Materials and tools modeling construction from which to make an imitation of water if there is no epoxy glue type review. Simulation of water and liquids in crafts - anna_podolina — LiveJournal Make sea foam for a diorama
I present to your attention one of the ways to simulate waves on the surface of a reservoir using epoxy resin. The method is a modification of the V. Demchenko method described in the article "Imitation of water". In this article, the author describes a method for making a wavy water relief by casting epoxy resin into an aluminum mold in one step. Note that the method is very sensitive to the quality of the injection mold (even Demchenko himself did not succeed the first time), and also requires a large amount of resin.
The method I propose differs in that the process of formation water surface is divided into two stages - preliminary (casting a rough plaster mold) and finishing (forming relief with epoxy resin directly on the plaster casting). This method, of course, somewhat lengthens the work in time, but it is cheaper and quite accessible to not very experienced modellers. So let's start. I’ll make a reservation right away that I will write as detailed as possible, since the article is addressed specifically to novice modellers.
Decide on the size of the future diorama. I use standard photo frames (photo 1). Next, you will need a special device - a board, with an even layer of plasticine applied with a thickness of about 5 mm and an area sufficient to perform the required casting. On this board, with the blunt end of the brush, we draw the future water relief in plasticine (photo 2). We cover the board with a layer of thin food-grade aluminum foil and roll the relief formed on the plasticine in it with a finger (photo 3). This allows you to smooth the relief, make it more realistic. With the help of rulers fastened with plasticine, we form a bath for plaster casting according to the dimensions of the future diorama (photo 4). Rulers should be sunk into plasticine so that the gypsum does not spread. We breed gypsum (alabaster) by adding and kneading small portions of the powder in water until a creamy state. Water can be pre-tinted with a dye (photo 5), for example like this (photo 6). Pour the resulting creamy solution into the mold and wait for solidification (photo 7). I let the casting dry for about a day.
So, the next day we have a finished casting, which we fix on the frame (photo 8) with glue, such as this (photo 9). First, an insert of 2 mm plastic must be glued into the frame as the bottom of the future diorama (photo 10). We paint her acrylic paints in the colors of the water that we want to see on the diorama. I chose dark browns and dark greenish shades as I am making the base for a small peat bog (photo 11). Let the paint dry for about a day. The next day, we decorate the ends of the future diorama with thin plastic (photo 12). IN this case I used clear plastic from some packaging. The boards should protrude above the surface by a minimum of 3-5 mm to form a bath for pouring the surface with epoxy resin (photo 13).
We prepare epoxy resin (photo 14). We act according to the instructions. First, heat a larger vessel with resin in a water bath to 40-50 degrees (but no more!) To better flow. Pour the required amount of resin into a disposable cup. Calculating this number is easy. The resin layer should be small - 2-3 mm. If the size of the base, like mine, is 13x13 cm, then the volume will be 13x13x0.3 = 50 ml - a quarter of a glass. Next, add the hardener in the recommended proportions in small parts, mix everything thoroughly. It is convenient to use a syringe for the exact dosage of the hardener. Let's let the composition stand a little so that the main air bubbles come out, and then fill the surface of the base with epoxy (photo 15). It can be seen that there are still quite a lot of bubbles. Remove them with a toothpick (photo 16). This will take about half an hour.
The next stage is the actual formation of the relief. It is obvious that the epoxy has spread evenly (photo 17). But the relief can be easily restored if we tilt the base at an angle (Fig. 18). As long as the epoxy is flowing, the relief will disappear. Therefore, the most important thing is not to miss the moment of the beginning of its solidification. How long it will take until this moment from the start of the preparation of the composition depends on the amount of hardener added. Therefore, I recommend determining this moment experimentally. In my case, the epoxy began to set after 2.5 hours. Next, you should conjure, tilting the base, for 15-20 minutes until the movement of the resin stops (photo 19). I note that the degree of inclination is easy to control the depth of the relief, making the waves insignificant or vice versa noticeable. Complete solidification occurs in a day (photo 20).
So, we have a blank with a realistic water relief for further work on the diorama. The complexity of the method in pure time is four to five hours, of which three hours is witchcraft over the hardening epoxy. The advantages of the method include a small amount of resin used, high reliability of the formed relief, since it occurs during the natural wavy movement of the resin during its solidification. And the third plus. If we want to drill a hole in the base, for example, for planting reeds, we have to drill only a thin layer of resin. This allows you to significantly save on thin drills when working with the diorama. This method was used when working with the Wet Place diorama. Drilling the base under the reeds was done without loss.
ALL HEALTH!
What are special tools and how to "fight" with them?
Vallejo Water effects an acrylic product designed to form the foundation of rivers, lakes, bays and oceans. Vallejo still water being a dense gel, ideal for simulating the surface of water on colored base created with the help water effects and can also be used to create waterfalls, waves, ripples and ice.
For water simulation on the prepared surface with a brush, scraper, sponge or any other tool, a small layer is applied water effects and left to dry completely.
Its drying time depends on the thickness of the applied layer, the humidity of the atmosphere in the room, and can vary from one to several hours.
After the surface has completely dried, it is applied on it with an old wide brush. still water to create water sheen, ripples and transparency effects.
The advantages of this product are its ease of use, non-toxicity and the ability to mix with acrylic paints to create different shades. However, there are two major drawbacks such as big time drying up to 24 hours and large shrinkage after drying. Therefore, if you want to make quite deep water, then apply still water follows in several layers.
Vallejo Still water is simple but not ideal and if you pay great importance water on the diorama, it's not the best choice. But if you use water in limited quantities and as a secondary object, this is the product for you.
In about a day still water dries up and water on the diorama becomes transparent and shiny.
In my opinion, this method is suitable for replacing the stand-holder of the model in a small area, as in the photo below.
For an alternative to the above, I will lay out the procedure for manufacturing such a kind of stand from a Polish modeler under the "nickname" ARBAL
Let's admire together, and I just comment on each photo ( moreover, an almost literal translation from Polish was made by Alexshow) :
We prepare the stand by modeling the form sea waves using Mass-Milliput. (Epoxy Modeling Clay - Milliput)
Coloring the simulated waves. I (author - ARBAL ) mixed the paint, various shades turquoise and grey. Waves, draw in compliance with all the rules of miniature painting, or pay attention to shadows and light. Color transitions don't have to be done perfectly. In the end, deepen the effect achieved by applying a weak gray tint.
When the paint dry I covered the whole surface transparent water effect ( Effect clear water).
(We have already considered ready-made of blue color mixtures - Alexshow)
Keep in mind not to apply too thick a coat because it can dry out in a few days! I put in a 3.4mm layer. It's winter at the moment so I put the stand on the heater to speed up the drying process.
After 8 hours, the effect is completely dry.
I applied another layer of clear water in the same way as in the third photo. (before that, with a dry brush, he applied white paint to problematic places in his opinion - Alexshow)
When the second layer is dry:
I made a mixture of white paint with transparent water effect.
The prepared mixture is held in places where water should produce foam. And left to dry.
Painted the sides of the stand black to produce a natural contrast. Work is done.
- Diorama - water simulation with Vallejo Water effects and Vallejo Still water (part 3)
Every ship modeler sooner or later faces the problem of simulating the surface of the sea on a stand (minivignette) or on a diorama maritime theme. Usually, in this case, models along the waterline are used. In our market, models “along the waterline” (in plastic these are ships of a scale of 1:700, and in cardboard 1:400 published by JSC) are widespread and popular, therefore, this article can be. useful a large number of people. I myself have encountered water problems"working with ships" seven hundred "- well assembled, they look great, but they will look even better on the" surface of the sea ". Such a miniature allows you to fully experience the beauty of the ship in its natural environment.
Water in dioramas is divided into transparent and opaque. The choice of water type depends on what we want to show. Transparent water is used in dioramas, where it is necessary to show that something is drowned in it. For example, this method is used when it is necessary to show the periscope of a submarine or the underwater part of a ship. There are several methods for creating clear water:
- gelatin. The advantage of this method is simplicity, you need to fill your plot with gelatin and wait for its concentration. It must be remembered that gelatin is rather unstable and will change its structure especially at high temperatures.
- two-component transparent pitch. It has more advantages, good transparency, strength and resistance to mechanical stress. The disadvantage is a greenish color, which is not always desirable. This happens as a result chemical reaction, which, among other things, is accompanied by the release of a large amount of heat. The correct arrangement of diorama elements is difficult and can be deformed during the pouring process, there is also a possibility of plastic elements melting.
- Still Water by Vallejo- a special composition, transparent as glass and very hard after drying. No flaws, but I don't recommend it. The composition is more suitable for reproducing puddles on a diorama than for our purposes.
- Blue Water by Vallejo- preparation of cream consistency blue color. Easy to apply and smooth with a spoon. Working with it is similar to working with silicone, only with a more pleasant smell. The product should be recommended for the execution of coastal water, "deep" water cannot be imitated.
This brings us to the heart of the matter - there is no way to make perfectly clear water. Each of these methods has its drawbacks. I use opaque imitation in my dioramas. A well done surface painting gives the complete illusion of water. My "sea" comes from aluminum foil, ordinary kitchen foil on a roll. The material was not chosen by chance, I was attracted by the opportunity to create a beautiful relief with it. "Is it difficult?" - you ask. Not at all. The surface of the water consists of many small and large splashes and waves. Chaos in pure form. But aluminum foil makes it possible to reproduce it!
Now I will state everything point by point:
This is my method, and I hope that my experience and photos will be useful to you. Good luck creating spectacular dioramas and vignettes.
So, at home we found:
1. Acrylic varnish, transparent, glossy.
2. Glue Moment Crystal.
3. Varnish parquet, colorless, glossy.
4. Glue BF-6, medical
5. Children's stained glass paints (well, on glass they are almost transparent)
6. Silicone sealant, transparent
7. Liquid nails (Moment seems), also a transparent option.
8. Glue Titan (I bought it while I was looking for epoxy, just in case)
In the role of containers - babinki from the wire, the thickness of the poured layer is approximately 5 mm (to the edges).
Photos after pouring and photos after 5 days (which dried up)) In the process of pouring, I poured all sorts of sparkles, beads, tried to tint with stained glass paints. In general, see for yourself what happened (a lot of photos))))
Acrylic varnish. Colorless (when it dries), I threw the beads to the bottom, did not dare to tint (let such a layer dry first!).
It turned out garbage ... :(Some holes remained. The varnish itself did not become transparent. Plus, it dried out twice. Yes, it dried out for three days ...
Crystal moment. It poured beautifully, mixed with stained glass paint normally, but there were a lot of bubbles inside (I don’t think it was from my mixing with paint, it’s just like that, Moment), threw a bead.
Dry quickly. The next day was dry. During the drying time of the bubbles, it was added, all half a centimeter of glue dried up into a thin bubble film in the shape of the container))) Well, if you imitate swamp mud))))
Parquet varnish ... Well, apparently it is colorless on the parquet)))) It mixed normally with sparkles and beads, did not become cloudy, there was no reaction.
I did not make friends with stained glass paint, it turned out to be a cloudy substance (in the upper right compartment). But the droplets of paint (if not mixed) fell very beautifully (in the photo, blue, like beads - this is stained glass paint)
Ooooooo... it's still drying.... 5 days is not a time limit. Although the top can already be picked with a fingernail :) but still soft inside.
The color is not colorless. During the drying process, some large air bubbles appeared. Droplets of paint spread (looks very nice in reality). Basically, I liked it. If not yellow, then several layers could be poured.
In general, there is something to fantasize about).
By the way, not very dry. The level fell by 1/4 of the initial volume.
Glue BF-6, ordinary, medical. In general, I really liked it - it mixed well with the paint, there were no bubbles. The bead is not visible)))
Dry for two days. Dried up in a charming film))) In general, it’s not suitable for a lake, but it can work for some other crafts (they make PVA trees in our country)
Stained glass paints. Too dark .... Apparently they are stained glass for that, in order to apply them to transparent products ...
Dry for three days. It turned out very interesting, but not suitable for the lake. But some kind of puddle can be depicted) After drying, the volume has not changed much.
Transparent liquid nails (left) and transparent silicone sealant (right). stained glass paint they refused to paint))) In the sealant, she became lumps, she didn’t even pour it into the nails ...
Bottom line: if the sealant can also roll under the water surface (slightly cloudy), then another application can be found for nails (they are not very transparent with such a layer after five days, can they still dry?)
The volume hasn't changed at all.
Dry for three or four days. The volume has doubled. The sparkles partially dissolved into bubbles (apparently some kind of reaction passed). The result was a translucent bubble mass. Looks nicer in reality than in the photo. The glue that was topped up around the edges dried normally. In principle, if you carefully pour, you can avoid bubbles. It is better to fill it in several layers (after drying the previous one)
One of the most non-trivial tasks in modeling railway layouts is an imitation of various reservoirs: lakes, rivers, streams, waterfalls, sea coast and so on.
A variety of methods are used to create realistic water. Unfortunately, many of them give very mediocre results. Perhaps there is nothing worse than using a simple piece of corrugated glass in the layout. In most cases, this will not be an imitation of water, but only its designation.
Many firms produce special materials to simulate water, such as a liquid to create artificial reservoirs brand NOCH. However, the lion's share of such special materials does more harm than good.
Many of them do not dry completely after being applied to the surface, and remain sticky even after several days. As a result, your artificial rivers and streams collect on their surface all the flies that have come to admire the layout.
The situation is no better with materials that require heating to go into liquid state. You can imagine what they will turn into when hot summer days come. In this case, to save the layout, you will need a well-conditioned room with protection from direct sun rays. Not every modeler can provide such conditions, and is it worth it to fuss because of unsuccessful materials?
Another common problem is that dust quickly accumulates on the surface of miniature reservoirs, the original gloss fades and the characteristic luster of the water surface is lost. If "water" is made of solid material, you can just clean it from time to time with a small brush or brush with soft bristles. But, from time to time, you still have to update glossy finish to make the water look "wet".
As you know, the natural color of water is light blue. She borrows it from the sky, which is reflected in her. However, her appearance on the layout largely depends on the type of local soils and various reflections. For example, many rivers are not at all blue, but rather exotic. A traditional example is the Huang He, the yellow river. An equally striking example is the Platte River, which is located on the territory of the US states of Colorado and Nabraska. Locals say it is too dirty to drink and too shallow for navigation. The water in it has a characteristic green-brown hue.
It is not uncommon for the main part of the river to be relatively clear, but in some areas, as, for example, at the point of discharge Wastewater some factory or at the point of confluence with another river, the water changes its color, and various color effects take place.
All these nuances should be taken into account when designing a layout and planning to decorate it with realistic water bodies typical of the chosen area.
A number of effective techniques can be used to model such reservoirs, which give a very realistic result and avoid many of the problems that were mentioned above.
real water
Most modellers feel that real water is not well suited to scale ponds, and in most cases it's hard to disagree with them. However, there are rare exceptions to this rule. A prime example good use real water is the famous layout of the German railway Rügensche Kleinbahn in 009 scale, which won a lot of awards at various exhibitions.
This diorama includes a railway ferry service, which is carried out along real water. The whole layout looks quite realistic, and the water only adds to its appeal, not to mention functionality.
Key points to consider when working with real water- this is the correct coloring of the river bottom, as well as the tightness of the entire structure, which does not allow water leakage. If everything is organized correctly, a very interesting layout can turn out. The main thing is to foresee the drain system in advance. In the same layout of the Rügensche Kleinbahn, the bottom of the reservoir is equipped with a small rubber plug. At the end of each exhibition, the water is drained through it into a special container.
Still water
When starting to create a reservoir with stagnant water, you should first prepare its bottom by randomly painting the surface with brown and green shades. Next, the shores are modeled. Various aquatic plants, such as coastal reed beds and various types of mosses, are suitable for this. As mentioned above, we do not recommend using special materials to simulate water. They usually take a lot of time to fully harden, and most often remain soft and sticky.
It is much better to use a transparent two-component epoxy resin for this purpose, which has a curing period of about an hour. Epoxy resin is often included in aeromodelling kits and is a very durable and durable material. A good alternative to epoxy resin is epoxy varnish. It is easy to find in hardware stores. For example, TIKKURILA epoxy varnish hardens a little longer than resin, but looks no worse.
First of all, pour the main volume of epoxy into the reservoir. Until the "water" has hardened, it must be well distributed and smoothed out with the help of improvised tools, bringing it to the desired banks. It is necessary that the surface is smooth, even, does not contain visible curvatures.
Next, we will need additional layers of epoxy to give the pond a sense of depth. In the process of applying layers, care must be taken that bubbles do not form in the epoxy resin. It is desirable that each new layer be no more than 1 mm thick.
To demonstrate this method in practice, let's apply it to the simulation of an old sea pier.
wharf modeling
The wharf wall was modeled using materials from Wills Kits designed to create half-timbered houses. The brickwork of the dock is badly worn, as it was constantly used to unload coal. The top edge of the wall is at the level of the rail head. On a surface brickwork tide line should be drawn. However, seaweed and mussel shells should only be applied after the timber beams have been installed.
If you want to make the beams look really old and darkened from time to time, you can use a special enzyme ligninase for this purpose - it removes lignin, which is the basis of wood, and contributes to its rapid decay. After thoroughly treating the wooden parts with the enzyme, rinse them thoroughly in water. After a while, they will acquire the desired look of an old, half-rotten tree. If you are using balsa as a material, we strongly recommend using the cellulase enzyme, which actively breaks down cellulose. Both of these enzymes are available from specialized chemical reagent stores.
To increase realism, we recommend that you first make large cracks in the processed wooden parts. You can also wire brush the surface to roughen the surface and achieve the characteristic worn effect.
After enzyme treatment wooden details painted with matte black paint, and then processed with dry pigments of suitable shades. The wood should be painted mainly in brown shades, except for those fragments that have been influenced by wood creosote.
After the structure is assembled, wood paneling nail holes are made using a dental hook. Then traces of rust are applied to the surface of the beams. On our mock-up, one strip of sheathing broke, and the nails remained in the vertical pile.
Further, seaweed is superimposed on the surface of the pier. Here you can use a thin strip of green ulva that runs along the border between water and land, coastal algae fucus (Fucus vesiculosus), as well as red algae (Chondrus Crispus), which stick a little lower in level. To make the algae look realistic on the pier wall, you need to place the brown algae just above the water level.
First, apply a thin strip of PVA for green seaweed. To make the strip even, you can attach a brush with glue to a piece of wood of the appropriate height and navigate when applied to the edge of the pier. You don't need a greasy layer of glue - a few good strokes are enough. Next, lay the base on its side and apply a mixture to simulate turf (blended turf) from Woodland Scenics on it. In our case, this is the most suitable shade.
As soon as the previous layer dries, we cover arbitrary fragments of the wall with a thin layer of PVA. We apply a finely porous gray foam on it. We return the base to horizontal position and gently level the mix of PVA and gray foam with a soft, damp brush. At the same time, unprocessed fragments should also remain on the wall, so as not to disturb the realism.
After complete drying, excess upper layers can be removed with a dental hook and then detailed with a red-brown paint. In some places, you can use different shades of gray. Also Brown color suitable for painting the "seabed".
If you want to imitate mussel shells, we recommend using a small round grain, partially painted in matt black and glued in the right places.
In greens and grays sea bottom» can be painted even before the previous layer dries. If you plan to use a transparent coating for water, you should take into account that the water depth in this place is very small, and the ships constantly rub their bottom against the bottom, leaving deep marks. Some of them may be clearly visible, representing a keel print or a rudder mark. Where the keel touched the bottom along its entire length, darker lines should be applied.
We imitate water itself using a two-component epoxy resin. It cures to a solid state in just two hours and serves as an excellent base for the following layers. You can smooth it out by applying some epoxy to the algae to simulate moisture. On top of the base, we recommend putting three more layers (each 1 mm thick). You can also imitate sea ripples by working the top layer with a brush until the resin begins to set.
fast rivers
We will look at modeling rapid currents using the example of a small English river, East Lyn.
East Lin is a very fast river, especially during the rainy season. During the spring flood, the riverbed is filled with tree trunks and large boulders. In some places, the shores bear traces of destruction. Pebbles accumulate on the bends of the channel.
First, the riverbed is covered with a layer of PVA. On top of it we pour a layer of rubble from the Woodland Scenics set. We lay the rubble directly into the riverbed, pressing the pebbles into the glue.
Next, we paint the channel in authentic colors (shades of brown with small splashes of green are recommended) and let it dry. Then comes the first layer of "water". For this we use a transparent two-component epoxy resin. Banks and pebbles should be applied while the epoxy is still wet.
The banks are modeled using putty (we recommend using Polyfilla putty), and vertical surfaces sprinkled with crushed stone and sea moss, which well imitates the roots of trees and shrubs.
After all the components are placed in place and painted, the top layer of the river can be provided with various irregularities to achieve the impression of fast flow.
Woodland Scenics sets have whole line various "water effects", but, in our opinion, most of them do not provide a realistic gloss. Therefore, our last layer will also consist of a two-component epoxy resin. As soon as it starts to harden, the surface can be treated with a dental hook, adding here white gloss, imitating foam and movement. Alternatively, transparent silicone sealant, which is easily molded according to your preferences.
A fast flow can be simulated using a mixture of PVA and a small amount of liquid white paint. With its help, you can imitate foam in those places where water stumbles on boulders.
waterfalls
The Woodland Scenics sets have their own waterfalls. You can see how they look in the following video:
However, we will try to make a realistic waterfall on our own.
To do this, take a transparent silicone sealant and mix it with a small amount of liquid white paint. Then we stretch a small piece cling film on smooth flat surface, apply a colored sealant to it and begin to smooth it in length. Next, we form the resulting strip of sealant to achieve the desired effect. You can experiment without fear, as this material is very cheap. You can even prepare several options. After that, let the sealant dry thoroughly (this will take about 12 hours).
Now carefully peel off the cured sealant from the cling film and attach it to the desired surface with a few drops of liquid sealant. Once the waterfall is in right place, cover its upper part with a thin layer of liquid transparent sealant with the addition of a whitish sealant. Next comes the artistic processing stage, during which we simulate realistic splashes and foam at the bottom of the waterfall.
Once all this is dry, you can apply an additional layer of two-component epoxy over the entire surface of the river. In this case, you can use epoxy varnish, applying it in an even layer from the beginning of the river - through the waterfall - to its very end.
Sea or waves on the lake
The sea is not very often present on railway models, and its imitation is associated with some difficulties.
For modeling the seashore, a textured coating for walls and ceilings (for example, Teraflex) is best suited. This material is commonly used to create decorative coatings any texture, including with various patterns. Dozens of articles on construction topics are devoted to texture coatings. Therefore, we will not describe the methods of working with them here.
The texture coating is applied to the layout with a spatula and then molded to achieve a surf effect. After the base has hardened, it can be painted to your liking, and then coated with a glossy varnish.
So, we have seen that water modeling is a very interesting problem, which is easy to solve, guided by simple methods. We hope this article was helpful to you.
Good luck with your practice, and see you soon!
