Easier than glass, though if you have the right tools glass is relatively easy to cut - score the pane with a diamond scoring tool and break off (theoretically). Plexiglas, acrylic, Lexan, and other synthetic materials can be cut with a saw or a Dremel cutting disk (keep the speed down to avoid clogging the disk with melted material). Lexan is very easy to work with (we use it at work for front panels on our products - with metal back plate for solidity).
The current mules in residence at the Easton Canal Museum on a bit of the old Lehigh Canal are named Hank and George.
Hi Candy Good to see you again. This water thing intimidated me for a while. I thought of doing the glazing type thing, and pour one of the water modeling liquids, which I did try on a very small scale, thought I had it sealed up, but nope. The below was intended to be a river/lake. I named it Long Lake, as it is about 8 ft long. I was given some great advise from a very wise older gent, not to make it too complicated, and don't over think it, which I was doing in a big way. This entire river/lake is on a piece of 1/8" tempered masonite. I made the banks as I wanted with a foam/sculptamold then used dark blues to get the water color, look I wanted. I then used many layers in a cross pattern, (at least 6) of Gloss Medium Gel, a paste that dries glossy, crystal clear and hard as woodpecker lips. I would avoid using Matt medium as it dries to a flat (Matt) clear finish. The below is also over 6 years old, a simple damp cloth to clean any dust off the water. To get the ripple effect simply load a 1/2" flat tip artist type brush up heavy, and stab it into the surface, for the last couple coats, it will dry to look something like this, you can also load and stab the brush at the desired angles to simulate the effect a small boat may make on the water. The cool thing is, the whole lake and scenery cost less than 15 bucks, (figures extra). Of course your mileage may vary. This was my first real attempt at making a simulated body of water. Not the best but it may be a starting place for you. I cant tell you how many camps I have been by on the Colorado river, depending on the time of day and libation consumption, the campers are hard pressed to keep their pants pulled up sometimes, when a train goes by. Other shall I say prolific actions by campers of a particular gender will certainly garner a noisy response by the train crews. My record was 50 on one glorious summer day. I hope this helps your water modeling efforts a bit.
Sorry! My Dutch/Belgian ancestors didn't settle there. I will enjoy seeing how Candy portrays it. The articles about it are very interesting. As are the suggestions from others. Back to my own.
Hey Candy!! OK water... Easy water actually sucks... the Woodland Scenics stuff anyway. I have done many water scenes using many methods and my now go to stuff is Envirotex https://www.amazon.com/envirotex/s?k=envirotex This is a 2 part epoxy based resin that dries perfectly clear, flows like thick water and gives you plenty of working time to get everything set right. Even pouring multiple layers do not show "seams" from one layer to the next. To detail the "water" with waves after I use some gloss MOd Podge to make waves and ripples. Here is a pic of one of my layouts with the Envirotex. I prepped the "river" area how I wanted it before pouring in the Envirotex. This is the first pour, and as you see it isn't quite enough. This is the second pour and it turned out great. It may also look like it has a bit of surface tension at first, but that will give way and it will flow out just fine to the edges. One thing to note... This stuff will find a way to get everywhere. It's like water, and we all know water will find a way into every crack and crevice it can fit into and then it will try to get out of.
It is a bit pricey. I must do a bit of math to see how much I will need. Is this stuff safe in a closed area? Will I have to open windows and stuff?
yes, it is safe. There is no smell for the most part, and you can even eat off of it… really! My Sister’s house has this stuff on her countertops and it gives the wood underneath a beautiful deep shine. I usually buy the 8oz pack (2 4oz bottles) and run with that. The pics I showed took about 1/2 of the bottles in the 2 batches I mixed up, and the water was about 1/2” thick in some places. the link I posted had the big gallon versions all up and in front, and the price is steep at that volume, but the smaller sizes are reasonable.
I went to google streets and got the satellite view of the canal in Easton (Glendon) and measured the width of the canal with the measure tool. It varied from about 50 feet to 65 feet. In my area I have 65, ho scale, feet! PERFECT!
Using dark colors of under paint is another good way to simulate depth without going too deep. I’m sure you already know this, just sayin for anyone new out there.
This is my canal space. 145 scale feet long and about 62 scale feet wide. Trees and stuff on the left are roughed in.
