A journal following the history, design, construction and operation of Bernard Kempinski's O Scale model railroad depicting the U. S. Military Railroad (USMRR) Aquia-Falmouth line in 1863, and other model railroad projects.
©Bernard Kempinski All text and images, except as noted, on this blog are copyrighted by the author and may not be used without permission.
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May 3, 2011

Modeling water with acrylic shower doors

Walter Wick making a set for one of his "I Spy" books. These
photo sets are quite amazing.
Marty McGuirk and I were guests on the Model Railcast show #141 this week. In it I discussed various methods to model a water surface. One technique I mentioned is using a rippled shower door to simulate the water surface. A good example can be found at this website where the model builders were making a detailed photo set for a childrens' book illustration (see photo at right).
I Spy Treasure Hunt
Apparently there are several styles of ripples and frosted effects available, so you should inspect the product before you purchase it to get one that is glossy and realistically shaped.

I am going to investigate this further and give it a try. The problem I have is that my water surface is bigger than a single 4 x 8 sheet, so I will have a seam somewhere if I go with this technique. Perhaps a thin coat of acrcylic gloss gel medium can help disguise the seam. In any case, it looks like an easy way to get a large surface done with little risk.

1 comment:

  1. I did some checking and these acrylic sheets are not inexpensive, about $170 at Home Depot for a 4.x8'.

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