glue that I am using does npt set up well. Perhaps I’m using the wrong proportion of glue to water, What is the formula ?
Thanks, Peter
I use 50:50 white glue to water, after of course wetting the whole area with “wet water” which is water with a drop or two of dish detergent added.
Diluted matte medium (like Mod Podge from Wal Mart) or diluted white/yellow glue. I can’t say for Mod Podge, but 2/1 in favour of the Podge sounds about right. I have only ever used yellow carpenter’s glue, and I dilute mine about twice what others report here. I like to be able take up my ballasted track without resorting to wetting the ballast and waiting for the glue to soften. I just drive a metal shim into the ballast and it breaks up relatively easily without damaging the tracks. So, if you are interested, I use two drops of dish detergent added to about 1/4 cup glue and 1.25 cups of water.
I use a 50:50 mix of white glue/water. However, I use a 50:50 mix of rubbing alchol (like, the stuff you buy at CVS or walgreens, etc.) and water to wet the area down. Takes it a few days to dry, but looks really good when it has dried.
I use a 50/50 mix of white glue and water. I wet the ballast down first with 70% rubbing alcohol.
Peter,
I use Joe Fugate’s ballasting method from the MR’s 2006 issue of How To Build Realistic Layouts. Joe first wets the ballast with 70% Isopropyl alcohol then uses a 1:3 White glue/water solution (with a few drops of dish detergent added) for the ballast cement.
Actually, the entire article, “How to ballast and weather track” (pgs. 10-15) is worth having. You should be able to either download a copy of the article from the MR website, or order the entire issue from Kalmbach directly. The other articles in the issue are worth having, as well.
Hope that helps…
Tom
Hi,
I used a 50/50 water and white glue solution with a couple drops of liquid dish soap to make it “wet”. I did this on the room size HO layout I built in the early '90s - which I am now taking down.
Your posting is very timely, because the trackage with light ballasting came up very easy and will be reusable. The mainline trackage which was heavily ballasted (with the above mixture) was a bear to get up and if its used on the next layout - it will be for industry or yard sidings. You may want to keep that in mind - or not.
Mobilman44
i wet it down first with a mixture of water and rubbing alcohol, and a very fine spray if possible. I approximate the water-glue mixture but it comes close to 50-50, maybe a little less as at least in my case I have found I have problems with the ballast shifting out of place or clumping. Maybe I just do a lousy job.
As do others, I use a 50:50 mix of water and white glue on ballast predampened with 50:50 mix of water and rubbing alcohol. This does a secure job with the benefit that the track can be later taken up easily and immediately after rewetting with the alcohol mix. All mixes are applied with an eye dropper. Then the track can be completely cleaned under running water with light brushing.
It’s just the way it happened, Geohan
If you’re having a problem I would start with buying a bottle of Woodland Scenics Scenic Cement. 16 ounces will cost about 8 bucks and it’s pre-mixed. It might be a little higher than mixing your own but it will be right. A bottle goes a long way. You should do what was said earlier and pre-spray with wet water, then use an eye dropper with the cement. Don’t be afraid to use a liberal amount. when it dries it will be clear. Good Luck
I’ve recently ballasted my first layout. On my first try the ballast did not stick. My mistake was that I did not shake the bottle of Woodland Scenics glue. I didn’t read the directions on the bottle. I vacuumed that up and tried again. This time it seems to be working. I’m using 70% rubbing alcohol applied with an eyedropper, then WS glue (shaken well) applied liberally also with an eyedropper. You can see the alcohol and glue soak through. If you apply slowly you won’t get rivers washing away the ballast. You can always go back and touch up any areas.
I use either the WS pre-thinned glue or a mixture of 50/50 Elmers white glue and water. Out here in this climate, I’ve found that mixing the ‘wet’ water pre-spray with alcohol doesn’t really work for me, so I use several drops of liquid detergent to prep the ballasted area before dripping on the diluted glue. And after dripping on the diluted glue, I re-spray the are rather generously with the ‘wet’ water, then leave it alone for about 12 hours minimum. Works for me.
Tom
I use rubbing alcohol instead of water and have had very good results with it. First, I spray the ballast with alcohol to moisten it. Then I dribble on a mixture of white glue and rubbing alcohol, and follow that with another spraying. I mix the white glue to a ratio of about 40 percent glue to 60 percent alcohol. Rubbing alcohol evaporates much faster than water, so your ballast doesn’t take as long to set.