Ultraviolet light question

[RhB_HJ]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CandCRR

David Vergun,

I agree with you about proper etiquette and *** about "Ignore the ones that are stupid or offensive." A while back I was accused of posting just to boost my "numbers", not commenting about what I wrote. Rather than getting into any kind of useless discussion on the forum I emailed the person. They never responded to me. So it became obvious to me that the person in question only attacks to make themselves feel more important. Now I don't even remember who it was and I don't want to even bother expending the energy too look it up again. They and what they wrote are not worth the trouble.

I am no expert but your experiments sound like fun as well as a learning experience.

Thank you,

Jaime

I'll second that!

David whatever you do, don't UV proof that beagle![;)][:D][:D]
That he keeps you busier than the rest goes without saying.

On the experimenting front; much better to find out with one piece. Yes, it will take extra time, but that is less of a concern than having all kinds of "good stuff" go to waste because of being in a hurry.

GRR experiments/research I've done in the past five years:

1. 18 months to decide on which DCC system I would buy. Read all the relevant info in the respective manuals and decided that as far as all-round versatility, expandability and state of the art was concerned it was to be: ZIMO. Yes, more expensive than the rest, but I know plenty of people who went "the cheap way" and in the meantime have spent more money on "extras" for their "system" than I'll ever have to. Not to mention those people who have been utterly disappointed, got rid of their "cheap stuff" and bought a decent system.

2. Track has been laying outside for four years to see how the ties would stand up and the brass would tarnish. Will the brass rail tarnish? Yes it will, but using a wire wheel in the benchgrinder to get all the residues from the drawing process off gets better results i.e. it weathers evenly. BTW some lengths of Aristo track have been out there just as long and they look almost as good as the day I bought them.
Of course all this won't matter to those who don't care if their tracks has a brass gleam.

3. Handlaid turnouts with wood ties mounted on pressure treated plywood. At one time stainless steel spikes were all the rage. Welllllll I used the black spikes from Micro Engineering and they hold perfectly! Don't rust all that much either, something to do with our climate. [;)][:)]

4. Raised benchwork aka "the elevated RhB", due to the lay of the land and the location of the garage the trains exit Staging at approx. 41" above ground. So I decided to use ground spikes and pressure treated wood for the benchwork. The ground spikes hold PTed 4x4s, attached to those are 2x6 girders and to top it off I use 3/4" PT ply. Along the edge of the ply sheets (set back by 2") I mount 2x4s to keep the sheets nice and straight. Stuffs been out there for four years, no frost-heave on the spikes and the PT stands up really well.

5. PVC base for handlaid turnouts. Since PT and dirt is not the perfect mix, someone suggested PVC to mount the ties on. The PVC/wood combo would require finding out which adhesive would be strong enough to resist twisting, the sun, the rain, the cold, easy to apply and not outrageously expensive. Tried industrial CA, two-part epoxy and Weldbond. And the winner is: Weldbond. Easy to apply as strong as the other two, OK I didn't do the destruction test, but they all staid on that piece of 4mm PVC sheet.
Oh for the cold in the middle of summer? I just popped the test piece in the freezer over night and back out into the Okanagan sunshine the next day. [:D][:D]

And somewhere along the line the effects of the sun played a role in all this - except #1, but even on that score, I know enough people who have "hot weather" problems with their DCC systems.

[Greg Elmassian]

To the original question, the basic ingredient in Armorall is plasticizer, keeps plastic and rubber supple. Years back, Armorall added UV protection. The competition uses the same basic formula. It was invented a few miles from my home in Orange County, and over the years knew various people in the company.

I use it on the freight cars I leave outside, and my engines. There are better UV protectants that are water based, with no plasticizer, 303 is the best one.

Have used the stuff over the years and cannot attribute any failures to it. It does keep fading down. Have not had any cars disintegrate.

It can also keep rubber bits from dissolving, and plastic valve gear from getting brittle.

Just my experience of using it since about 1968, if my memory is correct.

Regards, Greg

[Anonymous]

artschlosser.
Hey Tosser.
Ignore me if you want.I'll wait until you offer something [:D]