This may seem like a stupid question, but I am about to glue down my cork roadbed to my foam base. I have seen people say that foam safe caulk is the best way to go. My question is, can I use tacky glue, like Elmer’s Craftbond Tacky Glue instead of caulk and still get a comparable result?
I don’t see why not. I used caulk, but that was my preference, just regular latex white.
If your unsure, do a little test section. Not sure about the spray variety that Elmer’s has. You just want an adhesive that won’t attack the foam, and anything solvent base will melt it.
Mike.
i know that elmers spray adhesive wont attack foam itself , but DAP foam safe caulking [in a large tube] is a fair bit cheaper … i used clear and white DAP cauking on foam to foam, and foam to plywood …with a squeeze gun
Is it too late to tell you not to use foam? Tried it, hated it, will never touch it again.
Yes. I put it on first just in case if I wantred to carve out for a river.
2 layouts with foam, no issues. No excess noise, either. I just used cheap caulk, but other stuff shoulkd work. I suspect caulk for the cork to foam and also for the track tot he cork plays a part in not making it noisy, but it didn;t get any louder when I ballasted, either.
–Randy
I didn’t think of doing a test section, but I may just end up going with foam safe caulk
IMO. tacky glue is well, tacky. May be hard to spread. And willcost more.
Plain ole latex chaulk works well
Probably is too late for him not to use foam. A lot of people like foam, I didn’t even know it was a controversy.
The question is a “reinvent the wheel question.”
Elmers says: "The durable, clear-drying wet tack glue that offers a long-lasting bond, and post-drying flexibility. Safe and non-toxic, this glue won’t run and is ideal for multi-purpose craft projects involving porous and semi-porous materials.
It’s virture of post drying flexibility isn’t needed and neither the track nor the foam are porous.
The questions are: is it foam safe? Some glues eat into the foam. Does it make a good bond between non porous surfaces? Can track be easily removed, as with caulk, if there is a need to change or tear down the layout?
If you have a supply of tacky glue, it’s probably worth while to try it on a piece of scrap foam. Otherwise it’s a more expensive product with uncertain results.
Thank you all for the replies, and it looks like I should just go with foam-safe caulk.
I used caulk for the most part and that was fine. In one area I had painted the foam with cheap latex paint from Walmart and months (if not years) later I pinned down some cork on top of the latex paint and a couple of weeks later I went to peel it up to caulk it down and it was on there solid, as was the track I had just laid down on the painted foam without cork for a yard. I did peel up a bit of track and the paint stuck to the track, not the foam.
I have no problems using foam, I am in the “use what’s good for the situation” camp. I have used several different methods on my current layout. Foam, wood, steel, iron, Spline and cement board. Once the ground cover is on it all looks the same.
White glue or Tacky is water based. Spray water over it and the roadbed will start to loosen up. Clear RTV is much cheaper and does not get affected by water when you are doing scenery work!
Good point Jim, didn’t think of that, and I didn’t use the spray bottle method to set my ballast, I used the eye dropper method, so it got “wetter”. That could cause a problem with white or tacky glue.
I always figured white or a tacky glue to be a temporary, or removavle fix anyway.
Mike.
It’s always amazed me that so many folks seem to use extruded foam sheets for layout building, but also use such a variety of glues and caulks not necessarily meant for such use. That some of them work is, I guess, a good thing, but if you’re using foam, why not use an adhesive made expressly for use with foam?
LePage, and likely others, too, make such an adhesive. The LePage’s version is PL300 for Foam Board.
While my layout is mostly open grid with plaster-on-screen landforms, the partial upper level is open grid covered in 5/8" plywood, and in areas where I want more elevation for the track or simply some lightweight scenic contours, some extruded foam sheet, stuck to the plywood, or as layers of foam, using this product, works great. It’s applied with a caulking gun, doesn’t melt the foam, and sticks to anything like…well, never mind that expression.
The elevated track for the coal and sand dump-shed sits atop a foam embankment…
…and I plan to use more foam to create some rock cuts, too.
Wayne
Wayne, I use PL300 on the foam and nothing is coming apart if glued with it.
Using caulk for cork roadbed means it can be coaxed off with little or no damage with a paint scraper. When stacking foam for mountains I have found the mountains will wiggle somewhat if bumped if I have used caulk to glue the stacks together, this helps to minimize any damage that may occur with a bump.
When I was using PL300 to glue my foam to the grid work the instructions said to press into place and pull off to let it breath for a few minutes. I am glad I got it in the right spot the first time as it was not comin off to breath for no man.[(-D]
A wiggly foam rock cut.
Nice rock effects, Brent.
I’m going to have a go at creating Niagara Escarpment rock faces - limestone, shale, and various colours of clay. A nearby club has a nice how-to, which looks pretty simple to do, and with decent looking results, too.
Wayne
I’ve used a variety of materials for scenery. I use a thin layer of acrylic latex caulk to hold down my cork roadbed and track. If you have to remove the track and roadbed, you can slide a putty knife under the track and roadbed, but doing so usually removes some foam. It’s just a matter of using some joint compound to fill in and sand the hole to a flat surface again.
When I first started experimenting with extruded foam, I took to hear twhat all the articles said - use something like the PL-300 construction adhesive. They don;t carry that in the big box stores around here, but they do have Liquid Nails for Foamboard. I tried it - HATED the stuff. It adhered poorly to the foam, dried rock hard and cracked. That’s when I switched to latex caulk and never had a problem again. Latex caulk worked for everything - I even stuck a Tortoise to the bottom of the foam with latex caulk, no screws, no square of wood - and it wasn’t coming off for nothing. I was eventually able to break it off, but applying so much pressure that it would ne next to impossible for it to accidently get that much force applied - and the caulk didn;t break loose even then - the whole thing came off with a small chunk of foam still glued to the top of the Tortoise.
Track has been very easy to remove from cork when glued down with latex caulk. Because the trick is to use a VERY TINY amount - just a bare coating is all it takes, spread out so thin it’s almost not there. Even springy Atlas flex sticks in place, yet gently sliding a putty knife under the track removes it without damaging the track or the cork. ANd soaking with diluted glue and alcohol when ballasting does not make it let go, even though it’s latex caulk with no silicone.
–Randy
What do you use to spread the caulk so thin? Putty knife?
I use thouse sample credit cards, but just about anything would work. Stiff cardboard,scrap plastic,piece of wood ect. I prefer something I can just toss when done