Realistic water

[g-pa1]

I am in the process of using realistic water for a stream that eventually will lead into a good size lake. When I poured the first part of the stream everything looked level but the next day I noticed that most of the Realistic Water had migrated to the lower spots in the stream. Earlier today I built some tinfoil dams to hold back the water and repoured several spots. When should I take the tinfoil dams out? I see now that there are seveal areas that are higher and lower and the higher areas are the areas that I am trying to build up. Hope my explanation is clear. Gene

[ginzokid]

Gene, Rule #1 when using liquid water; make sure everything is level and there are no holes in the bottom or sides where it could leak out. Liquids of all forms seek the lowest points first. You can take out your dams within 24 hours. The realistic water should have set by then. B-) & :x

[g-pa1]

Thanks Pete, Everything was sealed with wall board mud before painting. It is hard when carving out the path of the stream to have it exactly level and I knew this before pouring. I also knew that the water would go toward the lowest point first but it didn't look like there was much of a difference in the area that I initially poured. I did use the tinfoil that has a release so I will go down in a little while and take the dams out. Gene

[ginzokid]

Gene, If you want to make a rolling stream with a few drops in it and maybe small rapids, use the Water Effects product from WS instead of the Realistic Water. The Effects is thicker and will stay put for the most part. In the future, make sure the bottom of the water course is perfectly flat; use levels; or allow higher dams to hold the water in the deepet parts. Water is tricky.... B-) & :x

[g-pa1]

Pete, I removed the dams about 10 minutes ago and it looks like they were successful. I used Water Effects for the waterfalls and probably will use some for the rapids. I'll be awhile before I get to the lake however. Much to be done before then. I am trying to figure out a way to show fish under the surface! I have some realistic pictures that I could place on the bottom and then cover with RW. I am pretty sure that the paper wouldn't be attacked by the RW. The fish picture came with another kit that I used parts out of. It is meant to be covered with a plastic that us supposed to remind one of a rippled surface. It has bushes and stones and small fish all on a pretty believable card type surface. Anyway the lake will require some time to think it through. My son was in charge and wanted a beach but he is taking too long to figure it out. I am getting impatient. Gene

[ginzokid]

Gene, There was an article a few years ago about fish in the water. The author used tin foil rolled up into scale fish shapes and glued them to the bottom of the pond before pouring the water. You just have to be very generic with the fish shape and the silver color will show through the water easily. You only need a small amount of foil to make a salmon or trout. Also, some were poked into the wet pour before it set so they would be floating in the water. The foil is not attacked by the water. Think about those Preiser fisherman. They need something to catch. Have fun! B-) & :x

[ginzokid]

Gene, Here is a thought for you. This will sound nuts, but it could work. Bachmann makes a water pump. You could makes an upper and lower pond out of a plastic reservoir of some sort, tupperware?, and use the WS special water effects to make a falls between the two. Then the pump could transfer the water from lower to upper pond. I kid you not. A few years back some company that escapes my mind right now made an HO scale sawmill that had this principle in it. The water was pumped up from the mill pond through a "mountain" to run out through a mill stream to the water wheel and down to the pond again. It was cool then...why not now? I'll search and if I find the old kit I'll post it. B-) & :x

[ginzokid]

Here's the pump. http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/160-42219 Still looking for the water wheel..... B-)

[ginzokid]

I found it! http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/272-130225 This should keep your juices flowing. Live water in the layout.....:D B-) & :x

[g-pa1]

Really neat Pete!! I like that mill. I have a similar one that comes off the double waterfall stream. I think it shows up on one of my pictures in an album. The big train show last November had a number of layouts with water attractions including waterfalls ponds even one had a complete river. I spent a lot of time at them figuring out how they did it. I also noticed a lot of water under the layouts too! Of course the layouts weren't permanent so taking them up and putting them down has to disrupt the sealing of these systems. Thanks for the ideas. I put a fish collage together at the bottom of the lake along with some bushes lillypads and waterflowers a small pier and some small timber logs. It does look pretty realistic. I haven't done anything with realistic water there yet though. I think I need to get some nerve up and also finalize the beach with my son. Gene

[g-pa1]

Pete, I also tried a small fish card that I cut out from the rest of the photo's in a cup with some realistic water and it looks pretty good. The previous post setup in the lake looks three dimentional and I think will look great covered with 'water' I tried the foil fish and put one in the cup with the fish photo and 1. it just looks like a shiny object in the water and 2. my N Scale fish forming abiliy looks like floating debris. Anyone know where I can get N Scale fish? Maybe period miniatures Neville how about some resin fish!! Gene

[beastranger]

Gene I can't even begin to imagine an N size fish. You could always get a plastic dinosaur and have a sea monster like the one in Lake Champlain or Loch Ness. Doug