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Chooch walls

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  • Member since
    February 2017
  • From: Harrisburg, PA
  • 660 posts
Chooch walls
Posted by hbgatsf on Sunday, October 2, 2022 8:23 AM

Chooch has a line of flexible walls that have a peel and stick backing.

If anyone has used them can you tell me if you can trust the adhesive to hold over time when applied to styrene?

Rick

  • Member since
    January 2008
  • 88 posts
Posted by rws1225 on Sunday, October 2, 2022 8:37 AM

I have had to add some kind of glue.  

  • Member since
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  • From: Dearborn Station
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Posted by richhotrain on Sunday, October 2, 2022 9:04 AM

I have some extensive walls covered with Chooch flexible stone strips. However, the walls are all wood, not styrene.

At first they hold very well, but over time, the Chooch strips begin to lose the grip, first the edges then deeper into the strips. I had to apply glue where the factory adhesive gave way.

Rich

Alton Junction

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Posted by jjdamnit on Sunday, October 2, 2022 12:48 PM

Hello All,

Check out this thread...

Securing Chooch HO Flex Wall

Hope this helps.

"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"

  • Member since
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  • From: Harrisburg, PA
  • 660 posts
Posted by hbgatsf on Sunday, October 2, 2022 9:45 PM

jjdamnit

Hello All,

Check out this thread...

Securing Chooch HO Flex Wall

Hope this helps.

 

That thread was a big help.  Thanks for providing it.  

As I read it I was thinking I would be able to rely on the factory adhesive since I am going to attach it to styrene.  Then I got to the story of it failing on smooth hardboard.  

I have decided not to use the stone product as it will be wasted in the location I had in mind for it.  It will be mostly blocked from view by buildings so a less expensive product will work fine. 

I am still going to use the Chooch seawall.  I need to look at that closely to see if there is going to be a way to hide nails or screws since it will be near the front edge and very visible.  

I also wish we knew what adhesive Chooch was using so intelligent decisions could be made regarding compatibility.  Does anyone know what material the walls are?  

Rick

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
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Posted by MisterBeasley on Monday, October 3, 2022 1:12 PM

It may be more effort than you're planning on, but Bragdon Foam castings are quite light, can be cut with scissors and the Bragdon molds combined with the casting foam produces far better detail than standard Hydrocal castings.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

  • Member since
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  • From: 10,430’ (3,179 m)
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Posted by jjdamnit on Monday, October 3, 2022 9:18 PM

Hello All,

hbgatsf
Does anyone know what material the walls are?

According to the Walthers website; which is now manufacturing Chooch products, under the Chooch FAQ webpage...

"Chooch tunnels, walls, loads, etc. are made of hand-cast rigid polyester resin."

I use the Cut Stone Wall(s)- -in various sizes- -to make the foundations of the buildings on my pike.

These are made of wooden frames. I use contact cement to adhere the Chooch material to them.

Hope this helps.

"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"

  • Member since
    February 2017
  • From: Harrisburg, PA
  • 660 posts
Posted by hbgatsf on Tuesday, October 4, 2022 8:21 AM

jjdamnit

Hello All,

 

 
hbgatsf
Does anyone know what material the walls are?

 

According to the Walthers website; they are now manufacturing Chooch products, under the Chooch FAQ webpage...

"Chooch tunnels, walls, loads, etc. are made of hand-cast rigid polyester resin."

I use the Cut Stone Wall(s)- -in various sizes- -to make the foundations of the buildings on my pike.

These are made of wooden frames. I use contact cement to adhere the Chooch material to them.

Hope this helps.

 

Not the flexible walls.

Rick

  • Member since
    September 2014
  • From: 10,430’ (3,179 m)
  • 2,311 posts
Posted by jjdamnit on Tuesday, October 4, 2022 5:15 PM

Hello All,

hbgatsf
Not the flexible walls

OOPS...

Hope this helps.

 

"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"

  • Member since
    September 2004
  • From: Dearborn Station
  • 24,281 posts
Posted by richhotrain on Tuesday, October 4, 2022 6:10 PM

I went back and looked at my notes that I made when installing and then later repairing the Chooch Flexible Walls.

Originally, Chooch applied its proprietary adhesive to the back of the flexible walls and then put a protective cover over the flexible walls. The user would peel the protective cover away and then install the flexible walls on whatever solid surface the user chose to use. When some of the edges of the flexible walls began to loosen and curl up, I used track nails to re-secure the flexible walls.

When I built my new layout in 2018-2019, I bought new Chooch Flexible walls. By then, Chooch had changed its method of adhesive. The flexible walls now had no adhesive on them, but each flexible wall strip had its own thin clear sheet of two-sided adhesive paper, sort of like Saran Wrap. I immediately hated it because one false move and the adhesive paper stuck to itself and created a mess. So, I used hot glue as my preferred adhesive. It seemed to work like a charm at first, but it eventually started to curl up around the edge, so I reapplied hot glue to the curled up portions, and now all is well. Hopefully, it will last.

Rich

Alton Junction

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Posted by MisterBeasley on Wednesday, October 5, 2022 5:30 PM

I forgot to mention that the Bragdon Foam castings can be re-softened and made short-term flexible simply by reheating them with a hair dryer.  Then, they will stiffen up again.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

  • Member since
    November 2007
  • From: California
  • 2,388 posts
Posted by HO-Velo on Wednesday, October 5, 2022 8:56 PM

hbgatsf
seawall

Was seriously considering using Chooch flex walls for my curved harbor seawall, but after the ones lining part of my canal started peeling sure glad I didn't.

Regards, Peter

   

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