Gluing weights to freight car floors-safely

[Anonymous]

What is a good adhesive that will keep the steel weights included with car kits attached to the floor/underbody, with a lot af shear and shock strength, and without razing or distorting the plastic car underbody/floor?

Thanks,
Christopher

[ericsp]

I use Walthers's Goo.

[darth9x9]

Two part expoy will fit the bill. Just wait a full 24 hours before enclosing them (ie putting box car top on).

You could use Walthers Goo but I would wait a full two weeks (yes, 14 days) to let it cure.

Others have found double sided tape to work well too.

[Anonymous]

Walther's Goo is good for steel nut type weights, but with the sheet-type weights it can cause styrene floors to warp over time. Epoxy or RPV is a better choice for sheet weights.

[cacole]

Goop, silicon caulking, or any type of silicon adhesive works well, but drying time is required before you turn the model upside down. I read somewhere on one of these forums that Walthers Goo will cause plastic floors to warp over time, so it is not really a good choice.

[Anonymous]

Could you safely use PVC pipe glue or contact cement?

[darth9x9]

Definitely not PVC cement!!!

[Hawks05]

i used poster puddy for 2 hoppers and a boxcar. otherwise i use Goo for everything else. usually i don't glue the weights down though.

[dharmon]

Double sided tape.

[dehusman]

Adhesive caulk, preferably paintable latex, not silicone.

Dave H.

[Anonymous]

The directions for my P2K stock cars say to glue the weight to the floor using Rubber Cement, hopefully this doesn't dissolve or warp styrene?

[CBQ_Guy]

QUOTE: Originally posted by cjm89

The directions for my P2K stock cars say to glue the weight to the floor using Rubber Cement, hopefully this doesn't dissolve or warp styrene?

Dhris,

My understanding is that rubber cement is sort of a weak form of contact cement so I guess it would work, though I've never tried it. You could /should be able to use contact cement if you use the water type(non-solvent type), I forget what it's called now since I haven't bought any tubes in years, but I picked it up at a K-Mart store, IIRC.

For small weights I've been using Goo, but inside of covered hoppers, for example, I've been using silicone caulk with no problems.

Take care,

[mondotrains]

Hi,
I like to use inexpensive solutions that work fine in this hobby. I've been using "Tacky Glue", available at craft stores like Michael's and Joanne Fabrics, for only 99 cents for a large plastic bottle. It is great for glueing dissimilar materials like the metal weights and plastic floors. And, it does not attack plastic. It takes some time to dry, like overnight, but again is very inexpensive.

As far as adding more weight to rolling stock, I glue pennies to the inside of the car floor, near the end where they won't show. The nice thing about pennies is that they are cheaper than the lead weights available at hobby shops and they are made of harmless copper rather than lead. They are also nice because just a few can get cars up to the proper weight.

Hope this helps.
Mondo