Ballast sticks to rail sides :(

[Gale-B&M]

Sounds like you are using Woodland Scenics ballast or another type of fake rock ballast.  There are several brands of 'real' rock ballast which are much heavier and easier to apply and are not affected by static cling!

Give them a try. Regards,

Gale

[shayfan84325]

I think the dryer sheet might help - never tried it.  I spread mine with a 3/4 inch boar's hair brush (those cheap ones you find in a bin in the paint dept at the hardware store for like $1.29).  Then I just glue it.  After it dries I put a Dremel brass wire brush in a pin-vise and use that to clean the pieces off of the rail.  It works great!  Do not use the brush in any power tool - you are likely to damage the track.  If you glued it well, you can vacuum up the excess and get right to running trains.

I suggest not using a steel wire brush because it may scratch the rail and create cleaning problems.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Maybe you could. On mine the ground foam did strange and wonderful things because of the static, like trying to stand up.

[rsovitzky]

Yup - lots and lots of foam

I wonder if I could do Static Grass without the zapper?  heh heh

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Just out of curiosity, are you building your layout on a foam base? I had horrendous problems with static electricity when I built an N scale layout on foam. I finally grounded the layout to the frame of the RV I was living in at the time and that took care of the static electricity problem.

[rsovitzky]

Thanks, guys.  Some real good ideas to try, which I will do this weekend.

 One thing I figured out is that there is some static issue.  I grounded myself to the rails by just putting a finger on it and the ballast behaved much better.  So I think the brush material DOES have some impact.  One brush seemed full of static no matter what I did, but another worked better after grounding.

But I'll still try some of these other ideas...

 

[dknelson]

Trying different brushes may help also. Some have good luck using a foam brush.

This has definitely been my experience: the foam brushes act more like a little bulldozer while a regular brush tends to flick the ballast where you don't want it.  You can narrow them with a sissors to fit between your rails. 

The Joe Fugate index finger is also a useful "tool" lol (Will MicroMark start selling Fugate Fingers in bulk packs?).  I have not noticed a static cling effect with my ballast but I cannot rule it out.  I wonder if something about the brush you use creates static electricity?  Or maybe you are simply being too easily satisfied with the ballast spreading before applying the cement.

Before I apply the Scenic Cement or diluted matte medium I thoroughly soak the ballast with alcohol somewhat watered down (some use a little liquid detergent, and in the old days folks used photographic developing flued -- without soaking the Scenic Cement just sits on top of the ballast due to surface tension).  With the ballast wetted I then make a final finger pass to make sure the ballast is ONLY where I want it to be, but the wet ballast might "stick" to railsides if you are not thorough in looking at your work before applying the cement.  A final run along the railsides with a toothpick, stick of balsa, or even a Qtip might help.

From time to time one reads of yet another way of attaching ballast, and that is to thoroughly mix in dry powdered glue in with your ballast.  I have tried this method (whcih I think the great John Allen used) with only mixed success.  If the ballast is not wetted enough, the ballast merely forms a thin crust that is easily broken off to reveal loose ballast below.  The problem with the thorough wetting that is needed is that I use homasote and John Allen did not.  Perhaps others have had better luck than I with this method.

Dave Nelson

[KemacPrr]

Try this. Once you get all your ballast in place. Use the other end of your paint brush (the handle ) and tap the rail lightly on top of the rail head. I've found that this tamping will clean off the rail and most of the tops of the ties. Just tap back nd forth on both rails.  Try it and see how it works for you. ----------- Ken McCorry

[tstage]

As far as spreading ballast, I'm a big fan of Joe Fugate's method: Index finger.  It's fairly pliable and supple and works very well at not digging out between the ties.  And, it's easy to clean off, too.  A tiny brush (e.g. 5-0) works well for getting the stray ballast off the botton part of the inside rail.

Tom

[jeffrey-wimberly]

 For real try wiping the rail with a drier sheet first. Then ballast. Try that and let us know how it goes. 

Preferrerably a used dryer sheet. You don't really want that stuff in them on your rails. Trust me.

[locoi1sa]

  Wide soft makeup brush stolen from the wife works for me too. And the right shade of rouge and you have instant weathering. LOL

 For real try wiping the rail with a drier sheet first. Then ballast. Try that and let us know how it goes.

    Pete
 

[saronaterry]

, but I used a wide soft makeup brush I pilfered from the CFO for final shaping. Hope she doesn't see this.

Terry

[bogp40]

As Jeff mentions, the stray grains can be removed easily once dried. I would concentrate more on spreading to just below the tie tops and setting the ballast profile at the roadbed edge.

Trying different brushes may help also. Some have good luck using a foam brush. I will move the ballast initially with card stock or a stiffer brush, then groom with a soft flat one. This seems to work well for me.

[loathar]

Just gently brush away as much as you can. Once the ballast is glued in place you can go back and gently pick off those errant bits with a small flat blade screwdriver. Been there and done that.

Toothpick works too.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Just gently brush away as much as you can. Once the ballast is glued in place you can go back and gently pick off those errant bits with a small flat blade screwdriver. Been there and done that.

[rsovitzky]

I am making my first attempt at ballasting. I am using Fine ballast and when I try to 'clean' the inside - tops of ties and rails - ballast is sticking to the inside of the rails bigtime. No matter how many times I take a swipe, there's still remnants. Static electricity? Solution? BTW, I am using a brush.