Water Fall Color

Ken,

I used silicone latex caulk - the kitchen/bath type - not the paintable type that starts out white and turns clear.

Cut some clear plastic bag material to the size and shape for the waterfall.

Apply parallel beads of caulk the length of the plastic.

Holding three toothpicks or other small pointed pieces of wood together, spread the beads so they merge into a single stream.

Use a whipping motion to add "froth" to the stream. The more you work it, the whiter and less transparent it will become.

When the caulk is set, attach the completed falls to the cliff using more caulk at top and bottom. Use straight pins to tack it in place until the caulk sets.

Add some polyfiber material at the bottom and wherever else splashing will occur to represent spray.

Jim,

Thanks for the reply. As usual, your scenery genius comes thru. I never thought of whipping the caulk. Do you "whip" it right after putting it on the plastic, or do you wait for it to start setting up? Do you think a small whisp like you use for whipping cream would work or would you stay with the small sticks? Thanks again for your help.

Ken 

Ken,

It starts to set up pretty fast so I whip right away. If it has set too much you don't get that smooth flowing look. You wind up with a lot of small peaks.

What you are doing is smoothing the caulk to blend in the separate beads you laid down, while at the same time lifting occasionally to get texture and depth to the flow. Ideally, you want less texture where the water is free falling and more where it contacts the rocks.

You need something thin which is why I used toothpicks. I held three at a time to speed things up. I tried larger items such as a popsicle stick, but liked the look of the toothpicks instead.

Jim

Thanks Jim. Will give this a try.

Ken