Raised on the Erie Lackawanna Mainline- Supt. of the Black River Transfer & Terminal R.R.
Howdy Subman!
I've used latex caulk as an adhesive to put down sheets of thin cork to my plywood sub-roadbed.
This staging/freight yard has been down since October 2006 and have had no problems. When I have to remove a section I just use a putty knife to get between the cork and the plywood. Most times this thin cork is not salvageable after pulling up when using adhesives.(See images below)
Transition from traditional HO cork roadbed (yard lead track) to the thin cork....
Getting ready to set up the tracks on the the thin cork sheets...
You can view more similar images on my Photo Gallery III page.
Never tried the staple method, but I would think you would get a bubble up effect with using staples.
Ryan BoudreauxThe Piedmont Division Modeling The Southern Railway, Norfolk & Western & Norfolk Southern in HO during the merger eraCajun Chef Ryan
Thanks all for the help. I tried some 30 carpet and flooring stores in the Tampa area before I found a Home Depot that had an open 50 foot roll that would cut a 7x4 foot piece for me for 65 cents a square foot. One store had 2x4 sheets but they were dried out.
Bob D As long as you surface as many times as you dive you`ll be alive to read these posts.
subman What do you use to fasten large pieces of 1/4" sheet cork to plywood?
What do you use to fasten large pieces of 1/4" sheet cork to plywood?
What is the surface you are attaching to ? If plywood liquid nail will work fine. If foam the liquid nail may eat up the foam. If it is foam you can use latex caulk or silicaone caulk.Of course small nails always work.
The only time I ever did this I used a contact cement which I had around from another (non-railroad) project; it worked but in reading Arjay1969's response he probably has a better idea than gluing.
From the far, far reaches of the wild, wild west I am: rtpoteet
If you ever want to change (remove) the cork, you don't really want to glue it down. If that's the case, the best way I've found is to use a hand-operated (non-electric, pneumatic, etc) staple gun. The cheapie staple guns will leave the staple sticking out a little bit, but that's a good thing. Then you simply tap the staples down with a tack hammer so that they are flush with the surface. Power staplers will tend to dimple the cork, which can lead to uneven track.
If changing the track configuration later doesn't matter, then any sort of adhesive will work...just make sure to put weight on the cork to keep it flat while it's drying/curing/setting.
Robert Beaty
The Laughing Hippie
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The CF-7...a waste of a perfectly good F-unit!
Then it comes to be that the soothing light at the
end of your tunnel, Was just a freight train coming
your way. -Metallica, No Leaf Clover
How large in width? I use thumb tacks and weighted objects like books, or a box of screws.
As to your question I recommend using Latex Liquid Nails. Apply the Liquid Nails with a trowl used for floor tile cement. Then apply the cork from one end making sure it is completely in contact with the cement and plywood. Stack some heavy items over the area until the Liquid Nails is dry.
Using this method the cork won't be able to be removed though. If you are planning to change anything I would use 3/8ths inch number 20 wire nails.