Go and pick ya up a Bright Boy and clean the track up with that. Dont get into worring about all of the scratches that you will put into the railhead. Because anything that you will do you will get scratches.
Clean the engine wheels by putting alcohol on a piece of paper towel and running the wheels while holding the engine with your hand on the towel. Do it to both trucks of the engine.
Heck I have even cleaned my track with a Pink Pencil Block eraser. They dont last as long as a Bright Boy does and you will also end up with the reminates of the pink erasier on your roadbed. Kevin
Probably pumice, ground up volcanic rock. It's light weight, but really abrasive.
And no, you don't have to have a 'harder' substance to actually scratch something. Metal polishes are actually 'scratching' the metal, but it's so fine, it results in a smoother surface.
Darrell, quiet...for now
I like the orange based cleaners; sometimes the CLR (?) cleaner works for me, too. Best is to get the tape off as soon as is reasonable - even the blue stuff, I think. Good Luck! Steve
larakIf acetone did not work (suprising) you might try 90% isoproply alcohol, denatured alcohol, toluene or benzene. Be careful with the last two. "Be sure to read, understand and follow all safety precautions" ...
If acetone did not work (suprising) you might try 90% isoproply alcohol, denatured alcohol, toluene or benzene. Be careful with the last two. "Be sure to read, understand and follow all safety precautions" ...
I agree with this posting.........I airbrushed my track back in October 2008 and am still poking around with the clean up..........................I recently found out myself that 91% isopropl alchohol does the trick................for I too dislike using abrasives on my track.
Dennis Blank Jr.
CEO,COO,CFO,CMO,Bossman,Slavedriver,Engineer,Trackforeman,Grunt. Birdsboro & Reading Railroad
For one property to actually scratch another property doesn't the first have to be harder or contain something that is harder than the second?
I don't know of anything in a "Bright Boy" that is harder than the track you are trying to clean... And if there is someone please enlighten me.
Don't forget to clean the loco's wheels as well. Put a lint free cloth with alcohol on it across the tracks. Hold the engine while running it over the cloth. Do half at a time so that you keep the engine powered. You'll be surprised how dirty they can get.
Springfield PA
Thanks, everyone, for your tips. I didn't mean to imply "nothing was working including Acetone", but I was looking for an easier way to accomplish this project. Meanwhile, the best results I'm getting is to use Acetone, turning the rag many many times so as to not just push the goop around (and I mean the masking tape residue is GOOP) working a 3' flex track section at a time. Then, when the rag wipes clean I go over the section once or twice with another clean rag and Alcohol. This is going to take me some time, for sure. I am following my progress with one on my crankiest locos and test it on each section and each turnout multiple times before moving on. Meanwhile, I'm excited about the upside: the loco probably runs better than I've ever observed it and is as smooth as silk negotiating turnouts. I may never have had an entire layout of track as clean as this one and it looks like it will pay off. I'll put "gleaming" on my to-do list for this winter and see how that works. Thanks again.
I know that you want to avoid abrasives, on the ground that microgrooves in the railhead attract crud.
Have you considered 'gleeming' the track after using abrasives? Just apply a thin film of magnesium wheel cleaner, then burnish the railheads with a large flat washer, smooth side down. The rubbing action of the flat (slightly curved side down) washer seems to close up the top of the railheads.
Some of my 'gleemed' flex actually survived being lifted and re-laid, and, after three years, hasn't required any cleaning more serious than running a piece of paper towel along it with finger pressure.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Hi!
Well, you learned the lesson I learned sometime back - that being that painters (or worse masking) tape needs to be applied, painting or whatever done, and then removed - ASAP.
I suggest you take some rubbing alcohol on a cotton rag (i.e. undershirt, diaper) and wrap it around a finger and rub on the rails. Whatever's left can be removed by a "brite boy". Use it going the same direction as the rails, and when done, do the alcohol thing again.
Hope you have success!
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
Another reason I don't spray anything on my layout. Instead of spraying glue or wet-water, apply it with a pipette. You get much better control of where it goes, thereby keeping your track clean.
I've got a CMX track cleaning car. Their recommended cleaning fluid is lacquer thinner. It works great for me. Yes, it smells and you should use it in a well-ventilated place only, but it cleans stuff off very well and doesn't leave a residue.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
And what do we learn from this? It´s easier to clean off the water based ballast-glue than the tape residues. I always say; Never mask if it is avoidable!
Swedish Custom painter and model maker. My Website:
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Masking tapes can leave glue residues behind, especially when left applied for a long period of time.
The blue tape from 3M is supposed to be removeable for up to 14 days.
Here's some info on using blue tape and a customer service number for help:
http://www.westernwooddoctor.com/3mpainterstape.htm
You may have to resort to brute force (abrasion) to get the gunk off. Some of the products you've already used may be causing the glue to remain (something may have melted the glue and made it difficult to remove). Bright Boys may work, but I suspect that the Bright Boy will clog if there's that much gunk on the rails.
If you use the Bright Boy and want to prevent future problems from the tiny scratches left by the BB, you may want to 'gleam' your tracks. Gleaming is a cleaning process that leaves the rails clean, hardened and polished to a shine. Although the process is simple, it is very labor-intensive and time consuming!
The Gleam Process: Clean the rails using 600 grit or finer wet-dry sandpaper (dry is fine). Next, the rails are burnished to remove the microscopic scratches that even fine sandpaper leaves behind. Burnish the rails with a stainless steel washer. Make sure the washer is stainless steel, not regular steel. (I think regular steel is softer than the NS rails!) After all the track is burnished, apply a good quality metal polish SPARINGLY. Buff the polish off with a soft, lint-free cloth (T-shirt material is good). That's it! You're done and you may not have to clean your rails again for years!
Gleaming turnouts is difficult, but it can be done. Take lots of time and make sure to get all the turnout rails gleamed, including the points.
Remember, gleaming is time-consuming. When I did my small 48"x78" L-shaped layout, it took me FOUR days to complete it! Even then, there were some areas where I didn't get all the polish off the ties and ballast!
Hope the link and customer service number helps. If you want, try the gleaming process on a short siding. It may work to remove the gunk you've got.
Good luck.
The mind is like a parachute. It works better when it's open. www.stremy.net
Goo Gone is a bad choice for cleaning rail because it leaves a sticky film that just attracts more dirt. If acetone alone isn't removing the crud, try applying it with one of those green scotch kitchen scouring pads, immediately followed by a clean rag.
Hadn't tried a Brite Boy. Its my understanding that it is abrasive and will scratch the rail heads which in turn become more prone to collecting dust, dirt and oils over time.
A Brite Boy block should work nicely.
I am in the process of completing my layout (for now) and I have some real concerns about cleaning up the track. For the most part, I used good-old "blue" painter's tape from Lowes to mask off all my track as I sprayed scenic cement and other sundry glues around my landscape to fasten things down. Now, after peeling back the tape, some in place for maybe a couple of weeks or so, I'm having a great deal of difficulty in getting the track cleaned up. I've tried my regular inventory of products: Acetone, Goo Gone, Radio Shack Contact Cleaner, etc. but the rails still stay "goopy" with sticky stuff that I can scrape off the rail heads with a razor blade (but that doesn't get it all up). I am reluctant to try an abrasive cleaner for all the long term problems we all know about. Any suggestions or tips? Thanks, Geoff