There are literally dozens of various styles of texture rollers for making terrain patterns in clay, epoxy putty, etc. for figures and vehicles. Is there such a one with wave patterns suitable for water-lined ship models?
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Good question. Would be interested to know if something is available.
In the past Iāve used textured watercolour paint paper, loosely scrunched up tin foil and vac-formed plastic sheet for making water features on model railroads (made by Nock I think?).
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I donāt know of texture rollers for water, but I saw textured water sheets like this, maybe it could work:
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There are several water sheets available for train layouts.
https://www.modellbau-universe.de/dpad/faller/FAL~170791/seefolie.htm?refcode=adwords-shopping-FAL170791&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23456365573&gbraid=0AAAAADexfBAOZzUP8FLqNBaezkDRUI9Ui&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5vfql4_lkwMVgNhEBx101ReyEAQYBCABEgImj_D_BwE
One is available from Faller and one from HEKI.
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Rollers are used to recreate pavement because of its regular pattern, but that is something I donāt think would look good on a sea surfaceā¦ It may work only with a roller large enough to avoid repetition.
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You might want to go to a hardware or home improvement store and get a stucco roller.
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Iāve also used the watercolor paper, tin foil, celluclay, acryic modeling paste, the pre-formed Noch/Faller plastic sheet, and even wheat bran methods. And my own invention - foam board with the plastic/paper surface stripped off then pounded/pressed with a rounded tool to create troughs and crests. Cheap and easy water base - #18 by Dioramartin Some look better than others, and some are much faster to create than others. Iām always on the look-out for alternatives.
A compendium of water base methods:
https://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=37223
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Yeahā¦I just calculated that it would take a roller of 7.64 " diameter to make a non-repeating pattern 24" long. And maybe 8" - 12" wide. Quite a roller!
But the more I think about it the more impractical it seems.
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Cool. Iāll have a look at that thread. Not sure Iāve come across the wheat bran method before!
Doing a couple of Tamiya 1/700 subs at the moment and Iām probably going to use the watercolour paper method for those.
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I tried a modified version of the wheat bran method - itās fairly time consuming. Start with a low retaining wall around the base. This wall doesnāt need to be any higher than the water depth. The wall will also become a permanent part of the base, so plan ahead. Pour in a container of wheat bran and shape it with your fingers to resemble the waves you want. Gently place your model firmly into the bran to make the hull impression. The bran will hold itās shape so you can model fairly heavy seas (a full hull model is recommended). Gently remove the ship so as to not disturb the bran too much. The original modeler used CA glue to solidify the bran (apparently he could buy it in bulk by the liter). I didnāt have that luxury so I used liquid pouring acrylic instead. It doesnāt really take much. When the acrylic has hardened, and the bran solidified, take pieces of paper napkin and glue down with more applications of the liquid acrylic. When hardened lightly sand with fine sandpaper, then repeat the process. Sand again (and again!) until you get a really smooth surface. Paint the surface however you like that looks realistic, then brush on more liquid acrylic. A few (or several) coats will do letting it dry throughly between coats. Remember that retaining wall? Now you can trim it down to the surface of the water using a SHARP blade. You can paint the remaining wall the same color as the water (or any color you like!). Replace the model in itās trough and fill any gaps with clear acrylic modeling gel, or, if you prefer, with epoxy glue. Use you usual techniques for bow waves, wash, etc.
This is a very labor-intensive process!
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I found this video of USS Turner Joy under way at speed with excellent examples of hydro dynamics from various angles:
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Yeah thatās going to need a lot of work! Can imagine I would look quite effective at making rough sea, especially for a larger scale.
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