Soooooooo... my learning curve looped, twisted and said "I'm afraid knot!" when, while ballasting, I realized I was sooooo smart for not getting ballast in the points and then I realized I was soooooooo stooooooopid as I had glued the turnouts down without painting the roadbed.
Voila! nice cork shining up from between the points!
Any suggestions that don't involve 1. removing the turnouts or 2. getting paint stuck in the points?
I was thinking of taking some of the black WS "earth colors" water soluable pigment that I dilute with 70% rubbing alcohol to stain wood and drip that down there. That seems thin enough not to gum but dark enough to stain the cork. Maybe labelle oil the moving parts first?
I'm totally open to suggestions.Cheers!--Mark
M.C. Fujiwara
My YouTube Channel (How-to's, Layout progress videos)
Silicon Valley Free-moN
Hi Mark: Oil the moving parts, then paint. That's what worked for me.
So what's the problem?
Just ballast more thinly under the points. Keep it below the tops of the ties. It will cover the cork and look fine but not interfere with movement. The only bad area will be under the throwbar and your paint idea will work OK.
Karl
The mind is like a parachute. It works better when it's open. www.stremy.net
Thanks!
I oiled 'em and painted 'em but I think I thinned the water soluable stuff too much: not too dark (but better than cork.
I'll try it again. Tally-ho!
And now you know why I 'glue' specialwork ties to the roadbed structure with grey latex caulk! Also, as a 'belt and suspenders' thing, I paint the entire roadbed grey from tie line to tie line - everywhere, not just under specialwork. Using my prototype's favored crushed limestone ballast, 'holidays' become invisible.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
It is possible to ballast at the points but I understand your reluctance to goof things up if you have the turnout working well. Careful application with an eye dropper of a darkening agent -- india ink and alcohol comes to mind -- would at least kill the look of bare cork. Another idea which I have used on one turnout is to take fine grit sandpaper, "weather" it, and slide a piece under the turnout points. It "sort of" looks ballasted.
Dave Nelson