Replacement for WS scenic cement?

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

Hi all,
I’m starting my first attempt at scenery and I’m having a problem with the woodland scenics ground foam not sticking very well. I painted a small area with latex paint and then I sprinkled some ground foam on top, followed by a misting of white glue mixed with water. The foam doesn’t seem to be drying and it doesn’t stick. My question is, is diluted white glue a good replacement for WS scenic cement? If so, what is a good glue to water ratio. Does something else have to be added? What do you use as a replacement? Any help is appreciated.

2

CSXFan, I use the cheapest white glue I can find mixed 50/50 with tap water and a few drops of dishwashing detergent for good measure.

Regards

3

CSXfan,

Are you giving it enough time to dry? It will take a good 24 hrs to dry. If you are in a damp basement maybe longer. If you can put a fan on low near your layout. The air movement will help in drying. Good luck

4

Thanks for the replies.
I think my problem is solved. I found that the diluted glue works great but I wasn’t giving it enough time to dry. This morning I took the module out of my cool damp basement and placed it outside in the sun. It’s dry as a bone now, although it doesn’t hold as well as I’d like.

5

Give it another blast of glue.

My basement is fairly damp, year-round, so I live with two dehumidifiers that work in concert or singly as conditions demand. When I am painting or gluing anything, and most certainly when I am placing hardshell goop, I run both of them constantly. It is a pain, and they are somewhat noisy, but they make my work so much easier. I turn them off periodically to get a break from the din, and turn them off to run trains.

Get one and run it at night while you sleep. It will make things easier for you, and contribute to a drier and more bug free environment if that is ever a problem for you.

6

I’ve found that it can take as long as 3 days to harden up and dry, depending on how much you pre-wet with wetting agent, and how much you thin the glue.

7

Wetting agent is important for proper flow into all of the tiny interstices. A few drops of dishwashing detergent or alcohol will work.

I prefer matt medium diluted 1:4 with water. I also lightly mist the area with 70% rubbing alcohol before applying the bonding material. You can also do this if you need a second coat of medium after drying. It makes the medium spread out better.

8

I simply use the 50/50 mix of white glue and water. After the area dries, I hit with a second spraying. This really works well.