Hello, I got my track laid out and wired up but my next step is ballast I was thinking a gray fine from woodland scenics and I was wondering what could keep the ballast to the table something like glue?
Probably be a good idea, cuz I dont think staples would work. You might want to dumb down the glue with water, say 50/50 I think.
There are some really good instructional videos on that youtube thing demonstrating a boxcar load of ways to do scenary. Check them out, some arent that bad!
The Woodland scenic videos make it look stupidly easy. Heck the video is only a few minutes long. Good luck!
Clear Ahead!
PMR
There are many different methods for securing ballast. The methods I use are these:
Others may have different takes on it but I've found this works for me.
Ballasting is a skill which is fairly easily learned but nonetheless it is a skill and thus a bit of practice does no harm. If you have some "waste" track I'd lay a foot or so on a board just as you have it on the layout (so if there is cork roadbed, use that too).
I have used Woodlancd Scenics and while I have come to prefer brarnds of real crushed stone, good results can be obtained with WS.
My method. I use Woodland Scenics Scenic Cement which I suspect is just watered down matte medium with perhaps distilled water and a bit of isopropyl alcohol. You could make your own. I apply it using either a pipette or an eyedropper. I also have a spray bottle handy with 50% isopropyl alcohol.
I spread the ballast on the track and beyond the ends of the ties using a plastic spoon -- be generous. I then take an old piece of cork roadbed and use it like a bulldozer, repeatedly running it down the track between the rails so the ballast is no higher than the tops of the ties. I do the same beyond the ties but try to angle it so the ends of the ties are visible. I do about a foot or 18" of track at a time but once you get the hang of it you can do several feet at a time.
This will create a pile of ballast that you gather up using a soft brush to re-use,
I LIGHTLY spray on the isopropyl alcohol -- not too intense because the Woondland Scenics ballast is crushed netshells and very light. That soaking is to break down the surface tension and make the ballast receptive to the Scenic Cement
I then go back with then pipette or eyedropper and soak Scenic Cement into the ballast. The main thing is once the Scenic Cement is applied LEAVE IT ALONE. Don't try to improve the ballast or wipe off stray grains from the tops of ties or sides of rails. Let it dry and harden first or you risk making a real mess of it.
Some prefer to make their own fixitive -- matte medium watered down or diluted white glue. But I do like applying with the eye dropper or pipette even if it seems painstaking when ballasting using the Woodland Scenics ballast because it is so light and easily blown around.
Once the ballast cement is hardened I apply a spray of isopropyl alcohol and india ink to darken and tone down the uniformity of the Woodland Scenics ballast
Dave Nelson
I spread and shape the ballast to how I want it to look, spray with rubbing alcohol and then spread glue, I like dripping it from and old Elmers glue bottle. I fill up the space between the rails and then along the outside of each rail.
Then wipe each rail with an alcohol rag to remove any drips of glue. Then leave it alone.
Avoid the turnouts until you are more comfortable as they take a litttle patience to make sure you don't glue them in position.
If a place messes up just let it dry and go back to it.
Learn to enjoy ballasting, do 3 or 4' at a time.
Hello All,
Woodland Scenics ballast is made from dyed walnut shells.
Some users of this product have complained about how this ballast will "float" above the "wet water" causing problems.
There is a different option to the traditional diluted liquid white glue and "wet water" solution to adhere ballast.
I harvest my ballast from a local source of mine tailings.
To adhere it to my track and Woodland Scenics foam roadbed I use the method outlined in the following post...
Instant Track-Tackit Ballast Adhesive Questions
Hope this helps.
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"
I have used Woodland Scenics ballast, crushed rock ballast, and even artist sand from craft stores. I much prefer the crushed rock products as installation is easiest and the visual results are best. My ballasting method is similar to those mentioned above. However, I like to use discarded contact lens solution bottles to apply the diluted alcohol and scenic cement solutions. These bottles give you the control of a pipette with the product volume to do the whole job without refilling. I find it best to apply the solutions to the top of the rails which allows the solutions to gently flow down into the ballast without washing it out of place. This also allows you to apply the solutions more rapidly, too. Yes, you have to clean off the top of the rails afterwards but that's not difficult.
Hornblower
I use a Dixie (bathroom) cup to pour ballast and a cheap 1" craft brush to spread it. For securing, I too use a 50/50 split between water and white glue. Of course, I apply it carefully when around turnouts by the frogs.
Does Arizona Rock & Minerals still exist. Googling comes up with a website https://www.armballast.com/ but in 3 browsers I can't see the webpage?
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
jjdamnitTo adhere it to my track and Woodland Scenics foam roadbed I use the method outlined in the following post... Instant Track-Tackit Ballast Adhesive Questions
The 'track tack-it' can be found on eBay (8oz $10 or 4.5# for $75, which I'd think would last even Jared the Artist a long time...) or from the manufacturer, whose current Web site is https://jmhobbysupply.com
Cascamite 'powdered resin wood glue' or the current version of DAP Weldwood urea-formaldehyde 'plastic resin glue' are readily available.
The key here is to mix a powdered, relatively nonhygroscopic solid glue with the ballast. That mixture is applied, leveled, and worked 'dry' as necessary, and then sprayed with a 'wetting' solution, which he makes as tinted 91% alcohol. This does not have to be 'dribbled' on to bond the ballast grains; he mentions that he first used a functional spray, followed by tinted, but got better results (less glossy appearance) if using the directly tinted spray directly. I'd be at least tempted to see if applying different tints and compositions using a fine sprayer or airbrush (for example, adding 'road dust' colorant to the final spray, rather than just the dark ink) might allow very good fixation with an absolute minimum of 'adhesive being where it shouldn't'.
[I am so ancient that when I was small, I took the advice in one of our library's 'model railroading books' -- from the Forties! -- and used colored 'loaded' water glass (sodium silicate) as the ballast adhesive. Just don't let it get wet after it hardens!]
Note that you have to have both the subgrade and the 'ballast prism' carefully modeled with the correct angle of repose represented before you apply any actual ballast material. My recommendation is not to use ballast in depth to cover gaps or 'a multitude of sins' in how the track sits on the scenery... as with triple plating or show painting, get the surface perfect before you start 'finishing' it.
A warning that is missed alot. Woodland scenics ballast is made of walnut shells. If you have an allergy to nuts, might be a good idea to take precaustion or avoid it.
A pessimist sees a dark tunnel
An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel
A realist sees a frieght train
An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space
Had no trouble googling AR@M
A few tricks you might want to try:
-For turnouts, paint the roadbed a color that is similar to the ballast you intend to use, before installing the track. It will allow you to use less ballast near the moving parts.
-As a first step, apply a coat of white glue along the shoulder of the roadbed, and sprinkle ballast over it. Let it dry, then apply the rest of the ballast.
-When ballasting, deposit small amounts using a spoon, and spread with your finger. This will prevent the ballast from flying around all over your scenery.
Simon
I've used the Woodland Scenics ballast and also crushed limestone, provided by a friend. I used a number of seives with different screen material, to get a variety of different-sized ballast, which ranged from fairly close to HO scale ballast, to seived limestone which was very close to HO scale dust. I used a very fine spray of diluted white glue to affix the ballast in place, then once the glue had hardened, used very fine sandpaper to remove the hardened glue from the top of the rails.
This little plastic dispenser was very useful when ballasting track and gravel roads, too....
...I also used real dirt in some areas....
Wayne
floridaflyerHad no trouble googling AR@M
Since you had success where I did not, would you mind sharing a link that works?
BigDaddy floridaflyer Had no trouble googling AR@M Since you had success where I did not, would you mind sharing a link that works?
floridaflyer
What's that supposed to be anyway? I googled it and it came up as either a Bulgarian assault rifle or a Serbian dancing lady.
They are updating their website, but this was working at the time of this post:
https://www.armballast.com/product-category/ballast/
Thanks Mike that works. www.armballast.com just flashes, as if it is loading, for me.