Pipetes for laying balast

Anybody know a source for pipetes for laying down the white glue water mix over the ballast

The only ones I found on the net were the too large Turkey Basters or the too small laboratory type

Or if not pipetes any other suggestions ?

Bob,

I’ve used a eye or nose dropper in the past and it works just fine. I find that the rubber bulb end gives me better control. Any drug store would carry them. I would also get the glass tubes (rather than the plastic versions) because they clean up better.

Tom

Hi,

I have also used small plastic squeeze bottles. I found them at Michael’s in the candy decorating aisle. The tips are small enough to just let a dribble out. You can start out with a little more than a pipette would hold, and you can shake it to make sure it stays mixed.

I never bothered with pipettes or eye droppers, it would’ve taken for ever to do my 12x23 layout. I used small and medium sized Elmers glue bottles adjusted to dribble which worked great after prewetting with an alcohol mister. You will get glue on the ties, but it dries clear so you won’t see it.

Here’s one source: http://www.micromark.com/Pipettes-Pkg-Of-20,8119.html

Or are these too small?

Thanks for the replies

I go by Michael’s when I eat out at the Olive Garden

I’ll check out their squeeze bottles

I’ve used eye-droppers similar to those pictured here. (Third and fourth items.) I used to buy them at my LHS.

I suppose these would work, too.

Granted I was working on a small layout, but using an eyedropper is not as tedious as it seems. (You’d be surprised how fast the glue spreads.) But I also thought about using an Elmer’s Glue bottle as well.

I was looking for a cup to put a little glue water dawn mix in, and found an old cap to a can of Testors Dullcote. I filled it 2/3 of the way and found it had a small hole in the bottom that caused a nicely regulated leak. The first thing that came to mind was to run it on the rails and direct the flow over the ballast first on one side, then the middle and finally the other side. It worked better than anything I had tried before.

Around my area the applicator of choice is a fuel bulb used by the airplane crowd. It has a bulb the size of a turkey baster but a very small tube for sucking up and applying material because the airplane crowd doesn’t want fuel to get everywhere when they fill a tank.

i bought a medicine dropper at wallgreens for a couple of dollars, i think it`s for giving your kids cough medicine etc? it works great, its like a tiny turkey baster, (easy to clean)

thor

I use small shot syringes available at most pharmacies. I suck up the diluted mat coat out of the bottle and you can apply as little or as much at a time as you want.

I’ve been looking for some tried a lot of places all with the same answer, they don’t make them anymore. None of the drug stores have them, no any retail stores with a pharmacy either. If someone finds some I’d be grateful to know where they find them.

Brian

A “Frenches Mustard” bottle with the adjustable twist top is perfect. You can really control the flow by a simple twist of the top. Just opening it a crack is a good flow though. And it holds a lot to boot.[:)]

Brent

I got mine out of a Biology science kit, but methinks you aren’t still in school, so get them at a local craft store.

I mix matte medium with water, 1 part matte medium to 4 parts water, plus a little liquid dishwashing detergent. After spraying rubbung alcohol as a wetting agent, I use a metal tablespoon to scoop the matte medium/water mix out of a plastic container and pour it between the rails right over the ties. I keep on scooping, and then dragging the tablespoon down the rails. The matte medium/water mix is absorbed between the ties and saturates the ballast on both sides of the track. You can see it seeping out, then you know that you have applied enough. It all dries clear so there is no visible residue on the ties. Then, I use a Bright Boy to rub down the tops of the rails to clean off any residue.

A pipette would take forever. I don’t have the patience. Plus, a pipette delivers too concentrated a release which can cause pits and valleys to form. My advice: use a spoon.

Rich

Hobbytown stores carry pipettes. I had no trouble getting them there. I don’t have much use for that chain overall for MRing but they do have the pipettes. I thought Micro-Mark used to carry them but maybe not anymore?

I can’t remember where I got these, but they work well. The mustard squeezer sounds even better, as it would require filling less often.

Wayne

The pipettes may take too long but I found a handful say 10-50 on E-Bay sometime ago

I agree with Jay, small Elmers bottles work fine. You can regulate the flow both with the twist cap and how hard you squeeze. When school opened last year Wal-Mart had small bottles of Elmers on sale, the price per ounce was less than buying a gallon. Got lots of potential squeeze bottles filled with something I could use…

When I went to the local pharmacy for my wife, I asked if they had any medicine droppers. She reached under the counter and handed me two. The price was right. They are a little faster than the Elmers bottles and don’t hold as much, but on occasion they have their place.

Good luck,

Richard

I use the condiment bottles like the ones they use at the old burger stands. I’ve used the empty white glue bottles and mustard bottles, but I couldn’t see if the diluted glue has started settling. I add a couple of the larger fishing weights in the bottom of the bottle. I shake up the bottle to mix the glue. Most pharmacies won’t sell syringes without a prescription.