Alternates for WS Realistic Water

[Bernard]

I have to pass this along if anyone is interested.

I have 3 areas on my layout that I need to simulate water. I've already have used 2 bottles of Realistic water and I like the results but not the price. (It's about 21.00 USD for a 16oz bottle) I realize I need a lot more water to cover the area I need. I was told that WS realistic water is "Clear Acrylic Glaze" and is sold at most art supply stores. I found it at this online art supply store. Look at the price per gallon compared to the quart size. :o (I think this is a misprint)

I just ordered 2 gallons at the 11.94 USD price, with shipping the total price was 34.57 USD

Here is the link and they do ship overseas:

http://www.dickblick.com/products/artistic-clear-acrylic-glaze/

[CaptOblivious]

While I generally love WS products, many are simply repackaged commodities with a mind-numbing markup and a fancy label to hide that fact.

 

Examples: WS Plaster Cloth can be had from medical supply houses for half the price. Light-weight Hydrocal is twice the price of regular old plaster, and also half as durable. The Subterrain EPS sheets (not the risers and inclines, which are pretty awesome, and their own invention, nor the "Profile Boards") can be had much cheaper from a good RC airplane shop or the hardware store. I'm pretty sure Scenic Cement is just watered-down PVA glue (AKA white or Elmer's glue) (but I've never used it, so I could well be wrong about that one).

 

So this is unsurprising, but welcome news if true!

[scott]

I'd pretty much decided not to buy any WS products *except* the inclines and risers, and now I'm trying to find a way around the risers.

 

It'd be nice to come up with a list of all the cheap alternatives.

[Bernard]

If you're willing to do a little work you can get by using WS risers. If the highest point of the incline reaches 1" or 2", insulation foam is made in those two thicknesses. That is what I did on my layout and carved the foam to the desired shapes. This also depends on the size of the layout too. In a small layout it probably would pay to buy the WS risers as compared to buying foam board.

 

As for WS inclines, it's a great time saver and worth the price. I haven't seen anything that comes close to it. ;)

[Guest ___]

 

I'd pretty much decided not to buy any WS products *except* the inclines and risers, and now I'm trying to find a way around the risers.

 

It'd be nice to come up with a list of all the cheap alternatives.

 

Anything by Scenic Express is a great alternative to WS's overpriced stuff.

[Bernard]

I will be using the Clear Acrylic Glaze next week and will give a report on the results.

[Guest ___]

When it comes to water, I like Magic Water http://www.unrealdetails.com/

[Bernard]

Alright I poured the clear glaze into a very small pond on the layout as a test. I was told it would be a milky white but dry clear. The layout is in a basement so temp. will be a factor. It's been 24 hrs and it's not dry get, next a heat lamp.

[scott]

Must be a glacier uphill of that pond...

[lbriand_fr]

What was the thickness of the layer?

Generally, you have to cover your pond with several thin layers.

[Bernard]

The layer is thin, I think it has to do with the temp. of the room. I hope by tomorrow it dries otherwise....

[lbriand_fr]

"Wait and see"

[Guest ___]

The layer is thin, I think it has to do with the temp. of the room. I hope by tomorrow it dries otherwise....

 

Sounds similar to the issue I had with the scenic cement drying in the basement.

[Bernard]

Last night I thinned out the layer of Glaze and see if it dries any faster. I hope this isn't one of those, "lessons I've learned" products.

[scott]

Bernard--did the acrylic glaze work out OK?

[Bernard]

Scott - that's a good question and here is the best answer I can give to date. I had to leave the layout before I could finish the next coats so I'm not totally sure how it worked but it applies differently than WS Realistic water. Just like WS Realstic water you paint the area various colors to give the appearance of water then you take a brush and paint on a thin layer of the Glaze. It will be milky white at first but will dry to a shiny clear coat. I repeated the process a few times with each coat drying before applying the next.

So I'm still waiting for the results but I've looked at other people's blogs who use the product to simulate water and they have had great success. I'm just hoping I can also achieve the same results because WS water is expensive.

 

I realize now that in my first attempt, I poured the Glaze on too thick, thinking it was similar to Realistic water, which was a mistake.

[scott]

Thanks--that's helpful; I'm hoping to get started on scenery soon. How thick should each layer be with this stuff?

[Bernard]

It's just a very thin coat of the Glaze.

Here is the blog I got it from:

http://modelrailroading.wordpress.com/2009/01/21/how-to-make-a-scale-river-lake-harbor-or-just-about-any-other-body-of-water/

 

I'll PM you with more info.

[scott]

Thanks!

[serenityFan]

Hi, I sort of understand how you can make water with arcrylic gaze, but can you get the ripples effect like in the linky?

 

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o297/MilesWestern/Riverflowsm-1.jpg

[Martijn Meerts]

One technique which yielded very nice results (and made the water strong enough to walk on) was to use some very thick and coarse wallpaper (they call it raufaser in German, where it is originally from seemingly.. http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raufaser, have a look at the image there).

 

Paste the wallpaper where ever you want water, paint it the correct colours (dark blue/green), and finally add a few layers of acrylic glaze, or any other liquid that dries up hard and shiny.

[alpineaustralia]

The hyperlink explaining Acrylic Glazing Liquid states:

 

It is imperative that this product be used for thin layer applications. Thick layers of the Glazing Liquid, in excess of 1/16", will not dry properly, remaining tacky for extended periods of time.

[Bernard]

The hyperlink explaining Acrylic Glazing Liquid states:

 

It is imperative that this product be used for thin layer applications. Thick layers of the Glazing Liquid, in excess of 1/16", will not dry properly, remaining tacky for extended periods of time.

 

 

 

Yep and that certainly is true, because I found that out the hard way.  :happy6:

(I treated like WS realistic water and poured out too much on my first application, now I'm doing thiner coats but more of them.)

[alpineaustralia]

1/16" is not very much at all. What is that in millimetres? about 1- 2 mm?

[Bernard]

1/16" is not very much at all. What is that in millimetres? about 1- 2 mm?

 

It's basically a brush stroke or two to cover the area, very thin, you don't pour it on like WS realistic water.

(But it's costs a lot less!)