I have a log pond and a small river on my layout and trying to figure out the best way to model water. My problem is that I made the depth 2", the thickness of the foam, and I think that will take too much magic water. Could I fill in the hole with sculptamold and then add the magic water? Any other ideas?
Sculptamold is an excellent way to go because it works for any thickness, just takes longer to cure the thicker it is. I use Sculptamold to seal cracks and shape pond and river areas before painting the bottom and pouring Magic Water.
Craig, This sort of question crops up at regular intervals. What I've done for water on my layouts over the years has been stupidly simple. I paint the base a colour to match the sky: a cloudy day will have a grey while a sunny day will have a pale blue. Over that, I paint several layers of clear gloss varnish. In some places, I put small patches of the vanish, which gives illusions of greater depth. At random intervals, I paint patches of dark blue or dark green, before applying more layers of varnish. Now, this can give a good impression of water where the rest of the world is 1/8th inch above the water. How it would work with your 2 inches, I can't say. Regards, Pete Davies
Two inches is a lot to overcome even with sculptamold. You might want to cut back the banks so that you only have about 1/4 inch depth. If you can't do that then build up the thickness with thinner pieces of foam like using three 1/2 inch thick pieces laid one on top of another then add your sculptamold. Paint the deep portions a dark color like black or very dark green. PRR Brunswick green is good. Then around the shoreline or shallow areas lighten it to a brown. The water surface will act like a mirror and reflect its surroundings. Whichever water product you use just remember to pour very thin layers and allow them to dry completely. Oh and do make sure the area is completely sealed. All of the water products I know will find the tiniest of openings and leak out. Cover the floor underneath with a drop cloth just in case.
