I believe you are referring to EnviroTex. Specifically EnviroTex Lite. Here is the datasheet. Scenic Express sells transparent dyes for EnviroTex here.

I am not trying to plug Joe Fugate's videos or TrainsMasters TV, but Joe did a good job explaining the use of EnviroTex including the use of dyes in 4.7: Siskiyou Line - Modeling water which is available on TrainMasters.

You can use any petroleum based paint in Envirotex.  But add color slowly.  You can always add more, but you can't "uncolor" it.

DO NOT use any water based pigments with Envirotex, it will interfere with te curing.

Also, make sure the layout room is 70F or warmer.  Cold causes Envirotex to cure slowly.

An easy way to warm up the scenery is to put a 60W lamp on the floor under the layout.

Happy Modeling,

Bruce

Envirotex is available at both Michael's Crafts and Hobby Lobby. I buy mine at one of those two places and use a 40% off coupon that is regularly available - sweet!

and have never ever felt the need to tint it. Everyone is different of course but I find that if I do a decent job painting and detailing the " water surface" before pouring the Envirotex then everything turns out fine.

Michael

There are several brands of epoxy resin.  In addition to Enviro Tex, you may find Crystal Sheen, Amazing Clear Cast, or maybe something else.  There is nothing magical about the Enviro Tex product.  It's the name most often cited by modelers but they all work the same.

Not to split hairs but that almost sounds like clear plastic casting resin which actually is a different animal entirely. I've never heard the name and it may in fact be epoxy resin but just to avoid confusion for beginners there is something called clear plastic casting resin which is also used to make water and is usually tinted with specially made dyes.  It's main advantage over epoxy is that it can be made to produce " ripples" by applying heat while it's curing whereas ripples usually have to be added with another product on top of epoxy resin. It's disadvantage is that it smells a lot worse in my experience. BTW, I've never tried it but  I believe  so called " Magic Water" is nothing more than a two part epoxy resin like Envirotex.

Michael

"Amazing Clear Cast" is epoxy.  I've used it  http://alumilite.com/ProdDetail.cfm?Category=Support%20Products&Name=Amazing%20Clear%20Cast%20Kit .  The MSDS refers to it as epoxy http://www.alumilite.com/MSDS/Amazing%20Clear%20Cast%20A&B.pdf .

It just looked like a point of possible confusion because of the name. I knew you were aware of the difference in the two methods but someone else might not have been. I'd hate for someone  to buy clear casting plastic thinking they were buying epoxy resin because I find epoxy much easier to work with.

Michael

Guys,

You will find that virtually any pourable resin system that is packaged as two equal volume components to be epoxy.

You will find that virtually any pourable resin system that is packaged as a single component to be acrylic.

You will find virtually any pourable resin system that is packaged as one large volume component and a second very small volume component to be polyester.

It is the very nature of the three chemistries. Epoxys are made by reacting two resins together hence two equal volume containers. Acrylics react by themselves once solvent evaporates hence a single container. Polyesters require only a small amount of catalyst to start the reaction hence one big container and one very small container.

While there will be trivial differences between each manufacturer's products, at least now you have a rule of thumb way to know what basic polymer platform the various products are built upon.