does amyone have the ratios for soap to water for “wetting” the ballast before gluing and also the ratio for white glue to water used to hold the track in place. I hope to be able to remove the nails I used to put the track down in the first place.
Thanks…Bo
I use Isopropal Alcohol as a wetting agent and do not add any soap to the alcohol. I spray it on liberally. The glue water mix I use is 50% Elmers white glue to 50% water. I like to use the Alcohol as the wetting agent because the Alcohol speeds up the water evaporation of the glue mix. If you don’t want to use Alcohol as the wetting agent you just add a drop or two of dish soap to the water in the sprayer you are using.
I use a few drops of dish soap to a sprayer of water (my ballast sprayer is an old bottle of “daily shower” cleaner). You’ll know you have enough if the water soaks in to the ballast. An exact ratio isn’t necessary.
For glue I dilute Elmer’s white glue 50:50, with water only and no other additives.
You’ll probably get plenty of advice on alternate methods you “should” use instead, but I find the above to work just fine. With the natural dirt and rock ballast I’m using, dish soap and water seem to work better than alcohol, which I had been using before.
There are also plenty of hobbyists who will recommend diluted matte medium as an adhesive. There are various reasons I don’t like it, principally that it has a greater tendency to fill spaces between ballast grains with a noticeable film, it’s not readily water soluble when dry, and it can leave white talc deposits behind despite your best efforts to settle the talc out of it. Although matte medium supposedly reduces noise due to its relative flexibility, my layout is very quiet despite using white glue. Visitors often comment on how quiet it is.
Rob, since the "talc’ can be a problem, I follow Dave Frary’s method of diluting the matte medium 1:1 in a preferably glass bottle and allow to sit for a few days. This allows much of the “filler” talc to settle. Decant into storage containers for use and also further dilution.
I’m only mentioning this method for those that need to solve this issue when using matte medium. As you say, the matte medium can tend to “bridge” the gaps of fine ballast whether clouded or not. I prefer dilute white glue as most others and leave the matte medium for scenery “cement”
Totally on the dish soap (5 drops) and 50/50 white glue/water wagon. Seems like dish soap works better than alcohol.
thanks for the responses, everyone!!!
I use three drops Dawn to one quart spray bottle, soak and let stand for about five minutes and use a 3:1 mix Elmers white glue and drip slow and carefull on the ballast starting in the middle of the track letting it leach out to each side. I have tried alcohol but I too think the wet water is better at allowing the glue to leach. I also don’t like smelling the alcohol for long periods of time. I live in a very dry western area and the next day everything is rock hard. I also use only Hiball real rock ballast. No ballast floating using real rock. If you want to remove the nails they will lift right out with no problem. Doug
Exactly the method I use. I find it works better for me than the soap and water.