To the OP:
We are talking about pink or blue insulation foam here, right?
You don’t want the white packing foam that comes inside shipping boxes with packages you might get.
This is very important. The wrong adhesive could start melting the foam and produce toxic fumes.
The only problem with using such super adhesive is when you want to change things. If you don’t ever feel the need to change some track around, it’s fine.
That’s why some us use the caulk, in a thin layer. It comes up easily with a putty knive type tool, and the track cleans off easy.
The blue and the pink rigid insulation board is extruded polystyrene and the white “bead board” is expanded polystyrene beads.
The extruded is much easier to work with.
Mike.
As stated earlier, I don’t use foam or cork, and I use a strong adhesive that does not generally allow removal, but I would never use Locktite Powergrab for this application.
It is too thick, too sticky, too messy. I know all about it, we use it when needed in the construction work I do every day.
But adhesive caulk, like Phenoseal or PolySeamSeal is plenty strong enough, compatible with the materials in question, takes a quick enough tack (much quicker that regular AlexPlus painters caulk, which again is not an adhesive) and has just the right open time for the task of positioning track.
As for all this changing track around, or reusing track, I just don’t get it. Once I ballast track, I am not investing the time to reuse it.
I am a planner by occupation, I design houses and/or their renovations as part of my business. I also have various engineering skills, structural design,
I alos use DAP Latex Caulk - thin layer is all that is needed. I use foam roadbed first put down on the blue or pink foam with latex caulk, then track with a very thin layer of caulk on the roadbed. I use round toothpicks to pin the track and roadbed until it dries. Works great.
Yikes, I didn’t think there were this many options or opinions on this. I’m a little confused now and now really want to think more about the choice I make. I guess the foam option made sense to because it would be easier to lay down, or tear up if I felt like changing things and not add as much weight to the layout for transport. Great to hear so many of your experiences and techniques.
First off, you want to be using insulation foamboard, either the pink or the blue. It is much stronger and does not crumble. Styrofoam is white, crumbly, and weak. It comes as packing material on a lot of products. The foamboard comes in 1 inch and 2 inch sheets and can be carved with a steak knife to get some up and down profile in your ground. Screws, track nails, and other fasteners won’t hold in foamboard.
Acrylic caulking compound, Phenoseal is one good brand name, that will stick to the plastic ties and to the foamboard. You get an adequate working time and it dries overnight. The caulk will also stick down any kind of roadbed, cork, wood, whatever. And it will stick the track to the top of the roadbed.
I like the looks of roadbed, it simulate the foot or so of crushed rock the prototype people lay their ties in. The crushed rock holds the ties in place, against the thrusts of the train wheels, and it lets rainwater drain away and prevents rotting of the wooded ties. The cork roadbed is about the right size and looks fine after ballasting. But, the cork will no
Hello All,
To adhere Woodland Senics foam roadbed to the blue foam base I use General Electric (GE) Clear Silicone I or II caulk.
The difference between the two formulae is curing time. The Clear II is “Rain Ready” in 30-minutes.
I use a 1-1/2-inch plastic putty knife to get an even thin coat of caulk on the roadbed before positioning it.
One advantage of using silicone caulk is it cleans up with water.
A disadvantage is some people don’t like the odor of curing silicone caulk so for them this can be a “deal-breaker”.
I too use “T” pins to hold the roadbed in place and allow it to cure for 24-hours.
Then I use #19 x 5/8-inch wire brads to hold the track in place while ballasting using the method outlined in this post…http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/258968.aspx
If I do need to reposition the roadbed, it peels up easily and, using a rubbing motion, the caulk balls up and actually cleans the blue foam.
If the track is ballasted I re-wet the ballast, pull up the track and then pull up the roadbed.
This method works for me. I have not tried it with cork roadbed and/or Homosote®.
I suspect because of the porousness of cork and or Homosote® the silicone caulk might soak in and cause damage when attempting to reposition.
Hope this helps.
When I first made the basic tables for my HO layout, I took into consideration, what if I move someday ( layout is in my basement).
A friend helped me and we made three 6x8 tables built like a bed lattice.
Then bolted them together.
We then cut 4x8x2 inch thick sheets of extruded foam from Menards and custom fit them into the 6x8 foot lattices after we had put legs under the entire set of three lattices.
Legs are bolted on.
In the event I ever move to a new home, I can simply unbolt the three tables, take the legs off, turn them on their side and they will easily go up the basement staircase.
Using the foam keeps them light enough to be handled by two guys if they need to be moved.
Some guys told me I would get a “drum board” sound effect from the foam.
This was easily handled, a number of rolls of fiberglass insulation was tacked in place underneath after all the wiring was finished.
The insulation can be easily taken down to make any changes.