I need to attach some etched tread plate to a diesel walkway.
Any hints as to which adhesive to use that won't seep up and block the holes in the etching?
And if someone might have a link to a youtube video showing the process, I'd appreciate if you could share.
Thanks
Hello,
While I haven't personally 'upgraded' any of my diesel walkway treads I might have a possible solution to your dilemma. I suggest double-stick tape.
Tape Double stick by Edmund, on Flickr
Here in 'cold country' we use a lot of those shrink-seal window treatments and these kits come with some great and handy double stick tape with a backing. I find dozens of uses for it on the layout. Scotch also has a double stick tape in rolls but it doesn't quite have as strong of a hold, plus without the backing it can be more tedious to work with.
I did a little trial with some very fine woven brass screening I have just to try the idea out.
Tape Screen Walkway by Edmund, on Flickr
I applied a short length of the tape in place then trimmed it a little. Removing the backing takes a little patience, and the tip of a #11 X-acto blade.
Tape Screen Demo by Edmund, on Flickr
Here it is pressed into place on my 'donor' SW-7. A little light painting and Dullcoat will blend the tape right in. Go very light on the paint as the solvents might loosen the bond of the tape.
Usually we shop for these window kits 'off season' and find them for less than half price. The tape alone is worth it. I imagine you can find similar tape at Amazon and the like.
Good Luck, Ed
Thanks. I think I have some of that tape and might try a practice piece.
Have you ever tried Barge cement? I've heard of some folks using that for this application, but I'm wondering if it can be spread thinly enough.
maxmanHave you ever tried Barge cement?
I had a tube of Barge Cement kicking around for a while. I recall thinking that it should be named Garbage Scow cement. The trouble with any of those types of contact cements (Goo, Pliobond, 3M Weatherstrip adhesive, etc.) is that by the time you're done making the final application the stuff you put down first has already 'flashed off' and won't stick any more.
Lately I've been using PVA, AKA Canopy Cement for many tasks (grab irons, especially) but I think this would be too thin and not tacky enough for the walkway tread.
Hope you have good luck with the tape. There is some stuff out there that is extremely tacky and it will stick for ever.
https://a.co/d/0224UmQx
I bought some of the stuff linked above and it is super strong stuff!
Any 'contact cement' you would use for this would have to be applied thinned (using a suitable solvent that won't damage anything including health) and then 're-activated' with a very little solvent just at the time the walkway plate is applied. If you have a 'heat gun' with suitably fine nozzle, or an adjustable soldering iron with fine clean tip, you could reactivate the surface 'tack' for at least some kinds of adhesive with applied heat or hot air. Not a lot of heat, just enough to bring up the stickiness...
Next Amazon order I'll look into getting what Ed suggested.
Heat gun? I don't think so, Tim. I'd end up with etching firmly adhered to a lump of plastic.
And looking at the Barge cement instructions, no heat is necessary. I might try that also. I think Hobby Lobby sells it.
I recently had an etched plate come off the underside of an Athearn Genesis diesel. Even though it was on the underside of the loco and could not be seen, I still wanted a clean fix. I used Aleene's Tacky Glue, applied with the tip of a needle all around the edges. It dried firmly and clear, so no one could even see the repair.
Rich
Alton Junction
My concern with those type cements is that they might detach during painting.
maxman My concern with those type cements is that they might detach during painting.
I chipped off a piece of tail light on my car, bumping a 2x4 into it. I tacky glued it on and it held on for nearly five years before it fell off somewhere.
I figure if it can survive the rigors of the temperature swings, car washes, and whatever else gets thrown at a car for five years...
My concern with PVA and 'tacky', canopy cement, etc. is that these all involve a relatively thick liquid layer, and that at least some capillary action will 'wick' the surface of the adhesive layer up into the etch or fine detail -- which was, I believe, his stated concern.
The same problem would exist for any unthinned cyanoacrylate, which if it could be applied as a thin layer and kept un-crosslinked until the piece could be applied and clamped would otherwise have fairly good characteristics for what's needed. I wonder if application could be kept only to the 'edges' as mentioned above for Aileen's...
I had been ASSuming that the job requires a detail panel to be glued over an existing molded surface. If 'standoffs' of very thin sheet or wire could be provided at "prototype" size and spacing, perhaps the material could be applied as mentioned in the last post, with adhesive only at edges and contact points.
No, not an existing molded surface.
Those of us that whine about the need for undecorated locos need to re-evaluate our desires. That's what I purchased. I was originally concerned about what I would need to mask for painting. Foolish me.
The model was undecorated, or rather the shell was. However, ALL of the detail parts were contained in little plastic bags. Other than a typical exploded view drawing (in small print) there were not any assembly instructions.
Im already starting to appreciate the patient little fingers that assemble these things in foreign lands.
Overmod My concern with PVA and 'tacky', canopy cement, etc. is that these all involve a relatively thick liquid layer, and that at least some capillary action will 'wick' the surface of the adhesive layer up into the etch or fine detail -- which was, I believe, his stated concern. The same problem would exist for any unthinned cyanoacrylate, which if it could be applied as a thin layer and kept un-crosslinked until the piece could be applied and clamped would otherwise have fairly good characteristics for what's needed. I wonder if application could be kept only to the 'edges' as mentioned above for Aileen's...
richhotrainI put on an Optivisor to get a close up look, then applied the Tacky Glue with a needle point just around the edges of the etched piece.
For those who don't think they have enough 'manual dexterity' to do this, you could use one of those 'third hand' stands to hold the bottle+needle in alignment close to the necessary work height, and shift it around as needed under the Optivisor (or even a magnifier lamp!) to put spots or thin lines of glue 'where needed'. This kind of glue will have the necessary 'extended working time' to permit all sorts of careful, painstaking application, and perhaps even repeated instances of fumble-fingered misapplication and blotting, before the actual piece needs to be brought in and positioned for final alignment.
I confess I haven't used a typical Optivisor because my eyes are really, really myopic -- not sure you can adjust them easily to keep the whole area of work in focus. I use a Keeler operating microscope inherited from my father, which so far I find does the jobs I need it to do -- those of you who like the idea might be able to find one on eBay or even Craigslist from a family that no longer needs the thing for ophthalmic surgery.
maxmanThe model was undecorated, or rather the shell was. However, ALL of the detail parts were contained in little plastic bags. Other than a typical exploded view drawing (in small print) there were not any assembly instructions.
Scale Trains?
NittanyLion maxman The model was undecorated, or rather the shell was. However, ALL of the detail parts were contained in little plastic bags. Other than a typical exploded view drawing (in small print) there were not any assembly instructions. Scale Trains?
maxman
No. Rapido.