[Sigma]

It's my first layout.

I have everything ballasted except the points. When gluing on the track one time I used too much glue (stupid) which ended up nearly gluing the moving bits on one of my points solid, so I am a bit worried about gluing ballast on it. So far I have been gluing the ballast on with the PVA, water and washing liquid mix.

Any advice about this is appreciated.

 

[Richard Johnson]

QUOTE (Sigma @ 5 Feb 2008, 18:35) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>It's my first layout.

I have everything ballasted except the points. When gluing on the track one time I used too much glue (stupid) which ended up nearly gluing the moving bits on one of my points solid, so I am a bit worried about gluing ballast on it. So far I have been gluing the ballast on with the PVA, water and washing liquid mix.

Any advice about this is appreciated.

Hi - this might help.

(take your time and it will go well)

(1) use a thin mix of PVA and water - no more than 5:1 water to glue - less preferably
(2) take a cotton bud with a wee bit of vaseline on it and wipe between the blades and the stock rail to stop glue sticking to them. Do the same each side of the tie bar. put a tiny bit of oil on the blade pivot too. (Less is more - it doesn't need much!). If U warm the vaseline so it is more liquid you can use a cheap fine paintbrush for this.
(3) brush the ballast carefully in place and pick out any bits between blade and stock rail with tweezers
(4) mist the new ballast area with METHS not water - this is a better "wetting agent". Put the meths in a window cleaner misting bottle. It semlls a bit but will soon dissappear - much faster than with water!!
(5) use a syringe the same as is supplied for refilling printer cartridges not an eye dropper to apply the glue
(6) Apply it quite sparingly to the ballast between each sleeper. a couple (or three) drops is all thats needed if U wetted it with the meths properly - it will flow into the ballast really well

Wait until its almost set then work the point by hand 2 or 3 times - if its stiff then add a bit more meths with the mister and keep working it a while. Pick out bits of ballast that are in the way with a toothpick and tweezers gain. Clean off the rails with meths and a cotton bud and U should be good to go.

(using the syringe U should have almost no glue where it shouldn't be anyway!)

regards

Richard
DCCconcepts

 

[adecoaches26point4]

Richard,

Great method, especially using Meths in place of water.
Thank you.

David

 

[Sigma]

QUOTE (Richard Johnson @ 5 Feb 2008, 23:18) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Hi - this might help.

(take your time and it will go well)

...

Thanks, I'll have go at it.

 

[Guest]

QUOTE (Richard Johnson @ 5 Feb 2008, 10:18) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Hi - this might help.

(take your time and it will go well)
...

Is Meths methylated spirits.

im not dumb, im just 14

 

[GazK]

QUOTE (Richard Johnson @ 5 Feb 2008, 10:18) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Hi - this might help.

(take your time and it will go well)

(1) use a thin mix of PVA and water - no more than 5:1 water to glue - less preferably
If you use copydex instead of PVA, it is much more forgiving. Whereas PVA dries solid, copydex forms a rubber film that can be removed from point blades with a toothpick or scalpel. It's a bit more expensive, but I went with it for my first ever layout and it allowed me to rescue a point from just the situation you describe. I use a 50:50 copydex/water mix.

 

[John Webb]

QUOTE (qweasdzxc @ 21 Feb 2008, 20:39) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Is Meths methylated spirits.

im not dumb, im just 14
That's right, Meths is short for 'Methylated Spirits' - you can use Iso-propyl Alchohol (IPA) as well.

Regards,
John Webb

 

[upnick]

QUOTE (John Webb @ 21 Feb 2008, 22:20) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>That's right, Meths is short for 'Methylated Spirits' - you can use Iso-propyl Alchohol (IPA) as well.

Regards,
John Webb

I used Iso - propyl alcohol for thinning paint, and recently went to my pharmacist for another bottle ...... apparently it has been removed from pharmacist's supplies due to someone taking a liking to drinking it !!!!!!!!

sorry to be the bearer of bad news but hopefully it will save a wasted trip looking for it.

upnick.

 

[Giantorange]

QUOTE (qweasdzxc @ 21 Feb 2008, 20:39) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Is Meths methylated spirits.

im not dumb, im just 14

Yes it is, which means you can't buy it, as it's a solvent and you're under 18

Matt

 

[Swingcats]

top tips and very useful for me starting out again after 6 years out. Any recs on N gauge ballast products, the stuff I had last time looks like boulders not ballast, was sold as N gauge but suited oo better.

Will defo use the method above.. cheers

 

[upnick]

QUOTE (Swingcats @ 28 Feb 2008, 08:33) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>top tips and very useful for me starting out again after 6 years out. Any recs on N gauge ballast products, the stuff I had last time looks like boulders not ballast, was sold as N gauge but suited oo better.

Will defo use the method above.. cheers

Have a look at the woodland scenics range of ballast for shades/colours and grading of ballast from fine to course, more variance can be achieved adding more realism intermixing the range.

http://www.woodlandscenics.com/index.cfm

upnick.

 

[Guest]

QUOTE (Giantorange @ 27 Feb 2008, 20:34) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Yes it is, which means you can't buy it, as it's a solvent and you're under 18

Matt

Actually i can, i dont know whether its cos i live in australia, but i bought it from the supermarket.

 

[dwb]

QUOTE Actually i can, i dont know whether its cos i live in australia, but i bought it from the supermarket.

Almost certainly. You can probably buy paracetamol in quantities larger than 16 too.

David

 

[7113]

QUOTE (Giantorange @ 27 Feb 2008, 20:34) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Yes it is, which means you can't buy it, as it's a solvent and you're under 18

Certainly the case in the UK, not so sure about Oz.

Regards

 

[Richard Johnson]

QUOTE (BRITHO @ 3 Mar 2008, 22:27) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Certainly the case in the UK, not so sure about Oz.

Regards

** Here in AU we can still buy meths and most other standard solvents without age or any other awkward restriction - the same goes for common painkillers and most non-prescription drugs - no real limits other than common sense. Restrictions do exist on Pseudoethedrine based stuff and other stuff that can be recooked easily of course.

Most evident "inconvenient" thing here in Perth is that aerosol cans are often in a locked cage so the mindless B***gers who steal them and daub graffiti everywhere can't have such easy access.

Richard

 

[Swingcats]

Dare I say it, we see to have gone a little off track....LOL

 

[Merry Go Round]

QUOTE (upnick @ 26 Feb 2008, 08:55) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I used Iso - propyl alcohol for thinning paint, and recently went to my pharmacist for another bottle ...... apparently it has been removed from pharmacist's supplies due to someone taking a liking to drinking it !!!!!!!!

sorry to be the bearer of bad news but hopefully it will save a wasted trip looking for it.

upnick.
Thats why where I used to work they mixed an additive to make it taste foul, adding alcohol based product help the drying/ curing time as it evapourates quicker than water.
For ballasting these days I used the method described by Barry Norman in his right track DVD and it works a treat.

Shaun