I certainly won't argue with you, Rob, as your trackwork always looks great.
I've never had the floating issue with Woodland Scenics ballast, but I learned that if you try to brush it into place, it usually takes off for parts unknown. I do use a brush for grooming it prior to wetting, but use it with the handle almost parallel to the track, dragging the particles along. The trick of laying the brush handle across the rails and movng it along while rapidly tapping the handle does a good job of bouncing the stray pieces off the ties, but only if you've not overfilled the spaces between the ties.
I found real rock to have its own quirks, too, one of them being its tendency to lock together, much like real ballast does. In that case using the brush to actual brush the pieces works fairly well.
I've always enjoyed ballasting track. For the minimal skill and cost of the materials required, it's right up there with brush-painting rail when it comes to getting "bang-for-your-buck".
It also, almost instantly, makes a layout look a lot better, even if the rest of it is still a "Plywood Pacific"
As for hard water, I once ballasted track using well-water that was really hard. How hard was it? It was so hard that I didn't even use glue or ballast. When the water part evapourated, all that was left was ballast, from the hard part of the water. Budda-boom!
Wayne
richhotrain... the real reason that I haven't gotten up from my chair is that I am enjoying a glass of 10 year old Tawny Port...
rrinker Likely available anywhere - the mustard company is located in Chicago. But, it appears they have changed their plastic bottles and they no longer have the fine tip on them.
Overmod richhotrain ... the real reason that I haven't gotten up from my chair is that I am enjoying a glass of 10 year old Tawny Port... Which one, you lucky dog!
richhotrain ... the real reason that I haven't gotten up from my chair is that I am enjoying a glass of 10 year old Tawny Port...
Which one, you lucky dog!
Rich
Alton Junction