Introduction: Hot Glue Waterfall

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Hello everyone and welcome to my seventh instructable!

Hot glue is a very versatile material that can be used in various ways, other than obviously for gluing.
One of its characteristics is that, once dried, it is very similar to water and this makes it perfect for creating faux mini waterfalls and ponds for dioramas or nativity scenes.

Step 1: Materials and Tools

Materials:

  • Mirror
  • Stones of various sizes
  • Hot glue sticks
  • Adhesive tape
  • Optional: twigs similar to trees

Tools:

  • Hot glue gun
  • Felt-tip pen
  • Toothpick

Step 2: Prepare the Scene

Place the stones on the mirror and try various positions until you are satisfied with the scene created.

Rough out the shape of your waterfall using a piece of adhesive tape.

Step 3: Transfer the Scene

Mark the arrival point of your waterfall with a thin felt-tip pen, then remove the scene one piece at a time and put it back in another place, so you don't forget the position of the stones.

Step 4: Make the Pond

Clean the mirror, but keep the dot made earlier.

From that point, begin to lay down hot glue with a circular motion, expanding the circles as you move away from the center. Stop when you have filled the central part of the mirror.

Fill in any gaps left between one "wave" and another.

Step 5: Glue Stones and Make the Waterfall

Start gluing the stone from which your waterfall will start.

Place a new piece of tape to outline the waterfall again and adjust it to simulate a natural "flow".

Now, starting from the top, lay the glue as you move down and repeat this operation until you cover the whole strip of tape. At the same time, before it totally solidifies, ripple the glue at the bottom of the waterfall with the toothpick, to make the splashes.

Glue the other stones to the perimeter of the mirror and then fill with other "water" any empty space remained next to them.

Step 6: Add Details

Now that you have completed the basic scene, you can add as many details as you want.

I placed a small stone in the middle of the pond and glued small "trees".

Finally, if you prefer a less "regular" waterfall, you can put a drop of glue on the toothpick and spread it on the dry glue to create small splashes.

Step 7:

Your hot glue waterfall is ready!

One last tip: the composition looks great if illuminated with a grazing light.