|
Search
You searched for the word(s): userid:196254
The amount of sanding required is determined by the condition of the track to start with. My track had already suffered from years of cleaning with all kinds of abrasive products. Brand new track may not even require the sanding step at if it appears to be smooth and free of scratches. Use a good magnifying glass and inspect the railhead (look at my earlier pictures) - you'd be surprised how rough good looking track really is ! All those scratches and pits are where dirt and gunk can accumulate
No, the masonite is actually rather "soft" on the rails - there's no abrasiveness to masonite. The final polish is more as a protectant. As per the instructions on most metal polishes .... they "clean, polish and protect". When this whole concept first came to light, like a lot of other folks, I was skeptical at best .... especially considering the amount of work to do my whole layout following every recommended step. But I gotta tell ya - having taken the plunge - progressively
[quote user="PRR_in_AZ"] Yep, I'll probably go pick some up. I'll do the gleam on the helix and then add the clipper oil when I'm done. Sally's (good call) I would have never thought of that. Chris [/quote] .... And then you'll be right back to having to regularly clean your track again. The whole concept is to get your rails smooth, clean and DRY. Think about it - sure the hair clipper oil and all those other track cleaning fluids work, but they aren't a cure. You
Sorry guys - I didn't mean the off-handed comment about starting an argument - it was more of a throw back from all the arguments this topic created in the early years of this technique and I didn't want to start it all back up again. John - How often do you have to apply the oil to keep things running smoothly ? Also, do you ever have to actually clean your track (alcohol / thinners) by hand ? Before I went through the process on my layout, I tried most every process known. I have a lot
Chris - My track was painted and weathered years prior to actually discovering the process. You could burnish your rails either before or after. If you do it before you paint your rails, you'll probably have to do another final polish after you weather your rail as the thinners you use to remove the excess paint from the railhead (don't forget the inside edge of the railhead as well) will also remove the protective coating of the polish. Mark.
I just checked out that No-Ox .... http://www.sanchem.com/ox.html Based on what I'm reading, it doesn't sound as though the stuff is electrically conductive. If you are going to give it a try, only do a short section, and don't allow your train to spread it around the whole layout until you are certain of it's performance. It doesn't really sound like the kind of product we are looking for here. Mark.
Doing that helix is going to be a real bear ! Keep in mind, that when you're burnishing with your stainless steel washer, it's not just a matter of briskly rubbing it over the rails ! To properly burnish the rail requires a fair bit of pressure. The stainless steel is a harder metal than the rail - what you are doing is literally melding the rail smooth. As you're progressing, you'll feel the surface of the rail begin to smooth out - you can feel the difference. You need to really
I may be too late with this recommendation, but if your track is relatively new - don't start sanding the railheads with 600 grit paper ! The idea is to progressively sand the rails to smooth out all the original nicks and scratches. If the rail is reasonably new to start with, it should be relatively smooth to start with. What you are doing is starting with the coasest paper needed to remove the existing pits and scratch marks. Some people might need to start with 800 grit if the track is old
The term "gleaming" seems to have gotten mis-understood. The term was originally coined for the burnishing process, not the polishing process which is done AFTER the rails have been burnished. Do a search for "gleam" and you will get the answers you need. I burnished my track nearly five years ago and haven't needed to clean it since. Once in a while I'll run a couple masonite pad cars to clean off the dust as my layout only gets run maybe once a month. Mark.
[quote user="Magnum019"] There was a Custom Built P42a that sold for 283.00 on Ebay which was very well done, may have a Youtube feature on it as their was a small Video on how the lighting system functioned. This person had it DCC equipped, Headlight, Ditch light and operating Red lights just above the Headlight. Correction, He had it on his Photobucket. Magnum [/quote] Thanks ! - That was MY engine ! Athearn did a couple short runs of the VIA engine in six different numbers. There were
|
By signing up I may also receive reader surveys and occasional special offers from Trains.com. We don't sell,
rent, or trade our e-mail lists.
|