Axis & Allies ForuMINI :: Resin Ponds + Pools tutorial

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Redskullz
Post subject: Resin Ponds + Pools tutorial

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

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I started playing with envirotex lite pour on laquer about 7-8 years ago and never even
considered 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 $1usd
an ounce. I cant compare envirotex to any other products as I only have used
envirotex.
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 measurements
Wooden or Plastic Stir sticks
Windsor and Newton Ink (for sure other companies inks would work but
experimentation will definitely be required) I've become very fond of Windsor and
newton drawing inks for not just tinting resin but also for painting minis with. Superb
inks at a decent price.
Small Syringe (needed for controlled droplets when tinting with ink)
Xacto Knife
Here is some optional supplies for additional effects
Straws 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 Pond
I use 1" polystyrene insulation for building the ponds. I always make more than one
pond at a time as any excess resin not used will be wasted unless you have 2 or more
on the go. Start by cutting an interesting shape out of your foam. Personally I don't
usually plan my scenery(but for the sake of pics in this tutorial I will do a plan in magic
marker). I normally just grab a knife and let the creative flow determine the outcome. I
prefer an Xacto to a hotwire cutter as I find you can make more realistic rock cuts and
though 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 out
where the resin will be poured. How much angle you use when cutting the basin will all
depend on how steep you want your banks to be. I always add at least one deep
spot(usually two).

Here is the planned piece drawn with marker to outline my basic shape. Inner markings
show walkways(dash lines) and water contours. Stair case sections have been cut out
but 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 the
sides 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 glue
to show the deep spots.
Step 2 - Pipes
So now is the time to plan details such as pipes. Always check your details before
gluing. Any details that will be exposed to view submerged in resin will be finished
painted 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 I
want the pipe to be. Once satisfied with the pipes position I will then glue it in and fill
the fragile straw with glue and let dry overnight. If I am having difficulty getting the pipe
to stay in the desired position while the glue will dry, I will use a carefully placed push
pin through the straw into the foam. The exposed pinhead ads interesting detail as
well. Filling the pipe with glue will increase its durability if it might be exposed to
potential hazards.(depends on the position of the pipe really) If needed, I will fill with
pva 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 slightly
water it down before application. I then paint the entire surface of the pond with the
black 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 as
the basin is black. Getting the PVA glue to stick to the straw pipes is a challenge. A light
sanding 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 Pond
Paint 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 drybrush
with a darker base colour and then more lightly drybrush using a lighter shade. Add a
bit of white into your highlight shade and drybrush very lightly on the most raised peaks
of the outer banks. To paint the basin follow the steps but gradually use less and less
highlghts as you go deper into the basin. This will add to the illusion of depth. If pipes
are present start with painting the pipes tin bitz and then drybrushing with silver. If you
want 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 first
insert a few strands of light wire into the open end of the pipe Glue the wire in place
with pva and make a gentle flowing arc and let dry. Grab your gorilla glue and mix two
drops of paint(dark angel green, scorpion green, snot green all work well) with a drop
of 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 in
macro 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 some
texture.
Don't screw around with gorilla glue or envirotex. If you see this on the counter drop
anything and clean it asap. Once cured this and etex is super hard to clean and the
wife/mom/gf will be pissed.
Step 6 - Planning the small details
Its the small things that really make a scenery piece amazing in my eyes. As this pond
I am making is a futuristic piece to go with a mess of other scenery I am building I went
with the same theme using small computer bitz(transistors, resistors), pre-painted
MechWarrior figures, prepainted horrorclix figures(chainsaw, mechanical tentacles and
the wild eyed guy rising from the depths). Now I decide where I want my bits and what
pieces will be "sinking into the depths". As I wanted to show many effects on this single
piece of terrain, I loaded it with many different items(experimental bubbles out of the
rising wild eyed man, oil slicks from the cans, blood trails from the chainsaw) At this
point 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 Floor
I pour my resin in 2-3 layers, usually only 2 unless I didn't mix enough resin or am
adding oil slicks or blood trails. The first pour(basin floor) is always tinted with black
ink. This gives the illusion of being bottomless, and unless you want a shallow pool this
step 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 to
mix too little than too much as any unused laquer will go to waste and its extremely
difficult to judge how much to mix. So make 4 pools at once so you don't waste the
precious resin. So for one ounce of enviotex I will add 3 drops of Windsor + newton
black ink. Mix the batch together for 1 minute making sure it is mixed well. Carefully
pour enough resin in the deepest part of the pool to make it 1/4" deep or so. Take note
how 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 you
place 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 the
proper amount of hardener and mix well. The ink will help visually to see when its
mixed well.
Pouring the deepest parts of the pool.
Step 8 - Fading into the Depths Details
This 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 placing
details on four pools at once is fast especially since you already have your details
planned. Once details are set leave overnight to cure. As the resin cures you will likely
notice small bubbles in the resin, usually bubbles pop on their own but sometimes they
don't and cure. To make the bubbles dissipate a deep exhaled breath 5 minutes and 10
minutes after pouring will make the bubbles disappear. Now....if you want to add
additional bubbles into the resin this is almost the time. All you have to do is
impregnate the resin with air using a tiny needle in a syringe. But....first you have to
wait around 1.5 hours for the resin to slightly cure otherwise the bubbles will just pop
on their own. Take note that bubbles made this way always seem to be fairly large in
size.(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. Pics
taken while resin was still wet. Left for 20 hours to cure after
Step 9 Pouring the midlevel resin
If 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 as
possible. Try to cover the surface area but again avoid the edges. Let the resin flatten
out 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 was
able 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 you
would 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 one
toothpick and slowly drag the pure ink along the surface of the resin to trail it out with
another toothpick. Once desired effect is achieved let dry overnight. To obtain 2 tone
water (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 into
each 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 to
make this effect on demand, but I only tested the needle impregnated air so far. First is
simple, with a syringe/needle insert into wet resin and blow air bubbles into desired
area. 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 second
would be tiny pieces of Alkaseltzer or possibly tiny mixes of baking soda/vinegar. Both
bubble like crazy....same in resin????? PLEASE PM OR EMAIL ME IF YOU HAVE
HAD SUCCESSFUL or UNSUCCESSFUL RESULTS WITH INTENTIONAL BUBBLES.
Step 11- Top Layer
Mix 5-6 drops of green or red ink per ounce. Mix well and pour avoiding the edges as
much as possible. This is the step where its crucial to not over pour. If you pour too
much 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(before
the 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 resin
up to about 1/8" from the top of the bank. WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT
OVERPOUR THIS STUFF OVER THE TOP OF THE BANK. ONCE ENVIROTEX
CURES IT IS NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO CLEAN OFF ANY SURFACE. You can wipe it
with a paper towel or piece of cloth before it cures but once it does cure it's as hard as
a rock.
And that's all there is to it....lol

Thu Apr 23,

2015 9:02
pm

Redskullz
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Joined: 09
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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 how
you 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 Necromunda
campaign myself and a couple of guys to play. Going all out on the post apocalyptic
themes destroyed city. Ive been hearing alot of buzz about bolt action, but have not
checked it out. Is it squad based skirmish or more of a mass battle game?

Thu Apr 23,

2015 10:32
pm

Audacity
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Fri Apr 24,

2015 1:38
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Bolt Action is a 28mm WWII section platoon skirmish game. There is a thread in the
Other 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 German
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 to
landscape. Only problem is open edges to allow the look of water flowing from one
section to another.

Redskullz
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Audacity wrote:

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Mar 2012
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Fri Apr 24,

2015 6:40
am

Bolt Action is a 28mm WWII section platoon skirmish game. There is a thread in the
Other 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
German 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 to
landscape. Only problem is open edges to allow the look of water flowing from one
section to another.
Bolt action sounds quite interesting to me especially with the painted minis....i'll look
into it. Maybe i can get a squad together and start gaming with you guys again! So you
guys 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 removable
afterwards...only what I've read so do a test pieces first. The only negative thing about
etex 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 cure
for 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

firehouse
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Nice to see you back

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I play BA with Audacity on the rare occasion and would love to discuss terrain with you
sometime. IMO- your modelling skills are great.
I have a small BA Canadian army.
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http://aaminis.myfastforum.org/sutra608477.php#608477

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Sat Apr 25,

2015 1:41
am

Redskullz

firehouse wrote:
Nice to see you back
I play BA with Audacity on the rare occasion and would love to discuss terrain with
you sometime. IMO- your modelling skills are great.
Joined: 09
Mar 2012
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I have a small BA Canadian army.

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