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Glue for CVT track

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Glue for CVT track
Posted by locoi1sa on Friday, June 5, 2009 4:07 PM

 Hi guys.

  The instructions call for the use of Barge cement for gluing rail to ties. I can not find any. I tried 4 different hardware stores and a Home Depot. I picked up a tube of Goop. Will this work? Has any one used it for hand laying track?

     Thanks

      Pete

 I pray every day I break even, Cause I can really use the money!

 I started with nothing and still have most of it left!

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Posted by grizlump9 on Friday, June 5, 2009 4:30 PM

 i thought goop was a hand cleaner.  never done it myself but i new a guy who put a spot of contact cement on the underside of the rail and let it set up.  then when he positioned the rail on the ties, he held a hot soldering iron to the rail and after it cooled, it was stuck down good.  don't ask about the burned fingers.

grizlump

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Posted by locoi1sa on Friday, June 5, 2009 5:51 PM

 Grizlump

  Goop is a contact cement. It claims to glue everything. I think I will give it a try on a short section of rail and see if it will do the trick.

   Thanks

        Pete

 I pray every day I break even, Cause I can really use the money!

 I started with nothing and still have most of it left!

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Posted by DingySP on Friday, June 5, 2009 6:05 PM

    I found Barge cement at Ace Hardware in tube form, but I think CVT recommends the more liquidy kind. You can buy it online in quarts and gallons, just google Barge Cement.

Keepin' it Dingy
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Posted by Grand Central on Friday, June 5, 2009 6:11 PM

Okay from asking a friend of a friend. (take that as you will) Apparently BARGE cement is Central Valley company glue. According to what I was told anything will work, but the barge glue is thinner since only a small amount is spread on the rail, the rest is activated by chemical reaction when the rail is placed in place. Anyhoo, i was told any contact cement will work, but you may need thicker applications, which might lead to bumpy rail or on a curve the rail springing away if the radii is too tight.

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Posted by Silver Pilot on Friday, June 5, 2009 8:31 PM

Grand Central

Okay from asking a friend of a friend. (take that as you will) Apparently BARGE cement is Central Valley company glue. According to what I was told anything will work, but the barge glue is thinner since only a small amount is spread on the rail, the rest is activated by chemical reaction when the rail is placed in place. Anyhoo, i was told any contact cement will work, but you may need thicker applications, which might lead to bumpy rail or on a curve the rail springing away if the radii is too tight.

Sorry, but your friend of a friend is all wrong.  Barge Cement is NOT a CVT company glue. What causes this 'chemical reaction' when the rail with the glue is placed on the tie strip?  Magic? 

Barge is a contact cement typically used on the shoe repair business.  Try contacting a local show repair shop/cobbler and see if they sell it.  It comes in tubes, quarts and gallons.  CVT recommends apply some to both the rail and the tie strip, let dry and then press the two surfaces together.  A little MEK will reactivate the cement if needed.  As a contact cement to proper application is to apply some to each surface, allow to dry and then mate the two surfaces together.

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Posted by cacole on Saturday, June 6, 2009 9:49 AM

 Goop, whether the tube is labeled as Automotive, Household, Plumber's, etc., is a silicon formula that will probably not work well for sticking rail to plastic ties because the solvent in it could dissolve or soften the plastic.

Read the label:  Contains toluene and petroleum distillate.  Vapor harmful.  May cause dizziness, headache or nausea.  Causes eye, skin, nose and throat irritation.... and on and on.

Definitely not safe for use on plastic.

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Posted by s51flyer on Saturday, June 6, 2009 1:40 PM

The Fast Tracks people recommend Pliobond contact cement for building their hand layed track.  I've used it, and it works fine.  There are many places you can probably find it, but you can also find it here and purchase a few handy applicator tips to keep the glue where you want it:

http://www.handlaidtrack.com/tools-supplies-c-9.php

 

Bob O.

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Posted by locoi1sa on Sunday, June 7, 2009 5:38 AM

   Hi guys

 I had nothing to lose so I experimented with the supposed Amazing Goop. I cut five 3/4 inch long piece of rail and five pieces of sprue from the CVT tie strip. I tried different scenarios with the five rail/ tie pieces and found that the goop does not stick to the nickle silver rail. Even painted rail. Bare styrene would craze a little but not melt.

  Thats one adhesive we can take off the list for modeling.

          Pete 

 I pray every day I break even, Cause I can really use the money!

 I started with nothing and still have most of it left!

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Posted by fisker76 on Monday, June 8, 2009 11:07 AM

 barge cement available at Amazon.com +/- $3.50

use M.E.K. to thin the glue; I use 4 parts thinner 1 part glue, apply thinned glue to rail, let dry,  lay rail on ties, use small brush to apply MEK to reactivate glue

Erik Fiske

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Posted by loathar on Monday, June 8, 2009 4:58 PM

fisker76

 barge cement available at Amazon.com +/- $3.50

use M.E.K. to thin the glue; I use 4 parts thinner 1 part glue, apply thinned glue to rail, let dry,  lay rail on ties, use small brush to apply MEK to reactivate glue

 

Correct. Just follow those instructions. Any contact cement will work, but Barge thins down nicely with MEK. CA is not a good choice.

http://www.hanksclothing.com/barge_rubber_cement.html

 

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Posted by bogp40 on Monday, June 8, 2009 11:41 PM

loathar

fisker76

 barge cement available at Amazon.com +/- $3.50

use M.E.K. to thin the glue; I use 4 parts thinner 1 part glue, apply thinned glue to rail, let dry,  lay rail on ties, use small brush to apply MEK to reactivate glue

 

Correct. Just follow those instructions. Any contact cement will work, but Barge thins down nicely with MEK. CA is not a good choice.

http://www.hanksclothing.com/barge_rubber_cement.html

 

Yes, I agree. Although barge cement/ MEK is the prefered/ recommended cement, Pliobond will do the job. It is not readilly reactivated by MEK like the barge but does a good job. I like the flexable bond of the pliobond use it for attaching ME track to plastic.

Modeling B&O- Chessie  Bob K.  www.ssmrc.org

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Posted by wedudler on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 2:03 AM

With my Diamond Valley  I've glued the rails to the CV strips with CA. I've used a brand UHU.This glue has a longer open time. And it should be flexible.

Wolfgang

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Posted by loathar on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 10:39 AM

wedudler

With my Diamond Valley  I've glued the rails to the CV strips with CA. I've used a brand UHU.This glue has a longer open time. And it should be flexible.

Wolfgang

Interesting. I didn't know there was such a thing as a flexible CA? I tried the cheap CA and the joints were too brittle and cracked with expansion.

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Posted by jwhitten on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 10:41 AM

locoi1sa

 Hi guys.

  The instructions call for the use of Barge cement for gluing rail to ties. I can not find any. I tried 4 different hardware stores and a Home Depot. I picked up a tube of Goop. Will this work? Has any one used it for hand laying track?

     Thanks

      Pete

 

 

I bought some from a guy on ebay. Also supposedly Ace Hardware has it on their web site. I tried to buy it in their store one day though and they didn't have it there and couldn't find it in their computer, but did see it on the web site. So maybe that will help you.

 

John

Modeling the South Pennsylvania Railroad ("The Hilltop Route") in the late 50's
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Posted by wedudler on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 12:04 PM

 

loathar

wedudler

With my Diamond Valley  I've glued the rails to the CV strips with CA. I've used a brand UHU.This glue has a longer open time. And it should be flexible.

Wolfgang

Interesting. I didn't know there was such a thing as a flexible CA? I tried the cheap CA and the joints were too brittle and cracked with expansion.

Well, they write it on their web site. 

And I participated with Diamond Valley since March 2009 at about 5 FREMO meetings. This means I carried it in my car, build it up, dismantled and carried it again to my home.  There it's stored under the layout.

No problems so far.

Wolfgang

Pueblo & Salt Lake RR

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Posted by locoi1sa on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 8:24 PM

 Well guys that's it. After searching every hardware store in a fifty mile radius and calling shoe repair /cobblers. There is no Barge cement or Pliobond. I could order online and pay $7 shipping for a $3 tube. Does that make sense? NO way!!!

  I guess I will go to plan B and use the old tried and true 2 part epoxy. I have some rail that's been repaired on my modules 5 or 6 years ago that are still holding up. With all the newer adhesives on the market we sometimes forget about the epoxies.

       Pete

 I pray every day I break even, Cause I can really use the money!

 I started with nothing and still have most of it left!

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Posted by jwhitten on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 8:37 PM

locoi1sa

 Well guys that's it. After searching every hardware store in a fifty mile radius and calling shoe repair /cobblers. There is no Barge cement or Pliobond. I could order online and pay $7 shipping for a $3 tube. Does that make sense? NO way!!!

  I guess I will go to plan B and use the old tried and true 2 part epoxy. I have some rail that's been repaired on my modules 5 or 6 years ago that are still holding up. With all the newer adhesives on the market we sometimes forget about the epoxies.

       Pete

 

 

I bought a can of the stuff off ebay around the first of the year. Go to ebay, type "barge cement" in one of the search boxes and you'll get a whole bunch of listings for it. I just checked myself, there's 15 listings currently.

Modeling the South Pennsylvania Railroad ("The Hilltop Route") in the late 50's
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Posted by bogp40 on Wednesday, June 10, 2009 6:50 AM

Do check out some vacuum cleaner dealers that do repairs. Pliobond is readily used for hose repairs. This stuff is extremely strong and flexable. An Electrolux dealer would be a good start as many of them will "rehose" your end fittings with the Pliobond.

Modeling B&O- Chessie  Bob K.  www.ssmrc.org

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Posted by loathar on Thursday, June 11, 2009 1:38 AM

locoi1sa

 Well guys that's it. After searching every hardware store in a fifty mile radius and calling shoe repair /cobblers. There is no Barge cement or Pliobond. I could order online and pay $7 shipping for a $3 tube. Does that make sense? NO way!!!

  I guess I will go to plan B and use the old tried and true 2 part epoxy. I have some rail that's been repaired on my modules 5 or 6 years ago that are still holding up. With all the newer adhesives on the market we sometimes forget about the epoxies.

       Pete

Trust me. I understand your frustration in trying to buy this stuff, but you are talking about the foundation of your layout. I agree $11 for a $4 tube of glue sounds outrageous, but will it sound so bad in hind sight if your rails start coming up from some experimental glue in a year?? The guys at CV told me they have rail that's been down with Barge for 20 years! This is NOT something to skimp on and experiment with.My 2 cents

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Posted by DeadheadGreg on Thursday, June 11, 2009 1:10 PM

uh...   you guys know that you CAN spike into the Central Valley ties, right?  lol

 

Depending on how much rail you've got to lay, you can use the super-glue with the brush applicator top.  Thats what I've used and had no problem yet...

 

but seriously, its not that hard to spike, especially since they already have the grooves for the rail.  I'd say it would go a lot quicker than messing around with the glue, also.

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Posted by loathar on Thursday, June 11, 2009 7:32 PM

DeadheadGreg

uh...   you guys know that you CAN spike into the Central Valley ties, right?  lol

On foam??Whistling

The problem with CA is it will crack with expansion/contraction over the years. Did a small shelf diorama with it and had problems after about a year. Barge is flexable. Now the CA Wolfgang mentioned says it's flexable, so that might work better. But your still experimenting with te foundation of your layout and from the looks of the package, it's not sold in the USA. (probably harder to get than Barge!Big Smile)

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Posted by locoi1sa on Saturday, June 20, 2009 7:08 PM

    I did a few experiments with a few different brands of adhesives.

  I have found that Walthers GOO is the same as Pliobond. With all the experiments with 5 different adhesives it turns out that Walthers Goo is the best. After ample drying time it takes considerable force to move or remove the rail.

The epoxy worked great too. When I tried to pull the rail off and broke the tie.

 Zap CA did nothing and broke loose easily.

  Goop did not hold with too much grip.

   Walthers Goo is the glue I will use for laying track. Flexible and holds real well.

         Pete

 I pray every day I break even, Cause I can really use the money!

 I started with nothing and still have most of it left!

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Posted by loathar on Saturday, June 20, 2009 8:10 PM

That's good to hear. It's basically a contact cement. Did you try thinning it with anything like laquer thinner? (like CV recommends thinning Barge with MEK)
Goo can be a little messy to deal with out of the tube.

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Posted by locoi1sa on Sunday, June 21, 2009 7:11 AM

 No I did not thin it. I picked up some of those little applicator tips. Just a small bead, less than 1/16 inch wide to the bottom of the rail is all that's needed. I then laid the rail on the ties and immediately peeled it up and let the adhesive dry. Then relaid it and set a little pressure on it. One hour later it was solid yet flexible.

  With this system I can build most of my turnouts at the work bench and stock pile them until the layout is ready for them.

      Pete

 I pray every day I break even, Cause I can really use the money!

 I started with nothing and still have most of it left!

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Posted by loathar on Wednesday, June 24, 2009 11:18 PM

I tried some Goo to fix a rail that was coming up. Held great for about 3 days and then popped back up.
Hope that doesn't happen to your layout.

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Posted by doctorwayne on Thursday, June 25, 2009 9:58 AM

 I'm planning on using the CVT tie strips for an expansion of my layout and will be using LePage's Gelled Contact Cement.  I've found it much easier to work with than the liquid types, as it's less prone to the "stringing" that usually occurs with contact cements.  Its main drawback is that I've been able to find it only in quart or gallon cans, although it seems to have a long shelf life, and is useable for any home project requiring contact cement.  I apply it with a suitably-sized stiff brush, and clean-up is easy with lacquer thinner.

Wayne

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