I am building my first model rail road, and am starting to lay my cork roadbed, I am using Midwest cork. I watched a few videos from model rail roader. When i seperate the halves of the cork, I have one slightly rougher side and I tried to remove the iregularities with a sanding sponge, but whatever I do I do not get a nice bevel on that side. It is almost straight down, not 45 degrees like the "clean side". Am I doing something wrong or is this normal?
Hi Kikkertje,
How coarse is the sanding sponge? In my experience, using a very coarse sandpaper worked best.
Also, the sanding sponge may be a bit too flexible to form the desired slope. It may be bending around the rough edge instead of cutting it down. Perhaps try using a coarse sandpaper wrapped around a short wood sanding block. Hold the block on an angle that matches the desired slope so that you can exert force directly on the rough edge.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
When you split the cork strip you will end up with two pieces, each piece having a beveled edge and a square, or straight, edge. It almost sounds like you are trying to bevel this straight edge.
I think I know what your looking at. Every once in a while when you separate the Midwest cork pieces one of the beveled edges does come up a bit ragged. (To use a imjection molding term "Flash".) There is a 1/8" or so piece of cork that hangs off the beveled edge. You can either just carefully peel it off or trim it with a sharp hobby knife.
Does the sanding matter if you plan to cover the cork with ballast?
I ask b/c I have ME cork and never worried about sanding.
Good morning
Cork is some tough stuff, and known to laugh at you when you go to cut or shape it. It's been my experience, many blades fresh out of the package are too dull to cut cork with ease. Seem to remember using a carpet knife. Sometimes the best choice for cutting a tough medium is a knife that's extremely sharp.
Those double edge swords are unforgiving and deserve the up-most respect though. One only had to bite me once, before learning another valuable lesson in my youth. They cut like a hot knife through butter.
TF
Always found it best to lay the cork and once dry (I used caulk as glue), I used an x-acto to rebevel the edge, fast and easy.
maxmanWhen you split the cork strip you will end up with two pieces, each piece having a beveled edge and a square, or straight, edge. It almost sounds like you are trying to bevel this straight edge.
I don't think that's the issue, since I also have had this problem. It has varied at times when I have bought the cork.
Separating it does not give two beveled edges. On some of the Midwest cork you end up with one beveled edge, one slightly beveled but rough edge, and two straight edges. I have wondered if this happens because of the way the cork is scored to make it separate.
When this happens, I don't worry about it too much since I am ballasting the track later and this problem disappears.
York1 John
I asked my doctor if I gave up delicious food and all alcohol, would I live longer? He said, "No, but it will seem longer."
Track fiddler It's been my experience, many blades fresh out of the package are too dull to cut cork with ease. Seem to remember using a carpet knife. Sometimes the best choice for cutting a tough medium is a knife that's extremely sharp.
It's been my experience, many blades fresh out of the package are too dull to cut cork with ease. Seem to remember using a carpet knife. Sometimes the best choice for cutting a tough medium is a knife that's extremely sharp.
I just got busy with a pair of scissors when trimming my cork. Seemed to work just fine. Then again, I didn't bother cleaning that one edge, which I imagine wouldn't be easy with scissors, especia on N scale cork.
"Keep your stick on the ice" - Red Green
ontarionscaler Track fiddler It's been my experience, many blades fresh out of the package are too dull to cut cork with ease. Seem to remember using a carpet knife. Sometimes the best choice for cutting a tough medium is a knife that's extremely sharp. I just got busy with a pair of scissors when trimming my cork. Seemed to work just fine. Then again, I didn't bother cleaning that one edge, which I imagine wouldn't be easy with scissors, especia on N scale cork.
Hello, Can certainly appreciate that, Ontario guy. Makes me wonder if you have a pair of Fiskars scissors from Findland over there
A big part of the reason a carpet knife was chosen to lay cork, is it usually takes several passes to slice cork with an exacto blade. Cork is dense, and likes to grip the side of the blade causing resistance.
Cutting cork towards yourself is about the only practical way to do it, therefore resistance can be a bit dangerious sometimes. A carpet knife blade is thinner, and there's something about that polished high carbon steel, along with the extreme angled bevel for the blades edge. It allows it to slice through a dense medium quite a bit easier. Less resistance equals less effort, often cutting through in one pass.
Bevels had to be cut for some of the turnout beds. The steep angles for the yard ladders was found difficult with an exacto, and the tips of the cork would usually break off.
My carpet blade stock is doing rather well these days Kidding
PS That yard ladder is going to have to be redone with some cork separation, and the blueprint of the ore loader increased 15%
I like to use the Stanley 'Surform' rasp tool to take off the top egde of the bevel.
stanley-surform by Edmund, on Flickr
Keep the vacuum handy as it creates a lot of crumbles. I'll also use the Surform 'Pocket Plane' which is about 5 or 6 inches long and it will knock off the high spots on the track laying surface, too.
If that top of the beveled edge isn't fully smoothed off it does cause a few extra steps in the ballasting process and I've had to redo a few areas where I missed smoothing some.
Good Luck, Ed
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Funny thing is that I do use those Fiskars scissors
Thanks for the advice my friend.
Evening
ontarionscaler Funny thing is that I do use those Fiskars scissors Thanks for the advice my friend.
rrebell Always found it best to lay the cork and once dry (I used caulk as glue), I used an x-acto to rebevel the edge, fast and easy.
Huh, Alex Plus was the choice over here. Peeled right up and was repurposed for the change by the sawmill.
That cork is probably 1/128th taller, which is almost one and a quarter inches higher in N scale.
Good thing no double stacks or auto rack cars ever need to go down there...
An inch or few can be a mile sometimes
Another vote for the Stanley 'Surform' rasp . I have both the pocket plane and the longer 5.5" tool - which I prefer. It takes only a quick pass or two to soften the top of the bevel.
I also use the larger rasp to make the sloping transition from the regular roadbed thickness down to the 1/8" cork which is under my spurs and yard tracks. The 1/8" cork is sold in rolls at craft stores such as Hobby Lobby.
Jim
Don't seam to remember having a problem getting rid of that rough edge on top at the modeling board.
hardcoalcase Another vote for the Stanley 'Surform' rasp . I have both the pocket plane and the longer 5.5" tool - which I prefer. It takes only a quick pass or two to soften the top of the bevel. I also use the larger rasp to make the sloping transition from the regular roadbed thickness down to the 1/8" cork which is under my spurs and yard tracks. The 1/8" cork is sold in rolls at craft stores such as Hobby Lobby. Jim
This is also my ticket to remove that rough edge. With a light touch, it has been working out just fine for 9 different layouts in the last 40 years.
I prefer to sand the rough edge of cork with a sanding block with course sand paper or a course sanding sponge like used for drywall mud.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983