Water: I have used polyseamseal clear outdoor caulk in my classes and it is wonderful!

Sue Thwaite

Water Pellets (E-Z Water): I melt them in an old (cleaned) tin can that I've bent a pour spout into. It seems to come out pretty clear as long as you don't heat it too much. (There's a fine line there between not enough and too much). You have to be pretty quick at pouring it so be sure you know where you want it to go before you get it hot. You can scratch circles on the surface with a pointed metal object and then hit it with a heat gun and it will slightly melt the surface and look just like ripples. Also if it seems to lump up because it cools too fast after you've poured it, just hit it with the heat gun and it will smooth out. Be careful not to burn the surrounding scene.

Jane

Scenic Water: I just put a small amount in an old jar and stand this in a bowl of boiling water for a few minutes. I've not had any problems.

Jayne Horsburgh

Tacky Resin: If you are using the same container to measure your resin catalyst then that could be your problem. It's best to measure and pour the resin into a small container, then measure , pour the catalyst into a different container of the same size... then pour BOTH of those into a third container and stir carefully. That way you can be more certain that you've measured the two parts into EQUAL quantities.

Viola Williams

Tacky Resin: If your resin remains sticky, put it in the sun and the ultra violet rays will cure it.

Marilyn

Filler: My modeling filler of choice is Squadron white putty - which is sold at model shops that sell car kits, boat kits etc. It comes in a tube like toothpaste and I have used it to fill cracks and defects in wood, MDF, cardboard, plastic, resin and metal.

Sandra in New Zealand

Scenic Water: I had the same problem (not melting) at first and then I used really hot water almost boiling. I then poured the stuff directly from the can into the little baths. The bath bubbles came by pouring with a toothpick. The directions said to use an air blower but that didn't work out.

One thing, the water was brownish which was realistic in my case since there are dirty and sandy toddler gnomes that just came out of the bath!

Wilga

Polyseamseal for Water. Sue Ann Thwaite's does not turn yellow with age. She uses the Darworth product. It might be a little more $ but we put so much time into our stuff and my time is worth it!! I have worked with this polyseamseal on cold days in a non-heated area and it was hard to work with. On hot days it flows almost too fast. You just have to adjust yourself... not the polyseamseal. http://ladybug-fairies.com

Jan Haring

Mixing casting resin: Be Exact, use 50-50. Too little hardener and its gooey forever. I have the best results when I am extremely exact.

Velvet

Water: In small areas, you can use Future Floor Wax for water. It takes a little while to set up, but becomes hard in several days, and it's very clear. I put some in a tiny brass fountain that I have. Not only did it harden, but the "water" turned a bluish-greenish color from contact with the brass, and it looks great in the fountain. It was a chemical reaction that I was not expecting but shows up better than clear water would. Future Floor Wax can also be colored to make things like orange juice, coffee, etc.

Anita Myers

Water: I had always used Envirotex but at Brooke's reflection pond class she had us get the casting resin from Michael's. It takes a few drops of hardener instead of the half to half and unlike Envirotex it comes out completely clear and sets up much faster.

Anita McNary-Haynes

Resins: Warning for resin buyers/users - Envirotex and other two-part resins usually have a limited shelf life of 6 months.

Anne Gerdes

Fake Water: I found a new product at Michael's. Wonder Water. It is in an plastic bottle. You put it in a pan of warm water (tap water) for 10 min. It liquefies, you pour it and it resets. Amazing. I did have a problem with it staying liquid long enough to pour. It's like as soon as it hits the air it resets. But used in small amounts that's OK. If I were going to do a large something, I'd probably still use resin. No odor! No fumes!

Fannye in TX

Another good use for the small Lego blocks, is to use them to make a box for making a mold. You can pour plaster into the box and it does not leak, plus it scrapes right off the blocks. I don't know what would happen if you tried to pour resin in. Might be a disaster. But I know that plaster is okay.

Joy Parker

Envirotex: I get Envirotex at Michael's Craft store, but sometimes Wal-Mart or Kmart will have it. Also hardware or lumber stores carry it or a similar product. Ask for a 2-part resin. But not an epoxy resin. There must be an online source for it but am not sure where.

Dorothy

When we want to seal something so we can use liquid resin, we usually use either tacky glue, E6000 or silicone caulk.

Tom Berkner

Pond: I used a round coffee lid for the pond and cut down the edges to the depth I wanted. Painted the bottom of the lid a murky color, made Fimo fish and glued them in. I then cut a piece of acetate to fit the lid and used clear nail polish to give the surface a ripple effect. I then made rocks out of plaster ,glue and water and put them on a plastic bag to dry and then painted them. I then glued them around the edge to hide the edge of the acetate, then I cut out water lilies and made water lily flowers glued these onto the water and put plants in the crevices of the rocks. It looked great. The clear nail polish took away the flat look.

Karen from Dubai

Polyseamseal for Water: The stuff for water in a tube is Clear Polyseamseal and is great stuff. But, when I did my ocean shore, I used Liquid Illusion, because I needed quite a bit and the Polyseamseal takes a very long time to cure. Polyseamseal would, however, be great for making a rougher surface - you can use your finger or a spatula to make ripples, waves, etc. Guess I was just afraid the Polyseamseal wouldn't cure completely with such a large amount.

Carole Pierce in TN

RESIN PROBLEMS: First of all, there are SEVERAL kinds of resin to use for water, beverages etc. You say that you received some miniatures that leaked (I would think you mean "oozed" out of the particular miniature) and some didn't.

The products that you were sent were not done correctly. What I mean by this, is that the resin was not MIXED accurately or stirred correctly before being poured into the container, and therefore, did not harden. (Wish I knew what containers you mean).

But here is what you really wanted to know: NO. you cannot salvage them by washing them, nothing can clean up a messy resin miniature, and don't even try.

And NO.. you should not touch the sticky resin, not because you will be poisoned, but because care must be taken with ANY medium - glues, spray paint, etc.

My suggestion is that you contact the people you purchased these miniatures from and tell them the problem you have had. If need be...send them back and SHOW them what happened.

If you are tempted to create water in jars on your own, what you need is Polymer Compound Resin - a 2-bottle kit - one is your resin, the other your catalyst. These must be mixed one part to one part, VERY ACCURATELY AND STIRRED THOROUGHLY.] If you want to learn more about this resin, go to my Website, http://www.pannikins.com/

then to the second page, click on Mary's Menus Projects. There you will find a page on working with resins. This resin can also be purchased there, or at most craft shops and some miniature shops.

Mary Eccher

Ponds: (Compiled from hints given by Susan and Barb Plevan, as learned from workshops taught by Francis and Jacey Culham and Joanne Shimakawa, including their own innovations, plus tips gleaned from Sammy Smith, Denise Olson and Anne Gerdes).

Hollow out the pond bed in a styrofoam or foamcore board base. It doesn't have to be very deep, perhaps 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Some people recommend a melon baller for this step. Since you will be using resin*, it is very important that your base be of a material that resin will not chemically "eat", and that your pond bed is sealed and waterproofed. If there is the tiniest hole, resin will find it!

An easy liner for the pond bed is 2 layers of aluminum foil. Others use gesso or plumbers' putty. When your pond bed is ready to be painted, start with black spray paint. This will even work on the foil. Otherwise, the resin sometimes removes a bit of the acrylic paint and the shiny foil will show through.

Next, paint the pond bed with several shades, starting with black in the very center, then brown, then lighter brown, ending up with moss green on the outer rim. This gives the illusion of depth. Before pouring in resin, glue tiny gravel, sand or shells in pond bottom. Allow glue to dry completely. Fill the pond 1/3 with resin with a tiny amount of brown resin dye. (If the resin is completely clear, it doesn't look real). Let the resin set up until it's pretty thick but not completely hard, then put in fish. Fimo fish can be painted with a very thin wash of metallic silver or gold paint to make them shine. Let resin set up completely. Now add more resin. More fish can be added to this level to add depth illusion. "Plant" waterlillies in the top level.

After the resin in completely set, place small rocks (either real or made from Model Magic and painted pale grey, pink, etc.) in one corner of the pond. Flowers, cattails, logs, Woodland Scenic’ ground cover, etc. can be added too. A ledge can be created from foamcore board roughly 3/4 inch wide to go around pond, scored with a brick pattern, and painted to look like concrete or granite and then dry-brushed very lightly with moss green. This ledge is a nice touch because it gives you a place to put potted plants, cats, turtles, etc.

Resin: Two-part resins work best (Envirotex is one of these. When you mix the two parts, pour the catalyst into the base, rather than visa-versa. Always wear plastic gloves and use disposable containers in a well-ventilated area. Never pour it all in one go. Pour thin layers of 1/8 to 1/4 inch, letting it cure between each layer application. If bubbles appear as the resin is curing, blow on it gently to "pop" the bubbles. Some use a blow dryer. Do each step SLOWLY - mix resin slowly, add dye slowly, pour slowly.

Waterfall: Cut/tear strips of clear plastic wrap (very thin). Let it "fall" from an upper pool into a lower pool. Pour the resin over the strips. It will cling and look like falling water. The heat of curing resin makes the plastic wrap shrivel and disappear.