I have to add ties to a turnout. In the video they use contact cement to add the ties. I don’t want to go out and buy contact cement and learn its use for one turnout. Can I use CA or wood glue instead?
I think the trouble you’ll have us getting a good bond. The CA will want to soak into the wood ties while the woodglue will not bond to the metal. Splurge and get some goo or basic contact cement at the local hardware store. You’ll find other uses for it.
I think Tim uses contact cement because it’s practically an instant bond. I wouldn’t see why CA wouldn’t work…
Walthers reccommends CA for gluing rail into their engine facilities (roundhouse, diesel shop, etc), though the base is plastic so maybe the CA reacts with it or something…
Do you have some Gorilla Glue, Chip? It is what I resorted to since I didn’t have the pliobond anywhere in the area…no one sells it up here.
Chip I have been trying to find a alternative to the contact cement also but so far nothing has worked. The CA seems to soak in just like the other poster said and the white glue seems to hold but I don’t know for how long. I think any moisture would likely break the mechanical bond between the metal rail and the wood tie.
I found a small bottle of Weldwood contact cement that seems to be thinner than what I have tried in a tube. It has a small brush on the cap that might be easier to controll. I want to give it a try this weekend but it will definitly will be outside. This stuff really will make you high!
Jim
Why do you need contact cement? Attach the ties to the roadbed and slap the turnout down.
Its what you do if you handlay turnouts without Fasttracks.
Dave H.
I agree with Dave. Its the PC ties that hold the rails in guage and the rest of the ties are for looks on a standard Fast Tracks turnout.
Whatever you do, don’t use Superglue. Superglue is too brittle and won’t allow the track to expand and contract through the seasons like normal. With Superglue you’ll either get bowed rails or rails popping off the ties.
CHIP MOUSE:
Joe is right on. as usual. Your soldered rail to PC ties holds the rail pretty much. The wood ties are primarily for looks.
Exception: You can correct any mistakes when laying onto wood ties with spikes.
CONTACT CEMENT (Pliobond, Goo, etc.) will bond anything to anything (wood, metal, glass. cloth). I like in a small bottle with brush (it keeps longer than in a tube).
Warning Once in place it stays.
I’ve found that the easiest contact cement to use is LePage’s Gelled Contact Cement. Very little stringiness, so it’s easy to apply. It is more expensive than regular contact cement, and I’ve only been able to find it in 1 quart or one gallon cans, but well worth the extra money if you’re doing a full-scale project which calls for contact cement. For small modelling projects, I apply it with a stiff-bristled water colour brush. Brush clean-up is easy with lacquer thinner. For bigger projects, cheap throw-away brushes in 1" or 2" sizes work well.
I use it to glue Campbell’s corrugated sheets to HO scale structures, but with a slight twist that makes the job easier. First, use a suitably-sized brush to apply contact cement to one side of the full-length sheets of Campbell aluminum. Next, if you’re going to apply the aluminum to a sheet styrene substructure, use another brush to pre-coat the surface with lacquer thinner, then apply a coat of contact cement. (The lacquer thinner softens the surface of the styrene to allow a better bond by the contact cement.) By this time, the contact cement on the full-size aluminum sheets should be dry to the touch. Set the stop on your NWSL Chopper, then cut the strip of aluminum into individual sheets, making sure to place each individual piece face-up on a sheet of newspaper. I use a piece of .015" sheet aluminum atop the cutting surface of the Chopper - this affords a solid surface for the blade to work against, necessary to ensure that the thin sheets are cut right through. Because the cut is straight down, rather than slicing, the blade doesn’t seem to dull unduly. Don’t allow the cut sheets to touch one another, as they’ll bond instantly. When you’ve cut enough pieces to cover the wall or roof of the structure, start placing them, beginning at one side of the bottom of the roof or wall. Let the
I’ve been using DAP Weldwood non-flammable contact cement:
http://www.dap.com/product_details.aspx?product_id=37
It’s much thinner than the regular contact cements and has almost no odor. You do have to let it dry longer before you attach the rail to the ties, but that’s not a big deal, since you let it dry before you attach them. It’s still an instantaneous bond when you put them together.
Also, I use the CVT kits, and since all of these contact cements are basically a form of rubber cement, and the rail and plastic ties are both non-porous, you can separate them if necessary. You can then scrape off the glue and re-glue.
With Pliobond, some people have recommended that you apply heat to increase the strength of the bond. I have not tried it with the Weldwood. The easiest way to apply heat is to get a cheap clothes iron and iron the rails.
Barge, Goo, Pliobond and the regular Weldwood all seem to be the same basic type of glue, so if you can’t find one at your local hardware store, try another.
Randy
Fast Tracks recommends Pliobond, because it works well, and fast.
You can bond the ties to the rails within minutes of application, and you can accelerate the curing by applying heat.
I’ve tried others, and their success rate is hit and miss. Sometimes they stick, other times they don’t. Or they pop off during installation. So now I am on the hunt for Pliobond.
Why don’t you spike it down? You know, like handlaid track? Unless your roadbed prevents it, IMHO spiking is the better way to go.
Paul A. Cutler III
Weather Or No Go New Haven
Thanks to everyone. I thought all my turnouts would be in the streets so I didn’t use the preformed ties saving them for when I need them. Well, when the track was laid, one turnout extended out into the dirt.
It seems to me that all I need them for is looks so they need to hold from just from the time they are glued to the track to the time they are glued to the layout. If one or two should fall off, I can glue them to the layout as needed.
SpaceMouse,
If it’s the idea of buying a large contaner of cement for a small project that bothers you, look for Barge Cememt - you should be able to find it in a little 2 oz tube - like: http://www.hanksclothing.com/barge_all_purpose_cement_2oz_tube_buy.html
I bought some sometime ago for use on leather projects, and ended up using it on all sorts of things.
I don’t know whether you can get Evo products in the US… if you can they do a “Timebond” as well as the ordinary contact adhesive. Timebond has the same end result but gives you more time to shuffle the parts about before it locks them together.
A NOTE OF WARNING many of the contact adhesives that we have [and probably yours] are solvent based. They are both flamable and unhealthy to inhale. They should be used in a very well ventilated space. When not actually transfering glue the lid should be on tight.
The vapour from these glues is often heavier than air… so just because you can’t smell it any more it doesn’t mean that it isn’t lurking around your feet… and any electrical sockets or gear on or near the floor.
PLEASE don’t do what soemone did over here… spend hours getting a job just right and then sit back to admire it… and lit up a cigarette. The resulting fire spoilt a bit more than just the job…
Also keep it locked away from the kids. If sniffing it doesn’t kill them it won’t enhance their social skills.
[8D]
WHATEVER you use, wipe the bottom of the rail with alcohol to remove any OIL residue.