Palomino - do you attach track with PL300

[ATLANTIC CENTRAL]

Now, one more thought.

I don't use adhesive caulk under my turnouts. My turnouts are held in place by the adjacent track, and by just one or two track nails or spikes.

Sheldon

[Tom Bryant_MR]

Thank you all for the good inputs - every one of them.

Dave, I have to agree with the stuff sticking on everything - inlcuding my finders - was a pain.  I do not recall putting down track was like this.  I got the PL300 input from a search of the internet.

Marlon, that acrylic latex does look good - thin - very nice job. Also thank you for inlcuding the tip on the styrene. I like that too.

Sheldon, wish I had been able to say "live here for the rest of my life . . ." eleven years ago - had a layout 3-4 years in the making and now starting over.

Rinker, Thanks for the "tip" on the "tip". I had the PL300 stuff all over the place 

Again, thanks to all. 

[SeeYou190]

BRAKIE

I use old fashion spikes (not track nails) to lay track.

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I'm with you Larry.

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Spikes hold the track in place until the ballast is glued down, then the ballast/glue holds the track in place.

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-Kevin

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[ATLANTIC CENTRAL]

selector

I’m on my third layout with latex caulk holding bent tracks in place. Works fine, even spread paper thin. Then, when you need to recover the tracks for another use, a paring knife brings it up with an easy sawing action.

 

OK

 

[selector]

I’m on my third layout with latex caulk holding bent tracks in place. Works fine, even spread paper thin. Then, when you need to recover the tracks for another use, a paring knife brings it up with an easy sawing action.

[ATLANTIC CENTRAL]

wvg_ca

DAP Alex is one of the lowest cost adhesives on the market, and every store [pretty well] carries it   .. and it works, lol

 

Yes, but again, read the label, it is not "aheasive", or glue, it is caulk. Caulk definition - "a waterproof filler and sealant used in building work and repairs".

Does it work ok for track, I guess so, we have plenty of field reports supporting it.

Would I use it? No. The product I use tacks up sooner, requires less temporary weighting or attachment, allows and holds fine adjustments during the install and is not as messy to use due to its heavier consistency.

And as for this reusing track thing, I have never seen a piece of plastic tie flex track, that has been installed by any method, and then painted and ballasted, that I would want to try and reuse.

Sheldon

[wvg_ca]

DAP Alex is one of the lowest cost adhesives on the market, and every store [pretty well] carries it   .. and it works, lol

[ATLANTIC CENTRAL]

selector

PL300 will work really well, but give up every hope of reusing the tracks another time. That product is as close to permanent as you can get. I am a DAP Alex Plus user.

 

But if you want permanent, the Polyseamseal or Phenoseal products are designed to adhere most all materials, and are much easier to work with and clean up then the PL300.

After some testing, one of the first guys to have an article published about gluing down flex track many years ago, preferred the Polyseamseal product. The Phenoseal product is basically identical.

Being in construction, I use all these products every day and have learned their properties, strengths and weaknesses. Alex Plus is a good product, but it is just painters caulk, it is not adhesive, it is not intended to withstand any stress against its bond.....that's why the track comes back up so easy, that's why I would not use it for this purpose.

We only use Alex for interior painting issues, not even for any exterior caulk issues. Because we do lots of traditional exterior work (no vinyl siding), we mostly use OSI QUAD outdoors, and for some things the Phenoseal type products.

The Phenoseal product is also what we use in kitchens and baths, counter tops, tubs, backsplashes, etc. We use it to glue in counters, backsplashes, solid surface tub surrounds, and then we use it to seal the joints.

I have been gluing flex track with adhesive caulk for over 25 years now, never any problems, never worried about peeling it up.

Sheldon

[selector]

PL300 will work really well, but give up every hope of reusing the tracks another time. That product is as close to permanent as you can get. I am a DAP Alex Plus user.

[Pruitt]

I use DAP clear also. Works great, and as I just learned by dismantling my layout, you can easily remove track without damage if you use a thin layer.

I had one section of flextrack that was damaged beyond reuse after removal. The other 30-some pieces are ready to lay again once I get moved. They mostly don't even require clean-up!

[BRAKIE]

I use old fashion spikes (not track nails) to lay track.

Why?

If I need to relocate a track or decide to build a new switching layout I can salvage my track. Unlike glue or caulk all I need to do is remove the spikes and take up the track.

[ATLANTIC CENTRAL]

I use clear adhesive caulk like Polyseamseal or Phenoseal.

I'm far too lazy to worry about trying to peel it up and reuse the track..... 

And I don't make a lot of changes after the fact, and I expect to live here the rest of my life....

I don't use foam or cork, I use homabed/cascade roadbed. I nail that down with a Brad nailer.

I'm in construction and we avoid using foam or that nasty PL300 glue they make for it.

Sheldon

[rrinker]

 Now that is what it is supposed to look like. I've always used the clear stuff in the past, comes out of the tube white. Spread it out and the "white until it cures" isn't terribly useful - the caulk after spreading makes it look like the cork has a gloss coat on it, that's all you need. But at least the thin bead before you spread it is easily visible as a white line. 

 I do the same to attach the cork - I leave that maybe a bit thicker, but still thin enough that penciled in center lines for positioning the cork are still visible through the layer of caulk.

 To achieve this easily, do NOT snip off the spout of the tube of caulk on one of the pre-marked lines. Those are for laying beads of caulk when using it for the original purpose, and are far too big an opening for track and roadbed. I nip off a bit at a time until there's an actual opening. To pierce the inside seal, the hole is not big enough for the usual method of just poking a nail in, but it is big enough for #18 or smaller solid wire to be poked in, which usually works. Sometimes it takes a few stabs to break the seal. I use a push pin like I use to hold the track to plug it up between uses so the whole tube doesn't go bad.

                                  --Randy

[Medina1128]

I use acrylic latex caulk for the reasons listed in other posts. The technique for putting down the track is very easy once you've done it.

• Lay a thin bead of caulk.
• Spread with a putty knife to a thin layer.
• When you press your track into place, very little should squeeze between the ties.
• Pin into place or set weights on it. I found that a 4 to 6' length of 1x4. Place weight on the 1x4 (I used 25 lb dumbbells). The 1x4 with the weight on top works well to evenly distribute the pressure on the track. It's usually affixed solidly in 4 hours.
• I prepaint my ties and track, but there's nothing wrong with painting it with a rattle can after it's in place, especially with flex track. If you prepaint flex track, it will leave a shiny spot if you bend it into a curve, requiring touching up. I use Krylon camouflage tan.

As you can see, this is all the caulk you need. The gaps in the rails are for block wiring and will be filled with small pieces of styrene.

 

[wvg_ca]

i use DAP clear caulking, goes on white while wet, dries clear ...

remains slightly flexible to cut down on noise .. easy to cut through with a spatula if neccessary to move ...

plus, it's really cheap in the tubes

[hon30critter]

Hi Tom,

Is the colour really an issue? You will no doubt be ballasting your track. That will cover whatever is between the ties and the cork.

Lots of guys use just cheap white acrylic caulk. In fact, I'm going to suggest that you consider switching to acrylic caulk for a couple of reasons. First, PL300 is nasty stuff to clean up. It sticks extremely well to anything it touches, including your fingers and your tools. I have been using it recently to assemble some foam pieces that will be the cores of our mountains and I hate getting the stuff on my fingers!

That raises the second point. It probably sticks too well. I sincerely doubt that you will be able to lift any track in the future without damaging it if you want to make changes to the track plan. The track and the cork will likely be toast. The caulk allows track to be lifted just by sliding a putty knife under it.

Caulk is also half the price.

Nice job on the turnout by the way.

Dave

[Tom Bryant_MR]

What brand / material is used to put track down that dries clear?

This is PL300 for foam board. Dried gray - blueish to me.