I just read the free article in MR mag on-line about using latex caulk to lay track.
I have laid HO cork on top of my construction board base using the caulk and now wish to lay ME and Atlas flex track and turnouts. Was going to use the same latex and wondered if folks have used this on cork? Any downside/troubles?
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Latex caulk will stick flextrack down to just about anything, certainly to cork.
I use it, works great! I run a very small bead down the center and spread it with a putty knife. The bead should be enough to be spread very thin and wide enough to to stick on the center third of the ties. Makes removel of the track easy later on. I let the turnouts float, that is no caulk under the turnouts.
Works great for holding the track down, but I would not use it under turnouts. They will stay in place, held there by the track. The caulk under the turnouts can cause problems with moving parts.
Good luck,
You can anchor ‘store-boughten’ turnouts to the roadbed with caulk - but use a thin layer and keep it well away from the throwbar and headblock ties.
For my hand-laid turnouts, I anchor the ties in place with caulk, being careful not to get any between the headblock ties where the throwbar will eventually be installed. By the time the caulk is cured and the ties are sanded (to level them,) it’s safe to install moving parts.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - on flex and handlaid specialwork anchored with grey latex caulk)
Hi!
You all seem to be pro-caulk, and I am considering using it on the upcoming layout rebuild. What brand/type do you recommend?
Thanks,
Mobilman44
DAP brand , comes in a squeesable tube. I find it easyer to use then a caulking gun. I have no finess with that sort of thing.
Mobilman,
DAP Alex Plus Acrylic Latex caulk
It costs $2 a tube @ HD and comes in several colors. (See link above)
This particular DAP caulk starts to set up in ~45 min. However, I usually let it cure for a full 24 hours before removing the push pins that hold the track in position.
I like it because:
It’s inexpensive
Cures quickly (overnight)
Holds very well
Can be removed with a putty knife, if need be
Doesn’t have the nasty chemicals and odors that some of the adhesives have (e.g. Liquid Nails)
Hope that helps…
Tom
My Home Depot has anothe brand as well, I think it’s Poly-Seam-Seal that comes in at least 3 colors. I used the clear - it comes out white and dries clear, so when it;'s clear you know it has completely set - plus it’s only visible because it’s shiny compared to the roadbed or layout surface. It was a bit cheaper than the DAP brand - not enough to save you the money to buy a new loco, but slightly.
When they say a THIN bead - beleive it. The marks on the nozzle where you are to cut a tube of caulk for normal caulk duties like fixing windows are WAY too big unless you want to do a lot of pickup up and spreadign with a putty knife. I nipped off the end just where the openign starts inside - the hole was so small teh only way you can puncture the inner foil is to poke a stiff piece of wire down through it, the hole is far too small to use the normal “stick a nail in it” method. I also spread the caulk with a putty knife. An example of how thin the caulk should be - if you draw pencile lines to center the roadbed - after you spread the caulk over the area you should be able to easily see the pencil lines. For the track, same thing - if the caulk oozes up around the ties, you’ve used way too much. That’s the ting about the caulk - it actually sticks that well. You hardly need any for a secure fastening.
As for turnous, if you are using commercial ones, you’ll notice at the poitn end they have that wierd double tie where the gap is for the rail joiners - I caulk up to that point. At the other end, I put caulk fromt he frog out. Thus there is never any sticky stuff anywhere near the points or throwbar. And most commercial turnous have a relatively large mass of plastic under the frog area - which gives a large surface to contact the caulk and hold the turnout in position.
&nbs
I use latex caulk for laying my tack on cork roadbed and it works great. I buy my caulk at Walmart, Lowes or Home Depot.
I also “float” my turnouts as suggested above.
I suggest using caulk that goes on white but cures clear. This way you won’t notice any [oops]s as much.
You could go with a colour that is close to that of your ballast – grey, black, brown – but it can be hard to find just the right match.
Also, keep the caulk away from not only the headblocks and throwbar of your turn-outs; but also the point rails. The caulk, if not spread thinly, will ooze up between the ties and interfere with any moving parts. This is why it is easier to just let the turn-outs “float.”
Hi!
As I usually paint the cork roadbed a grey before installing the track, I probably would use the slate grey colored caulk.
Having said that, does anyone else out there paint their cork roadbed before installing track? It seems to work fine for me, but what say you?
Oh, I do ballast and paint the rails after the track is installed.
Mobilman44
Mobilman, it depends on the look you want. If you want your tracks looking freshly maintained, with new ballast, then you might wish to paint the rails before you ballast. In my case, and the preferences of many modellers, we want the somewhat aged, and well weathered, look of ballast and rail that have been exposed to both traffic and the elements. In that case, we do the rails last. We use a fine brush and hand paint the rails (although there is a nifty tiny roller available commercially…forget the name). The result, inevitably, is some bleeding of your rust colour down onto the tie plates and ties, as well as the adjacent ballast…just like you see in real life. Rust stains, and not just on the rails.
I can demonstrate that to an extent in my image below. Note the heavily used mains, and in the lower corner a much rustier and more lightly used siding. Also note that the ballast, itself, has been hand weathered. I did this at the urging of Joe Fugate who mentioned it several years back in a post here, and which I subsequently noticed while near CPR mains at Wallachin, BC.
-Crandell