Spraying Glue for Ballast

[Hansel]

Hi,

I am applying ballast but I am having problems applying the glue mixture.  I have tried two different types of spray bottles and each of them trickle the glue and water mixture out.  The bottles work fine with just water.  Can someone recommend a good way to apply the glue on top of the ballast?

Thanks, Hansel

[wraitheau]

Use a dropper like an eye dropper, I dont know the correct name, but you just squeeze the bulb at the top and suck up your glue, water, dispersant mix and dribble it onto the ballast, its a slow job but easy to do and when done right it wont leave dents where you drop the mix, you should be able to get it to flow evenly from the tip....

 I use a mix of 2:1 water / glue with a couple of drops of detergent to act as a dispersant...

[MisterBeasley]

Those hobby eyedroppers are called "Pipettes."  My LHS has them, as does another hobby shop I go to occasionally.

I use a mixture of 1:4 glue:water.  I pre-wet the whole thing with 91% isopropyl alcohol, again applied from a pipette.  Yes, I could thin down the alcohol with water a bit, but it's so cheap that I'm not going to make my life harder by adding an extra step.  Also, I find my ballast glue dries a lot faster this way.

I don't spray anything any more.  It's just too messy.

By the way, from the title of your post, if you "spay" your ballast, at least it won't have kittens.  (EDIT: Thanks for the fix.)

[locoi1sa]

  Dont spray the glue!!!! It will get everywhere you dont want it to. Mix clean cold water with about a teaspoon of dish soap(the liquid kind for doing dishes in the sink) in your spray bottle. Adjust your ballast and mist the water/soap on the ballast. Adjust ballast again thats been blown away with you spraying directly at it instead of letting it rain down. Then pour out half of the Elmers glue bottle into another container and fill the glue bottle with water and 2 drops of soap.(the same stuff you sprayed) Mix or shake very well. Then open the top of the glue bottle just a little (mabe half way) and trickle glue/water/2drops of soap to ballast. Leave alone for a day or so to let dry but in the meen time (every 5 to 10 minutes) cycle your turnouts untill they move without binding.

    Pete
 

[rerailer]

I agree with the pipette method.  I've tried all kinds of spray bottles for diluted glue and none of them work very well.  You have a lot more control with the pipette and you won't get glue all over everywhere... http://www.building-your-model-railroad.com/model-railroad-ballast.html

[loathar]

The needle point bottles from a printer ink jet refill kit work great too.
If you DO want to spray, I've found the pump style hairspray sprayers work great. Pour your glue through a strainer to get out any chunks that WILL clog it up.

[modelmaker51]

I spray the wetting agent (alcohol or wet water) and dribble the glue mix from an Elmer's bottle, (going back and forth filling an eye dropper or pipette is a PIA).

Tip: Don't spray at the ballast, spray it over and let it fall like rain, you're less likely to disturb the loose ballast.

[Hansel]

Thanks for the advice!

[Medina1128]

I use the condiment bottles that Mom and Pop burger joints use (I got mine at Wal-Mart for 99 cents each.), or mustard bottles (only the ones with small tips).