# Durham's water putty



## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

Howdy,
Has anyone out there had any experience using Durham's water putty?
I've been told it's pretty easy to work with in creating river beds, etc., for scenery.
I would appreciate your input.
Many thanks,
Bob


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## Davidfd85 (Jul 4, 2011)

I've never used it for rivers or lakes but I have made it thin and used as over coat for plaster cloth on mountains and hills, worked great and painted over very nice.


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

I like Quick set drywall mud better, I think it's easier to work with.
If you make it too thick it with crack so keep it thin.


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## joed2323 (Oct 17, 2010)

I agree. I like drywall mud better then the available products out there. Its easy to work with. You can vary the drying time by whatever quick set time you choose whether its 30-60-90 and so on

And its cheap, key word, cheap. You can snag a bag for Around 6-7 bucks. I prefer the mix over the premixed that comes in a pale. Never goes bad


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## rogruth (Mar 6, 2012)

I have used Durhams Water Putty for road surfaces over,cardboard,wood,plastic,almost anything.
I made a medium consistancy,spooned it on and spread it with my fingers.
If it developed cracks I thought it added to the realism.
You can also color it.
I did NOT think it was hard to work.


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

Well I used the Durham's water putty for my first time yesterday by filling in a river bed that I had sliced out of my 1" foam base.
The river is roughly 3" wide X 20" long. I mixed it to cake icing consistancy and added a little brown latex paint for coloring. I then applied it with a 2" putty knife on the bottom and then worked the corners and edges with a
3/4" cake icing spatula.
When all was said and done, it turned out MUCH better than I had hoped and was very easy to work with. I used the entire contents of a small can that I bought at my corner Ace Hardware for $2.59.
I also added a splash of white vinegar, per the instructions on the can, to retard quick set-up. The vinegar must have worked because the consistancy stayed the same until I was completely finished with the job.
I'll now let the whole deal dry for a couple days before sealing it with a couple coats of latex paint.
So far, so good!
Bob


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

When the drywall mud cracks I make little rivers or drainage ditches out of them. Pete


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## joed2323 (Oct 17, 2010)

bob- 

try the quick set drywall mud also. Its good to try diff ways of doing things. The water putty works good, but so does the drywall mud. I would like to hear what you would have to say about both products.

Would you have a use for the drywall mud on your layout?

You spent almost 3 bucks for a small container of the water putty, the drywall compound comes in a nice sized bag for about 6-7 bucks, and you can mix up small amounts or the whole bag if you had to.


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

joed2323 said:


> bob-
> 
> try the quick set drywall mud also. Its good to try diff ways of doing things. The water putty works good, but so does the drywall mud. I would like to hear what you would have to say about both products.
> 
> ...


Many thanks to all for your valued inputs and comments. :thumbsup:
That bloomin' Durham's water putty stuff dried hard as a blippin' ROCK but was easy to sand down and smooth out where I desired. So far there are NO cracks.
I think I'll just finish off this "river project" with Durhams's, than give the drywall mud a try on my next project, which is a mountain with a tunnel.
BTW, the Durham's at my local ACE was $2.39 + tax. Pretty reasonble in relation to other costs in this hobby.
Again, many, many thanks for all your comments and imput. Always appreciated.
Bob


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