making resin ponds & pools tutorial

7/23/2019 Making Resin Ponds & Pools Tutorial

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Axis & Allies ForuMINI :: Resin Ponds + Pools tutorial

aaminis.myfastforum.org/Resin_Ponds_Pools_tutorial_about45261.html

Redskullz

Joined: 09Mar 2012Likesreceived:3

Posts:150

Post subject: Resin Ponds + Pools tutorial (Liked by:3) Like this post

Note: This scenery tutorial is made for 28mm figures but is easily adapted to smaller scales.

I started playing with envirotex lite pour on laquer about 7-8 years ago and never evenconsidered another product as envirotex works so well and is great to work with.Pricewise its around the same cost as the gaming water effects, costing around $1usdan ounce. I cant compare envirotex to any other products as I only have usedenvirotex.

Alright so these are the supplies you are going to need:Pond or Lake scenery (finished to final paint)Envirotex Lite Pour on Laquer (I am hoping that you guys in Europe can get Envirotex)1oz mixing cups with measurementsWooden or Plastic Stir sticksWindsor and Newton Ink (for sure other companies inks would work butexperimentation will definitely be required) I've become very fond of Windsor andnewton drawing inks for not just tinting resin but also for painting minis with. Superbinks at a decent price.Small Syringe (needed for controlled droplets when tinting with ink)Xacto Knife

Here is some optional supplies for additional effectsStraws with bends (if you want dripping sludge pipes)Gorilla Glue (if you want dripping pipes)Pins (for securing details on pipes)Other details for the living pool (the sky is the limit here, think outside the box for whatever themed scenery you are building...submerged painted figures look incredible,as do greenstuff snakes, fish, frogs)Toothpicks - If you want oil slicks or blood trails these will be required.Foamcore - If you want walkways.1/8th" square drywall tape - For walkways metal type surface.

Alrighty with your supplies in hand you are ready to build!!

Step 1 - Making the PondI use 1" polystyrene insulation for building the ponds. I always make more than onepond at a time as any excess resin not used will be wasted unless you have 2 or moreon the go. Start by cutting an interesting shape out of your foam. Personally I don'tusually plan my scenery(but for the sake of pics in this tutorial I will do a plan in magicmarker). I normally just grab a knife and let the creative flow determine the outcome. Iprefer an Xacto to a hotwire cutter as I find you can make more realistic rock cuts andthough it is a messier task its much better for your health.(foam fumes are very toxic) Okay so now you have a flat pond and you will have to cut the basin of the pool outwhere the resin will be poured. How much angle you use when cutting the basin will alldepend on how steep you want your banks to be. I always add at least one deepspot(usually two).

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http://aaminis.myfastforum.org/Resin_Ponds_Pools_tutorial_about45261.html

http://void%280%29/

http://aaminis.myfastforum.org/Resin_Ponds_Pools_tutorial_about45261.html



Here is the planned piece drawn with marker to outline my basic shape. Inner markingsshow walkways(dash lines) and water contours. Stair case sections have been cut outbut will actually be dropdown ladders.

Cutting a Shalllow bank.



Cutting a deep bank.

Making the outer edge of the pool.(don't cut too deep!)

Outer banks taking form.



Walkway dry fit.

Using a marker to draw around walkway supports for perfect fit.



Black tinted glue ready to place.



Perfect placement thanks to the marker. Drove a couple of pins angled in through thesides of the walkway supports to keep great contact when drying.



Very hard to get pics of the deep spots in pink foam so I put in some excels black glueto show the deep spots.

Step 2 - PipesSo now is the time to plan details such as pipes. Always check your details beforegluing. Any details that will be exposed to view submerged in resin will be finishedpainted now. Once satisfied with the detail plan glue in pipes. Make sure you carefully

plan the pipes before gluing them in. I use a drill bit to pre drill a hole on the angle that Iwant the pipe to be. Once satisfied with the pipes position I will then glue it in and fillthe fragile straw with glue and let dry overnight. If I am having difficulty getting the pipeto stay in the desired position while the glue will dry, I will use a carefully placed pushpin through the straw into the foam. The exposed pinhead ads interesting detail aswell. Filling the pipe with glue will increase its durability if it might be exposed topotential hazards.(depends on the position of the pipe really) If needed, I will fill withpva glue from a syringe using cotton balls to stop the glue from running out.

Great pipes.



Preparing to hand drill the pilot hole for my first pipe.

All 3 pipes in place.

Happy with placement pipe have been glue in.

Step 3 - Basecoating

I tint my favorite PVA glue(weldbond) with black craft store acrylic paint and slightlywater it down before application. I then paint the entire surface of the pond with theblack PVA and let dry for a couple of hours. Then repeat the process 2 more times for added durability, but I avoid doing the basin as the durability is not needed as long asthe basin is black. Getting the PVA glue to stick to the straw pipes is a challenge. A lightsanding of the pipes with 280 or higher grit sandpaper will help adhesion.

Fresh base coating with black PVA.

First coat dried.(4 hours later)

Step 4 - Painting the PondPaint your scenery in colours suitable to your theme. I use acrylic craft store paints(art

deco, acrylique, apple barrel) for this stage. On the outer banks of the pond drybrushwith a darker base colour and then more lightly drybrush using a lighter shade. Add abit of white into your highlight shade and drybrush very lightly on the most raised peaksof the outer banks. To paint the basin follow the steps but gradually use less and lesshighlghts as you go deper into the basin. This will add to the illusion of depth. If pipesare present start with painting the pipes tin bitz and then drybrushing with silver. If youwant a rusted appearance,lightly stippled oranges and browns will work great.

Base paint done.

Highlight done.

Step 5 - Piping the sludge (Optional)



If you installed pipes and want them to be dripping sludge into the pool you need to firstinsert a few strands of light wire into the open end of the pipe Glue the wire in placewith pva and make a gentle flowing arc and let dry. Grab your gorilla glue and mix twodrops of paint(dark angel green, scorpion green, snot green all work well) with a dropof water with an equal amount of glue. This mix will increase in size approximately 3X. Apply around the wire and open end of the pipe.

Dry fitting the sludge wire.

Sludge materials.

Dropping the Gorilla into snot green paint.

Mix it up!

Applying to the wire.(you don't know how hard it is to try to hold the camera perfectly inmacro mode still in one hand and trying to apply the mix in the other...lol)

Mix expanded after 15 minutes or so.

Wasn't super happy with the way the mix looked so I used a toothpick to give it sometexture.

Don't screw around with gorilla glue or envirotex. If you see this on the counter dropanything and clean it asap. Once cured this and etex is super hard to clean and thewife/mom/gf will be pissed.

Step 6 - Planning the small detailsIts the small things that really make a scenery piece amazing in my eyes. As this pondI am making is a futuristic piece to go with a mess of other scenery I am building I wentwith the same theme using small computer bitz(transistors, resistors), pre-paintedMechWarrior figures, prepainted horrorclix figures(chainsaw, mechanical tentacles andthe wild eyed guy rising from the depths). Now I decide where I want my bits and whatpieces will be "sinking into the depths". As I wanted to show many effects on this singlepiece of terrain, I loaded it with many different items(experimental bubbles out of therising wild eyed man, oil slicks from the cans, blood trails from the chainsaw) At thispoint I have put just under 4 hours into this project. (not including tutorial time)

Horrorclix used in this project.

Chainsaw

Step 7 - Pouring the Basin FloorI pour my resin in 2-3 layers, usually only 2 unless I didn't mix enough resin or amadding oil slicks or blood trails. The first pour(basin floor) is always tinted with blackink. This gives the illusion of being bottomless, and unless you want a shallow pool thisstep is needed. So take your mixing cup and measure out 1:1 from the two bottle of envirotex. I usually mix 1/2oz from each bottle depending on the size of the pool, but

for the black tinted stage 1 full ounce might be too much for 2 pools. Always better tomix too little than too much as any unused laquer will go to waste and its extremelydifficult to judge how much to mix. So make 4 pools at once so you don't waste theprecious resin. So for one ounce of enviotex I will add 3 drops of Windsor + newtonblack ink. Mix the batch together for 1 minute making sure it is mixed well. Carefullypour enough resin in the deepest part of the pool to make it 1/4" deep or so. Take notehow it takes the resin 15-20 seconds to level out. As envirotex is a self levelling laquer,unless your curing surface is completely level the resin will cure at an improper angle. After the basin floor is poured I let the resin cure overnight, but first make sure youplace your details before you let the resin cure!

Dropping my third and final droplet of W+N black ink into 1/2oz of envirotex resin.



Mixing the ink into the resin.

Checking the stir stick for colour consistency and clarity. Once this is done I will add theproper amount of hardener and mix well. The ink will help visually to see when itsmixed well.

Pouring the deepest parts of the pool.

Step 8 - Fading into the Depths DetailsThis step time is of the essence. Since the resin is mixed you only have a limited

amount of time before the resin cures. No need to really rush though even placingdetails on four pools at once is fast especially since you already have your detailsplanned. Once details are set leave overnight to cure. As the resin cures you will likelynotice small bubbles in the resin, usually bubbles pop on their own but sometimes theydon't and cure. To make the bubbles dissipate a deep exhaled breath 5 minutes and 10minutes after pouring will make the bubbles disappear. Now....if you want to addadditional bubbles into the resin this is almost the time. All you have to do isimpregnate the resin with air using a tiny needle in a syringe. But....first you have towait around 1.5 hours for the resin to slightly cure otherwise the bubbles will just popon their own. Take note that bubbles made this way always seem to be fairly large insize.(usually around 1/8" to 1/4" diameter)

A couple of bubbles impregnated with the needle.

Loaded the area around the pipes after a few more minutes of impregnating. Picstaken while resin was still wet. Left for 20 hours to cure after

Step 9 Pouring the midlevel resinIf you don't want blood trails/oil slicks skip this step and move to Set 11- Top water pour.Mix 5-6 drops of W+N Apple Green ink or 5-6 drops Brick Red with 1oz of envirotex.Mix well and pour around 1/4" deep trying to pour away from the edges as much aspossible. Try to cover the surface area but again avoid the edges. Let the resin flattenout for a few minutes before adding you ink droplet.

Poured an ounce which wasn't enough. As I was fast in the mixing and pouring, I wasable to reuse the mixing cup and made another ounce up quick.

Poured in a second ounce and let it flatten out. I then hurried onto step 9 as time is of the essence.(around an hour)

Step 9 - Oil Slicks n' Blood Trails (Optional)If you want oil slicks or blood lines now is the time. Now is the tricky part. Wherever youwould want the slick/blood to be thickest(usually around sludge, oil can, or dead body)carefull drop a single drop of ink into the wet resin. Now hold the droplet of ink with onetoothpick and slowly drag the pure ink along the surface of the resin to trail it out withanother toothpick. Once desired effect is achieved let dry overnight. To obtain 2 tonewater (like the red chainsaw surrounding water) then simply mix a small batch of red

and simultaneously pour the 2 colours, then use a toothpick to drag the colours intoeach other.(not that easy..haha)

Oil Slick around gas cans after ink droplet is pulled around with toothpicks.

Blood stained water and blood trails around chainsaw.

Step 10 - Bubbles (EXPERIMENTAL - SEMI TESTED)Sometime when you insert certain objects the resin traps air pockets and make trails of bubbles which can look incredible. I've thought of a pair of ways it might be possible tomake this effect on demand, but I only tested the needle impregnated air so far. First issimple, with a syringe/needle insert into wet resin and blow air bubbles into desiredarea. Yeah it works!! The only trick is you have to wait until the wet resin is slightly



cured or the bubbles will pop and not hold their form(seemed to be 1.5-2 hours after pouring). This technique makes bubbles around 1/8" to 1/4" diameter. The secondwould be tiny pieces of Alkaseltzer or possibly tiny mixes of baking soda/vinegar. Bothbubble like crazy....same in resin????? PLEASE PM OR EMAIL ME IF YOU HAVEHAD SUCCESSFUL or UNSUCCESSFUL RESULTS WITH INTENTIONAL BUBBLES.

Step 11- Top LayerMix 5-6 drops of green or red ink per ounce. Mix well and pour avoiding the edges asmuch as possible. This is the step where its crucial to not over pour. If you pour toomuch resin at this stage in an area it will roll up on the edges of the banks and give a

fake appearance. This is due to the thick syrup like consistency when you pour(beforethe resin becomes completely flat). So try to pour more resin with a wide surface area,and pour much less in narrow areas with less surface area. I like to pour in the resinup to about 1/8" from the top of the bank. WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOTOVERPOUR THIS STUFF OVER THE TOP OF THE BANK. ONCE ENVIROTEXCURES IT IS NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO CLEAN OFF ANY SURFACE. You can wipe itwith a paper towel or piece of cloth before it cures but once it does cure it's as hard asa rock.

And that's all there is to it....lol

Thu Apr 23,2015 9:02pm

Redskullz


Posts:150

Post subject: (Liked by:0) Like this post

Thanks for the comments guys! Great to see you are all doing alright and still gaming!dmor903- that means a hell of a lot coming from you man...i honestly don't know howyou can produce as much scenery as you do!!ober + eagle- great to hear from you guys!audacity- Everything is going alright. Been building a ruined city for a Necromundacampaign myself and a couple of guys to play. Going all out on the post apocalypticthemes destroyed city. Ive been hearing alot of buzz about bolt action, but have notchecked it out. Is it squad based skirmish or more of a mass battle game?

http://void%280%29/



Thu Apr 23,2015 10:32pm

Audacity

Joined: 26Jan 2010Likesreceived:49

Posts:

3409


Bolt Action is a 28mm WWII section platoon skirmish game. There is a thread in theOther Wargames section below. Being three years old and well supported by their parent company Warlord Games it is a good community to be in. I have large Germanand Soviet armies and Firehouse has a Canadian platoon plus.

I have read your technique here and am interested as I have resin river sections tolandscape. Only problem is open edges to allow the look of water flowing from onesection to another.

Fri Apr 24,2015 1:38am

http://void%280%29/



Redskullz


Posts:

150


Audacity wrote:

Bolt Action is a 28mm WWII section platoon skirmish game. There is a thread in theOther Wargames section below. Being three years old and well supported by their parent company Warlord Games it is a good community to be in. I have largeGerman and Soviet armies and Firehouse has a Canadian platoon plus.

I have read your technique here and am interested as I have resin river sections tolandscape. Only problem is open edges to allow the look of water flowing from onesection to another.

Bolt action sounds quite interesting to me especially with the painted minis....i'll lookinto it. Maybe i can get a squad together and start gaming with you guys again! So youguys have nice scenery to play on? As for the rivers i remember reading cellophane type plastic/ packing tape onto the

open end and reinforced with plasticard or wood will stop the flow and be removableafterwards...only what I've read so do a test pieces first. The only negative thing aboutetex for rivers is its self leveling properties. It always levels out perfectly smooth so if you have a section of river with heavy current you will have to let some mixed etex curefor awhile in a cup before application to give it a wavy appearance.Edit- I knew i read about it somewhere.http://www.terragenesis.co.uk/infopages/page112.html

Fri Apr 24,2015 6:40am

http://www.terragenesis.co.uk/infopages/page112.html

http://aaminis.myfastforum.org/viewtopic.php?p=1169016#1169016

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firehouse

Joined: 27

Feb 2010Likesreceived:34

Posts:2200


Nice to see you back

I play BA with Audacity on the rare occasion and would love to discuss terrain with yousometime. IMO- your modelling skills are great.

I have a small BA Canadian army. _________________ Please see my trade list:http://aaminis.myfastforum.org/sutra608477.php#608477

Sat Apr 25,2015 1:41am

Redskullz


Posts:150

firehouse wrote:

Nice to see you back

I play BA with Audacity on the rare occasion and would love to discuss terrain withyou sometime. IMO- your modelling skills are great.

I have a small BA Canadian army.

Shoot me an email when you have some free time(dial-up is usually hooked up) I amactually writing 2 more tutorials, one on Wartorn Buildings/Ruins and one on Led litscenery.

http://aaminis.myfastforum.org/viewtopic.php?p=1169180#1169180

http://aaminis.myfastforum.org/sutra608477.php#608477

http://void%280%29/

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