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Alcoholic ballast
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[quote]QUOTE: <i>Originally posted by olequa</i> <br /><br />I had stated in another thread that I was experimenting with a technique for gluing ballast that requires no prewetting. It uses a mixture of alcohol and matte medium, applied directly to dry ballast with an eye dropper. I said that the ratio of alcohol to mm was about 8:1. I have to amend that based on further tests. I found that I got an optimum mix using 3 tablespoons of alcohol (I used denatured) to 1/2 teaspoon of mm, which I believe works out to 18:1. This results in a very watery mix that quickly soaks in. I had tried a thicker mix but that sat on the surface and when dry it produced a result that looked like a load of potash had wrecked on the layout. <br /> <br />Since no prewetting is required the ballast goes down very quickly. Just spread it and glue it. You don't have to be too careful with the dropper either. <br />I find that the thin mix results in a ballast bed that is well glued but remains flexible, it is rubbery because of the matte medium. This may reduce the amount of wheel noise transmitted down to the benchwork. Conventionally glued ballast ends up rock hard. The best part is that the ballast looks like nothing has been applied to it. This is in sharp contrast to the exposed aggregate concrete look that I get from conventional gluing techniques. <br /> <br />Drawbacks are that mm is expensive, but since only about a 1/2 teaspoon is used per foot or so, a little goes a long way. Also I'm told that mm, once cured, will not dissolve with water, so trackwork cannot easily be salvaged. Others point out that it will dissolve with alcohol. This technique does use a lot of alcohol. It may be possible to use white or yellow carpenter's glue instead of mm. But mm dries perfectly flat and that is an advantage. <br /> <br />george <br />[/quote]Been doing it that way for years. White glue works good at about 10:1 but dries hard as a brick. Alcohol is pretty cheap at Walmart.. Fred
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