I’m using the cork road bed but when I peal it apart one side has a nice beveled edge but the other half is ragged and does not have the same crisp edge.
Any tips on using the other half of the cork road bed or tips for cleaning it up? I’ve been using the “nice” half in more visible areas and others away from view.
I don’t worry about how things look if they are going to be covered up. Ballast, dirt, weeds and whatever will hide what needs to be covered. That being said, sandpaper and exacto knives are the tools of choice for me.
Use one of these:
Use it on both edges to round off the bevel.
I typically put the clean side toward the viewer. Once the roadbed is glued in place, I run a sharp utility knife blade down the other side to remove the ragged edge. A lot of roadbed can be trimmed quickly. The rough edge can show through ballast too easily for my liking so I always trim it off.
Assuming you are going to paint it and/or apply ballast, it really doesn’t matter which side faces what.
One thing that you should do is run a sandpaper block over the roadbed after its installed. Years ago I thought this unnecessary, and later found out it is a definite help towards a smooth surface. After some quick sanding, a vacuum with a shop vac picks up all that excess.
I have used Midwest Cork and have been completely satisfied. A dremel tool with a sanding round end piece takes the edge off very easily. I have just completed a full box of cork in about 2 hours in the garage. Each piece, with both edges, is sanded very lightly with the dremel tool on as slow as it will go. You will be pleased with the results using this method.
John Dionne
What some of the others have said, it doesn’t matter because when you put ballast over the cork.
Maybe you can try slicing through the joint with a sharp utility knife instead of peeling the piece apart?
I use a sanding block once the roadbed has been glued in place. I use #60 grit to knock the sharp edge off the edges. I also use a Black and Decker palm sander to smooth out the top surface, paying particular attention to the area on subroadbed joints. Once the sanding is done, I vacuum up the dust with my shop-vac. When done, I have a nice edge for ballasting.
When I ballast, and this is just a personal preference, I brush straight white glue on the shoulders of the roadbed, making sure to keep it away from the ties. I then sprinkle a thin layer of ballast on the sides. A quick spritz with either wet water or alcohol so the ballast adheres better. Once dry, the ballast has some tooth so that final ballasting will keep from washing away.
I use a wood Rasp it is Quick and easy
There was a short article awhile ago on how to build a sanding fixture for cork roadbed. The fixture consists of a thin piece of strip wood nailed to a piece of 1 x 4. The edge of the strip wood is located a distance from the edge of the 1 x 4 which is slightly less than the width of the half strip of roadbed to be sanded. The fixture is clamped to your workbench. The square edge of the half section of roadbed is butted against the edge of the strip wood so a slight bit of the roadbed strip hangs over the edge of the 1 x 4. This arrangement allowed you to use a coarse sanding block to remove the burr from the top edge of the roadbed bevel as well as the burr on the lower edge of the bevel. You can produce a large number of sanded cork roadbed strips in a short period.
I have used this fixture to clean up my N-scale cork roadbed, before installation. I find it easier to do this before gluing down the roadbed.
Bob