picture. I also swirled in a bit of green paint after the top pour, just adding it with the point of a pin to give the appearance of pond scum on top of the water.
I have used Water Magic for a few test ponds and streams in the Bothbay Rr Village layout. A drop or two of Floquil paint will tint the water, be sparing, less is sometimes more. You may want to do a test in a throw-away pan to get an idea of how much tint you should add. I have used greens for a swampy area, grimey black near the oil tank at the cement plant, and blue for a stream near the harbor. I over did the blue, it was a navy blue from the Floquil marine paints line of colors, and a couple of drops really saturated the color of the resin.
Also, be ready for your first pour to be wicked up into the ground foam on the edge of the water leaving shiney grass and cat tails. I have had to do some repairs to the scenery after the water had set up. The stuff likes to climb around the edges.
For pouring water at the edge of the layout, I have used duct tape to make a dam. I have had only 1 leak in 3 pours - had to add more duct tape quickly!! When it sets up, it will have wicked up on to the tape maybe 1/16". I filed it level, used some fine sandpaper, then Floquil clearcoat painted onto the sanding marks covered the work up.
Before a large pour, Water Magic suggests that a first coat of the resin be painted on the surface. The resin will seek out and drain away through any pinholes in the surface. Painting a first coat will seal the pinholes.
Hello wow great photos guys.
Jim is water magic a different brand?
Not sure how many brands there are and if they work the same. I seen a video and they were using realistic water. And he poured it from the bottle in to the pond. Are they all like that ? The last time I did a pond I used old polyurethane it work ok but smelled the house up bad. Will any of these be that bad?
Mr.B did you add the green scum in the cup then pour or after you poured it?
River Eagle Are your lilly pads on the top layer or just under? They look great.
Will I was working on the pond it came out bigger then 6’’ but it looks better. I put the loco in the mud and painted the base. I need to make some stumps, trees,cattails and lilly pads before I pour. Here are a couple pics of the start.
Thanks for the Help Frank
the lily pads were painted on top after the water had cured
I poured the final layer, and then put the green scum on top. I put some paint on a pallette and then dipped it on, just a bit at a time, with a straight pin.
River Eagle, how did you get the ripples in your water?