What’s your favorite scenic water product, and why?

Glossy Mod Podge. Cheap, easy, not messy and first-rate results. For small streams, just paint in the colors using cheap hobby acrylics and then paint on several coats of Mod Podge to turn it into a sparkling, bubbling stream. For deep water, spray paint the back of a sheet of window glass with a flat camo paint. Then use Mod Podge to paint patterns of waves on the top. Can't be beat.

@Avanti posted:

Glossy Mod Podge. Cheap, easy, not messy and first-rate results. For small streams, just paint in the colors using cheap hobby acrylics and then paint on several coats of Mod Podge to turn it into a sparkling, bubbling stream. For deep water, spray paint the back of a sheet of window glass with a flat camo paint. Then use Mod Podge to paint patterns of waves on the top. Can't be beat.

That’s interesting Pete.  I’d never heard the mod Podge route for the water, only for ripples on top. 

Tom

Hi Tom, What you have inquired about is right up my waterway, so I will offer you my experience at crafting water.

I used products that I have purchased from Jim Elster's Scenic Express. They are as follows:

+Enviro Tex Resin(s)

+transparent dye(s) marked by Jim Elster for use with the EnviroTex: resin : colors: green; blue; amber.

These waterways I am showing you here have existed for a decade and have not changed color nor "yellowed" at all. They look exactly as they did the day I:

    +painted the plywood base with acrylic paints, the kind artists' shops sell in tube form, the ones you would us to create a painting. I gave a day+ for those paints to dry very thoroughly, so as to be a base of color(s) for the resin mixture, not mix-in with it and possibly cloud it up. Where I wanted the "water" to appear deeper, such as on the inside of the "elbow" of a meander of the waterway, like in real-life, I darkened the mix of colors, as well as lightened my use of real water with the paints: the more opaque the color, the deeper the faux water would appear.

    +Mixed the EnviroTex Resin and mixed the colors (Dye set) in as the urge inspired me to do so, desirous of waterways I had seen in-person on trips conducted specifically to get inspiration and knowledge of how such waterways could or should look.

    +Let it all stand and cure, and kept myself from the urge to stick a finger on any of it to see whatever.

    +Rocks and gravel(s) were added to the edges once the resin had gotten pretty solid. I didn't want the resins mixture to lap-up onto the rocks too far and look phony.

I let the entire process be fun. It was a wonderful creative exercise and adventure.

FrankM

  Wow Frank, that is indeed timely information as I’m preparing an order of various items from Scenic Express now.   In between the chastising and scoldings you’ve received on the photo chain game I couldn’t help but notice the incredible level of detail, and homogeneous integration of scenery your layout displays.                                                            

Thanks for the Enviro Tex recommendation, the three pack of dye & a quart of resin has been added to my order’s basket.

Tom

Love your stuff, Frank.

However, I like Woodland Scenic Deep Pour Murky Water. 

Tom, I can't show you any photos as they are going to appear in an O scale magazine that I cannot mention. 

George

Thanks George...I have noticed Woodland’s murky water finishes nicely, through several YouTube tutorials etc.  I do like the look of ‘murky’. Specifically a series by a guy named Luke Towan (Boulder Creek RR) from down under uses both WS & Enviro Tex   

 Strangely, just watching a video of his gives me a sense of accomplishment.  He’s truly gifted, very entertaining to sit back and watch.  

Tom

I used a product called Envirotex. It  is a two part mix and I tinted the mix. For my purposes I wanted a murky looking water at the end of a slip. Happy results. This product had NO odor and set up nicely. And was quite inexpensive. Attaching a photo of the end result for my purposes.

That looks great Jeff.  What color tint is that, amber?

Tom

Evirotex does a great job (witness the 2 photos below) but, in my experience it does take some care. You must be sure the surface on which you will pour it is totally sealed. If not, it will find even the smallest cracks and seep through. So, not only do a test of the seal but, to be safe you might want to put some plastic below on the ground below the area you’ll be working on. Also, if the surface is not flat, the product will tend to pool up to the lowest point. Finally, if the area is at the end of the layout, you should think about putting painters tape along that area, higher than the fascia to keep the resin from spilling over the side. If left alone, it will dry totally flat. If you want texture, waves, etc., you work with it in the time period (let’s say the last hour or two) before it totally cures. Too early and the texture/waves will just flatten out, too late and the product will be too hard to work with. However, you can always add texture with gel products later. Good luck.