I hope this is the correct forum………there is a long sequence in my layout thread leading up to this but I am so excited I thought it deserved a wider audience 

After much procrastination I have finally poured Magic Water and it is indeed Magic

 

Before…………..just the canal base painted




After




Now admittedly the bridge is in place, the road has markings/traffic and the tow path has vegetation…….but look at the water…….look at the reflection. (Dont look at the road join:twisted:)




I apologise if I appear to be verging on the euphoric but I will confess to being somewhat chuffed.

I got the idea of Magic Water from Waynes layout thread. A number of forum members recommended it including my RR&Co buddy (cobber?) Max.  

The website is at http://www.unrealdetails.com/

For $25 I got two bottles and some very detailed instructions

You mix the the two bottles together in a 2:1 ratio and shake the container for 5 minutes and then pour……..up to 1/2" at a single pour although the normal amount is about 1/8" which I think is what I did.

Fortunately I had read the instructions and listened to Max

The key instruction……Magic Water will go anywhere water will go :shock:

Water finds its own level and so does Magic Water

Water will find any pin holes and so does Magic Water

I thought I had sealed all the joints but even so I took the inventors advice and painted a thin layer of the mix right over the canal base and let it dry 24 hours before pouring

Fortunately I covered the carpet (thank you Max:thumbs)

 ………..despite all the above there was a steady drip drip for the first 2-3 hours after pouring.:twisted:…….and yes the canal base has a 1/8" incline:oops:. I had kind of anticipated this and mixed enough to cover 1/4" so in the end all was well .

It pours very easily and requires no encouragement. Initially there are lots of tiny air bubbles but they just extinguish themselves……if any persist you just blow on them and the CO2 in your breath does the job.

Smooth cover…..no shrinkage…….it does climb up a bit at the edges…..there is a scientific term which escapes me…….but it is not that noticeable

They say allow 24 hours to dry but I allowed 48 to be on the safe side

The usual disclaimer but I have  to say…….it really is Magic

 

Glad it went so well, John. It looks marvellous due in no small way to the colour you painted the base.
 I love having water on the layout - couldn't have a layout without it, in fact.
:thumbs :thumbs

Mike

Congratulations, John.  It looks excellent.  That's going to be one very interesting layout.  :thumbs

Looks superb, John, well done.  Magic if you like!  I do like the reflections as well.  Can this product be used with a hint of colour added as well or will it only work if the paint is down first?

Now then - there's a bottle of that stuff on the workbench somewhere and I have a beach scene ….. hmm:hmm

Thanks guys!!

[user=316]Gwiwer[/user] wrote:

Looks superb, John, well done. Magic if you like! I do like the reflections as well. Can this product be used with a hint of colour added as well or will it only work if the paint is down first?

Now then - there's a bottle of that stuff on the workbench somewhere and I have a beach scene ….. hmm:hmm

Hopefully 2 bottles……..otherwise it will be very solid……I did my trials in a spice jar and hoped I could use the residue……I couldnt and SWMBO was not impressed

According to the instructions:  "you can tint/colour with any solvent based product….Testors, Modelmaster, Floquil or other oil based enamels. Indelible ink will work. Water based colouring doesnt work as well. Do a small test. It doesnt take much to colour Magic Water"

Hope this helps

Regards

 

Magic Water on a Magical section of the layout - it looks great and really brings the whole thing to life. :thumbs

Very well done - no wonder you are pleased. However in another way my pleasure is tinged with a little sadness as the water pouring is the start of the completion process for this project section and I am going to miss it when its done :roll:

It looks like a proper canal John. :thumbs

You sound sufficiently "fired up" with the product for me to think about using it on my dirty old river.  Is it really as easy as you say ?

The only thing that does worry me a little is the desire it has to get out of the cut - the "climbing up" effect.  I seem to remember both Mike and Marty poking around endlessly with cocktail sticks on their waters (:roll:) - I have other uses for cocktail sticks !!!!

It certainly seems like a product to take a serious look at.

That makes a wonderful canal, John. The reflections are superb. As others have said, I think the paint work on the bottom and your careful preparation have made it what it is. By the way, I did look at the join in the roadway, and it looks just like the joins we have in several of the roads around here. They have a black tar seam right across the road every 100yds or so to help with expansion apparently.

 

That's really great, John.
You must be thrilled with that.

That is magic, lovely reflection, however that join in the road :twisted:

Phill

Hello John,
           That is really good-looking water. The reflective nature of the product is excellent. In respect of "the road-joins" why not instal cobble-stones at the joins that could represent water run-off points. Just a thought that might work. Love the Lay-out,
                          Kind Regards,
                       Michael Thornberry.

Top-notch.  What a difference between the pics.  Definitely a result.

Cheers
Dave

Thank you all for such encouraging comments:thumbs

[user=6]Petermac[/user] wrote:

The only thing that does worry me a little is the desire it has to get out of the cut - the "climbing up" effect.  I seem to remember both Mike and Marty poking around endlessly with cocktail sticks on their waters (:roll:) - I have other uses for cocktail sticks !!!!

It certainly seems like a product to take a serious look at.

I didnt have to do any poking at all.

The instruction says Magic Water has a very insignificant miniscus effect (the word I couldnt remember) but it will "wick" or capillary into porous materials like ballast etc so you are advised to do the water first and the scenic effects after……….I couldnt do that with the canal 

I sealed the base and the revetment joint with a light coat brushed on to prevent this……If I were to do it again I would maybe take the coat a little higher but we are only talking about 1/16" or so…………..I cant really show it on the photos……I just know its there:sad:

 Its certainly worth a look at

[user=373]Wheeltapper[/user] wrote:

Very well done - no wonder you are pleased. However in another way my pleasure is tinged with a little sadness as the water pouring is the start of the completion process for this project section and I am going to miss it when its done :roll:

Thanks Richard…….still lots to do I am going to be bugging you for a while yet………..but now I can bed the bridges in…..lay track and even run a train!!!

[user=422]Geoff R[/user] wrote:

 By the way, I did look at the join in the roadway, and it looks just like the joins we have in several of the roads around here. They have a black tar seam right across the road every 100yds or so to help with expansion apparently.

Thank you Geoff:thumbs   Now I can stop worrying about it…..maybe emphasise it a bit…………there are 3 or 4 of them on that street.

 I am using Metcalfe Sheets and I did cover one of the joins with a scalescen tarmac "patch". I feel better now…..the problem has gone away

 

I would think John when there is a bit more added Vehicles people a few weeds or something ,the join will hardly notice .

I mean look ar Ernie Wise.    :pedal

[user=31]sparky[/user] wrote:

I would think John when there is a bit more added Vehicles people a few weeds or something ,the join will hardly notice .

I mean look ar Ernie Wise.    :pedal

Good gloss John wish i had that for me boots when i did my drill instructors course at the Guards depot, top stuff, how does it take to go off?

Abso-bleedin'-lutely magic.


Or as Marty would say 'Bewdy'!

Doug

[user=450]wogga[/user] wrote:

Good gloss John wish i had that for me boots when i did my drill instructors course at the Guards depot, top stuff, how does it take to go off?

I dont think you could wait that long…..48 hours! You will have to stick to the teaspoon and candle.

What unit were you in? I was in the Kings Regt for 3 years  just before they amalgamated with the Manchesters which must have been many many years before your service

John a Kingo eh? they have now gone (again) i think they were amalgamated with someone the Lancs or the Cheshires?? i was in the Signals for far too many years (still miss it).

Shouldn't you of added the bike and the pram before you added the water in the canal? Its definately not the Ship Canal i can't see the rainbow

[user=450]wogga[/user] wrote:

John a Kingo eh? they have now gone (again) i think they were amalgamated with someone the Lancs or the Cheshires?? i was in the Signals for far too many years (still miss it).

Shouldn't you of added the bike and the pram before you added the water in the canal? Its definately not the Ship Canal i can't see the rainbow

I think they are the 1st Bn Duke of Lancasters Regt now…………………drill in the Signals……….amazing.

Its supposed to be a sort of working canal……..but the bike, and I have one, would have been a good idea….darn…..maybe I can retro install something when I detail it