What to use for water

[Anna]

I am wanting to make a few ponds, sinks and tubs that have water in them as well as a couple of washing tubs with puppy dogs in them and soap suds on them as well and were wondering about what to use as the water that goes in there and I would also like where I could purchase some as well, I do have the scenic water (I think it is called) jar of the type one heats slightly and it sets to a soft substance and then can be re-softened and I would like something that sets for real instead...

Any ideas???

Hugs

[Muriel]

This won't be very helpful to you, but clear nail polish makes good water. You would have to buy litres of it! It is more useful in bottles/jugs/glasses/vases where less quantity is needed. Dries very hard!

Good luck finding something though. Maybe you could add something to the scenic water to make it harder? (Chemistry is not my speciallity though, so not sure what! :thumb: )

Muriel

[Charlene]

There's always resin -- sets up hard but it is difficult to work with sometimes. How about clear acrylic caulking -- would that work? It stays flexible but not tacky andit's supposed to stay clear and not yellow.

[Shakyshaky]

I use the fake water they use with fake flowers. I found it in the craft store here. Comes in two good size bottles you have to mix in equal amounts. It does not yellow either. It worked well for me when I did the river in the Heart Arbor project.

[la-dolly-vita]

there is a clear liquid sculpey that might work as well? though i'd go with some other suggestions of the faux floral arrangement water before mine.

[KathieB]

I use the fake water they use with fake flowers. I found it in the craft store here. Comes in two good size bottles you have to mix in equal amounts. It does not yellow either. It worked well for me when I did the river in the Heart Arbor project.

I used this in the aquarium in the houseboat. I found it took weeks and weeks before the surface was dry enough to touch without leaving a fingerprint.* Maybe I didn't have the mixture exactly half-and-half?

*The fingerprints went away after a while.

[chesterfieldzoo]

I got some stuff from walmart that came in two bottles that you mix together. It is for floral arrangements. It doesn't seem to get hard, but is easy to work with. You could use clear and white beads for bubbles.

[Corwin]

Would clear epoxy work?

[KathieB]

I was just at Wal-Mart and spotted some Clear Aileen's Tacky Glue. I'm going to try some of it in a bottle cap and see how it turns out.

[badlilkit10]

IM GLAD YOU POSTED THIS I WAS WONDERING THE SAME THING. IM GOING TO TRY THE CLEAR NAIL POLISH TONIGHT IN A LITTLE CAP AND SEE HOW IT WORKS

[Kalygirl]

Why am I thinking I've heard of something called liquid polymer to be used for this purpose? Am I crazy or is there such a thing?

[Anna]

Why am I thinking I've heard of something called liquid polymer to be used for this purpose? Am I crazy or is there such a thing?

I do indeed have a bottle of the liquid sculpey, but as I gahter it might not be very suiatable for larger amounts and still stay clear, not sure as I haven't tried it like that just yet...

Will have to look into the resin thingy then as the faux water used for the flower arrangments have been met with " " kind of look when I called around... There used to be a product for embedding objects in a clear kind of plastic but that was some years ago that it was the "in" thing and well I wasn't to into outdoorsy mini-ing then... :thumb:

Thank you all for you suggestion I truly appreciate it and will see what I might be able to find over here!

Hugs

[Corwin]

With glue or such products it's best to pour it in layers, to keep it clear.

[Petite Crafter]

If you have a hobby shop, or a hobby lobby close to you, you may want to look there. Go to the railroad landscaping department, as they have a couple of different products for faux water in railroad layouts. It comes in fairly large bottles, and is supposed to be easy to use, color if wanted, and dries and stays clear. For large projects, it may well be cheaper, and easier, than things like resin.

[KathieB]

I was just at Wal-Mart and spotted some Clear Aileen's Tacky Glue. I'm going to try some of it in a bottle cap and see how it turns out.

I poured a blob about an inch in diameter into a little aluminum pan. This morning it was dry, clear as crystal, and had popped off the metal. Apparently it shrank as it dried. Will try it in a small container with sides and see if the same thing happens. It is more rubbery than the result when regular Aileen's Tacky Glue dries. (I've used that to make some glue dishes.)

[badlilkit10]

i was at acmoore last night and they had something or water it was for a hobbie kit of some sort i cant think of the exact name im so mad i didnt grab it ill be going back soon and i will get some to start some things. check their websight im not sure if you have any around you :o

[Anna]

Well, no luck in havign any hobby stores locally here, it is sort of a dry spell on those, but I might, just might, be going on a sewing fair tomorrow in the "large" city an hour or so from here, and possibly then get to visit a fairly well stocked train shop (ie well stocked for a Swedish shop LOL) so perhaps I will make a find or two there....

Hugs and thanks for all the ideas!!!!

[KathieB]

I poured a blob about an inch in diameter into a little aluminum pan. This morning it was dry, clear as crystal, and had popped off the metal. Apparently it shrank as it dried. Will try it in a small container with sides and see if the same thing happens. It is more rubbery than the result when regular Aileen's Tacky Glue dries. (I've used that to make some glue dishes.)

Following up on Aileen's Clear Gel Glue ... the rubbery result is no longer rubbery, and it's still crystal clear. I just poured a smallish glob into a bird bath to see how that works out.

[Missymew]

I've had lots of success with Ultra Glo:

http://www.miniatures.com/hbs/global/Index...p;PRODUCTSKU=27

It's a resin where you mix the two parts. When I've poured the liquid, I just "breathe" on it and the bubbles disappear right away. It sets hard very quickly. It's great for a pond, or if you want to add layers.

I used Ultra Glo to create this murky pond in a Fall scene:

http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/i...i&img=15780

And the Ultra Glo here enabled me to create my Goose Pond:

http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/i...i&img=13931

I've also used scenic water. I like the scenic water in my bird bath as it's easy to create "bird splash". Here's a picture of my bird landing in the birdbath:

http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/i...i&img=12044

Let us know what you decide to try. I love hearing what everbody else uses and what their experiences are.

-Susanne

[Deb]

I tried scenic water once and wasn't really happy with the results, but that was probably because I used coarse turf in the bottom for moss and the "water" picked up a yellowish tinge. (don't drink the yellow water) For clear water, I use the floral acrylic stuff that mixes in two equal parts. It doesn't "flow" because it takes so long to harden but you can use clear glass aurora borealis seed beads (found at walmart) for bubbles or ice.

I played around with green and blue saran wrap for making water for the houseboat and it actually looked really good for something like a swimming pool or a pond (layer the colors till you get the shade you want) but it was too clean for a swamp. What I finally ended up doing was waaaaaaaaaay too easy. It's aluminum foil glued down and crumpled just enough to create the wakes from the boat, then painted it. I added coarse turf and green poly fibers on the top for scum and lichen for clumps of moss.

I like the idea of the clear nail polish for smaller items! In fact, I've got a fountain that I was getting ready to fill and the nail polish will be perfect for it. For the "stream" coming from the lion's mouth, I'll use a piece of silver jewelry wire, bend it and then dip it into the clear nail polish and let it dry. If I keep repeating the process, it should make a nice clear stream in just the right shape to flow into the fountian basin. I've heard that you can also wrap jewelry wire with clear saran wrap to make a stream but I've never tried it.

Deb

[Starfire]

Clear Liquid Nails put out by Dap is also useful for doing flowing water. It comes in a four (or six?) oz craft size tube available at Walmart in the paint section (not the craft section). You can sometimes find the smaller size at hardware stores but no longer Lowes or Home Depot. I am using it to give the effect of dripping water on the water wheel of my Tudor Water Mill. There is a tutorial on using it to do a water fall at

http://www.thewhistlepost.com/forums/tips-...l-tutorial.html

[Missymew]

Clear fishing line also works for making "running water". I bought a roll of the fishing line in the dollar store. I just keep dipping it in my Ultra Glo. But I'll bet the clear nail polish would work just as well.

-Susanne

[Ed_Cal]

Several things will work. 2 part Polyester resin the stuff sed for making cast paperweights etc. Paint the bottom and coat with gloss acrylic varnish, Glass or acrylic plastic with a layer of acrylic gloss medium you can put a gentle stream of air across it to get a rippling /wave effect

Ed

[havanaholly]

The important thing if you want to FILL containers, especially with critters in them, is to mix & pour small amounts at a time in layers, to let it dry throughly with minimal shrinkage. Mini years ago DHMS did a two- or three-part series on Scenic Water. For flowing water you can anchor one end of your monofilament line in the pond/ tub and the other end to the end of your hose/ tap and carefull pour the clear nail enamel/ glue by drops onto the monofilament and it'll coat it as it runs down; eventually it'll build up to the size you want; for falling water you do the same thing with a twiisted bit of Saran wrap.

[judithfa]

layer of acrylic gloss medium you can put a gentle stream of air across it to get a rippling /wave effect

I like this idea