My hardboard splines are snapping like matchsticks when I bend them. Test bends done during the warmer months went down to 18" or better. Today it's a challenge to get down to 28" or so.
Anybody got a proven technique for hydrating them?
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In a bathtub underwater with some bricks to hold them down?
But I suspect your splines may be too long?
Maybe wrap a loose bundle in bath towels and wet it down?
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
What are you using for hardboard, Carl? I don't have spline roadbed, but used 1/8" Masonite for the layout fascia, and some of it was bent down to an 8" radius without difficulty, albeit in a more humid environment. Mike's suggestions are certainly worth trying.
Wayne
How wide are you cutting your spline? If you're using Masonite, which comes in two different varieties; tempered and non-tempered, I don't think you can get by with bending the non-tempered stuff if it's cut less than about 1" wide.
Splines are 1", 0.2" thick. I think it's tempered. It's shiny on both sides.
I've got about 40 feet of it already built on a lower level of the layout at the same radius i'm working on now. I had a few snaps last time (maybe 10%), but this time they are all snapping.
I'm thinking of putting a humidifier in the train room for the week and trying again next weekend. Either that or I'm joining the plywood and jig saw club.
I believe that moisture, but also age, may be the problem, Carl. As wood ages, and even keeps about 50-60% moisture, it still hardens because resins in them harden.
I know that making snowshoes and wooden canoe strips requires soaking the wood for 24 hours, boiling them for an hour or more, and then forming them around a jig or form. I doubt you need to do anything quite so involved, but fresher cuts of wood holding at least twice as much moisture will go a long way to solving your problems.
If it matters at all, I used 1/4" MDF in 15/16" wide by 8 foot strips, all cut from one 4X8 sheet. They bent with no problems, but they never had to bend tighter than 24".
cacole How wide are you cutting your spline? If you're using Masonite, which comes in two different varieties; tempered and non-tempered, I don't think you can get by with bending the non-tempered stuff if it's cut less than about 1" wide.
I used the non-tempered version to do my fascia, and it bends just fine:
I, too, thought that the tempered stuff would be more pliable, but according to the staff at the lumberyard where I purchase most of my wood, the "tempering" refers only to the surface hardness. I used it atop several workbenches and it seems to stand up very well.
carl425Anybody got a proven technique for hydrating them?
While not a "proven" technique, you could get a length of 4" PVC sewer & drain pipe and cement a cap on one end, put your lenghts of spline in and maybe a wet sponge or two, then just lightly press a cap on the other. Might make a good cigar humidor, too!
http://www.homedepot.com/p/JM-eagle-4-in-x-10-ft-PVC-Sewer-and-Drain-Pipe-1610/202280933?N=5yc1vZbv13
(Don't get the perforated )
http://www.homedepot.com/p/NDS-4-in-Styrene-Drain-Cap-in-White-406/100377411
Put some of your already broken pieces in there and check them after a few hours as a test. Being hardboard you sure don't want them to get too soggy.
Are your splines 8 feet? the FD pipe is sold in 10 foot lengths. Plenty long enough.
If you don't want to go 4" you could get maybe 2" PVC conduit and still use pipe caps on the ends. You can use a threaded clean-out adapter as well but that might be overkill.
Schedule 40 DWV pipe is heavier and more expensive. Field drain (white or green) goes for about $9.00 a length around here.
Might be worth a try. You might want to stack them with spacers to allow the moist air to circulate around the pieces.
Ed
selectorI believe that moisture, but also age, may be the problem
I think this may be the answer. I tried misting a few with a spray bottle and let the moisture soak in for a while. It seems that this might have made the problem worse. It certainly didn't get better.
What are the advantages of spline vs. the much easier methods of building subroadbed?
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
riogrande5761 What are the advantages of spline vs. the much easier methods of building subroadbed?
The splines create beautiful flowing curves with natural easments.
Try bending them slowly. Use a form to get to your radius and bend them part way and use some weight to hold them in position. The next day bend them some more. and continue until you get to the radius you want. Your snaping will stop.
If you have a table saw, or can find someone who let you use their's, cut some 3/4 inch pine to 3/16" thick. That's all I've used for years, and the only breaks have come where there are knots.
billslake If you have a table saw, or can find someone who let you use their's, cut some 3/4 inch pine to 3/16" thick. That's all I've used for years, and the only breaks have come where there are knots.
I tried that on the layout I built in the early 90's. As you say, they snapped at the knots, but I also found the curve to be non-uniform due the changing grain patterns.
carl425 billslake If you have a table saw, or can find someone who let you use their's, cut some 3/4 inch pine to 3/16" thick. That's all I've used for years, and the only breaks have come where there are knots. I tried that on the layout I built in the early 90's. As you say, they snapped at the knots, but I also found the curve to be non-uniform due the changing grain patterns.
For pine spline you need to start w/ clear pine (D select or C or better), some select pine can be ripped and used, but you will find that variation of the graining.
The tempered masonite must be rather old or has dried out due to conditions. You could humidify, wet/ soak or steam, however, is all that work worth it? Cut new splines from 1/4 untempered.
Wood or masonite spline subroadbed provides an extremely strong subroadbed that sweeps into turns easily. Other advantage, especially for those concerned w/ excessive noise, the spline suppresses vibration and lessens the transmission to the benchwork. Capped w/ 1/4" clear pine roadbed privides an excellent base for handlaid track. Ties glue down and takes spikes easily.
For masonite spline, bevel the 2 outer sections for ballast profile. No roadbed needed.
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