rec.models.railroad Fortnightly FAQ (TECHNIQUE - PART 2 of 2)
David Haynes
| REC.MODEL.RAILROADS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS LIST |
| TECHNIQUES |
| (PART 2 of 2) |
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Editor: David Haynes (da...@sequent.com)
Founding Editor: Ralph Marshall
All contributions and corrections are welcome and should be emailed to
da...@sequent.com or uunet!sequent!david.
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Building and Other Model Construction Techniques
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GLUEING, STYRENE
I'm installing a bridge on my layout and am having some difficulty glueing
the styrene bridge piers (back and bottom) to the wood base. Any and all
suggestions would be most welcome.
Walther's Goo seems to be a good all around adhesive. Be sure you don't
use too much, cause Goo will warp plastic and remember that it dries in
a deep orange color, so you may have to paint it after it dries up.
...
I have used a "white mastic" type glue for this type of thing. I forget
the brand, but you can buy it at Color Tile. The things I like about it,
are that:
1) you only need a TINY drop (like cyanoacrilate glue), and
2) it dries milky-clear.
LASER CUTTING
While thumbing through RMC and MR I noticed a marked increase in the number of
craftsman kits that now include "laser cut" parts and it occured to me that I
don't really know what this means. Yes...I do know that it means a laser is
used in some fashion to cut to very exact sizes, but what technology is being
used? For example, is the laser mounted in a plotter head? Is it 2-D mirror
controlled? Does it cut multiple goods at once? Is it driven from some
CAD system?
For a change this is something I can talk about without going to a
book for reference. For the past several years I have worked on
using lasers for manufacturing in the electronics industry. I can
tell you that they are probably using a CO2 or Nd:YAG laser which
is focused to a fine point at the part to be cut. Both emit light
in the infrared part of the spectrum and cut by heating the material
to boiling point and evaporating or melting through.
There are two methods used to cut the pattern, either the laser beam
is moved using mirrors or the part is moved using a X-Y positioning
table. The choice depends on the cutting speed and the area to be
covered. Directing the laser by mirrors is very fast but has a
limited work area. Probably the second method is used where a large
x/y motion table is used.
This system has the advantage that a large sheet could be put in the
machine and multiple parts cut from the one sheet unattended. The
pattern is almost certainly designed on a CAD system and downloaded
to the laser cutting workstation. The X/Y table is then computer
driven based on the CAD drawing.
It may be possible to cut multiple layers at once but the possibility
of debris from the cutting process depositing on the other layers
might discourage its use. The other drawback to multiple layer
cutting is that the layer the laser is focused on would have the best
cut, the other layers would have cuts of lesser quality. It all
depends on the quality and look the manufacturer wants in the finished
parts.
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Painting Techniques
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ACCUFLEX
What should I know about Accu-Flex paints?
I managed to track down some Accu-Flex at the Train Shop in Santa
Clara, CA. on a recent trip, and used it to paint a Rail Power Products
Dash 8-40CW cab last weekend. I sort of made the exercise a torture
test, mostly to see what I could do or not do with Accu-Flex. First of
all, I had never painted anything with an airbrush other than sheets of
styrene while fooling around -- the cab was the first "real" model I've
airbrushed. I sprayed the Accu-Flex unthinned from a Badger
single-action, internal mix airbrush, running off a borrowed Badger
compressor (thanks, Dave!). The Accu-Flex bottles attach directly to
the airbrush -- no pouring paint back and forth. I sprayed UP Armour
Yellow with good results -- the paint covered well and I was able to
achieve good coverage in a single session. Even on a small item like
the cab, I was able to spray the sides and work back to the beginning
to spray over the initial pass because the paint set very quickly --
multiple passes with no runs. I waited about two hours and masked the
cab with 3M Magic Tape (I said it was a torture test :-). I sprayed
the UP Gray over the yellow and got good coverage over the first color
coat. I peeled the tape as soon as I capped the paint and washed out
the airbrush.
I wound up with a small parting line on one portion of the cab, but
that was because I sprayed twoards the tape boundary instead of over
it. Othere than that, I couldn't see any parting line with the naked
eye, and none of the cast-in detail was obscured at all. I did get
some spatter in the yellow, which I attributed to low air pressure.
SInce the biggest objection to Accu-Flex seems to be that you can't
take it off once it's on, I called Badger's marketing department to see
what they recommended. Badger referred me to the guy they bought the
paint from, so I called the manufacturer (a guy named Greg Konrad).
Mr. Konrad was very helpful, suggesting a mixture of two to three
ounces of liquid Spic and Span mixed with about an ounce of ammonia in
warm water. Let the part sit for 5 - 10 minutes and scrub off the
paint. This mixture worked very well -- I scrubbed the paint off the
cab with an old soft toothbrush. Paint removal was good, although
there was a small amount of color left around some of the raised
details. I don't expect it to be a problem because of the thinness of
the original coat. Mr. Konrad also said that he recommended spraying
with a single action, internal mix airbruah, using 30 PSI, at about 4 -
5" from the surface, a recommendation echoed in the Model Railroading
review.
This means there's a problem using the normal hobby compressor, because
most of them only operate at around 20 PSI, and you really need the
higher pressure -- Mr. Konrad's quote was "water is heavy, you really
need to push it." I expect that could cause problems for a lot of
folks, but I'm using an airtank with a filter and regulator for now,
with a shop-size compressor to follow. (I'd rather spend the extra
money and get full shop air for tools, etc. than invest $150 in
something I can really only use for airbrushing.)
Bottom line? It looks like great stuff to me. A beginner (me) put it
on easily and effectively while just about trying to make a mess of
it. It doesn't smell, the vapors won't cause bad things to happen to
your liver or bone marrow, and cleanup is soap and water. You still
should probably use a spray booth (to keep overspray and airborne dust
and crud off the model), and a filter mask (to keep overspray and crud
out of your lungs). I don't know what the professional and semi-pro
folks will think of it, and I don't know what the availability will be
like (it took a while for SMP Accu-Paint to be a regularly stocked
item). I'll be happy if I can find it on a regular basis so I can
skip the solvent-based stuff, or messing with water and Photo-Flo with
the Polly-S paint.
ACCUFLEX, AIRBRUSH
After numerous applications using different air pressures with my Paasche
model H (single action brush) the best finish that I could achieve [with
Accu-Flex paint] was a slight semigloss white finish on the side of my HO
scale 48' A-line intermodal container. What went wrong?
I had the same problem when I tried at < 30psi, or had the needle
pulled back in the position I use for Floquil or Scalecoat in my
single action airbrush. When I reduced the flow *a lot*, things
started improving. When I pushed the needle so far forward I couldn't
believe any paint could get through, sure enough, it did, and it
worked amazingly well. The stuff likes to be sprayed amazingly thin,
and is amazingly opaque. Thicker and it really glops up. I soaked a
ruined paint job in brake fluid until I got it off, and tried again
-- and got it right. I see why the reviews caution against double
action airbrushes--the normal range of motion is way too large. 1/4
or less of the needle's travel is all you'd need, but that's too hard
to control. I expect badger will be coming out with a "small movement"
double action brush soon...
I got some on my fingers, and unlike floquil, it took a week to wear
off.
I also like handpainting with the stuff. the stuff thins like
watercolors, but is much more opaque. In full concentration, it flows
as well as floquil and dries much faster. It mixes predictably, but
you have to be quick or it'll dry out on your palette. About 30%
water slows it down enough to be more usable, without thinning it so
much that it runs when brushing. It's weird to spray thicker paint
than handbrush... the thing I haven't figured out yet is how to
drybrush -- it dries on the brush before I can use it. I bet there
are some new tricks I can do for which watercolors are too thin.
The things I like most is the lack of noxious chemicals (it does smell,
but compared to any other paint I've used, negligable), water cleanup,
(be quick or it'll paint the inside of your airbrush!!) how fast it
dries enough to be handled, and how thin an opaque coat can be. What
I don't like are the problems created by how fast it dries, and the
absense of certain colors I have come to expect in floquil: metalics,
depot buff, roof brown, boxcar red (they must...but what's it called?)
I too have a big compressor (I recently used it to wetsand the bottom
of a sailboat--no electric sanders for that job!) so I don't mind the
high pressure requirement.
...
Well, I posted a quickie about a month or so ago, and my experience was
also negative, BUT after playing a bit more, I've changed my mind.
My main problem with my first experience was too little pressure (about
25 psi... where I spray Scalecoat...). It caused the stuff to dry
*really* fast... I found myself "blipping the throttle" while turning
the loco around, to keep from clogging. This was with the "Light
Tuscan Oxide" color.
The second experience was with "DM&IR Maroon". I bumped up the pressure
to 35psi, and it sprayed better, but still not well. I did like the
finish much better this time, though.
The third experience was last night with the DM&IR maroon again. I
decided to give it the "best possible conditions"... aka I completely
diassembled the brush and cleaned it before use. It had months of
scum built up, as I expected. This time I also followed a friend's
advice by painting a very thin coat before the main coat. This is
because the paint will tend to run more than most. This is caused by
the fact that it's not etching the plastic. With the dry coat, you can
lay a slightly heavier color coat. It should be noted that by the time
you're done shooting the light coat, it's dry on the first side, and
you can carry on.
My fourth experience was a brush-painting of some details with white.
This is what blew my mind. The paint is incredibly thin to work with,
yet it covers like nobody's business. It is in this use that I wouldn't
recommend anything else.
--Overview--
My experiences have been increasingly good. Basically it's a need to
modify old techniques to use with the new paint. The pressure *must*
be at about 35, and it's probably not a good idea to paint at less
than room temperature (water-base paint would probably be more delicate
with temperature.)
Cleaning is a little more of a problem, it takes more time. BUT, you
are NOT spending this time playing with toxic, flammable chemicals.
Also, the neatest thing is that by the time you are done cleaning, you
can pick the models up and go upstairs... they're dry enough to handle
within 5 mins.
Remember, this is coming from the writer of the R.M.RR FAQ's brass
painting guide!
...
This may or may not apply to you also. A local modeller was having a
similar problem with the paint and contacted Badger. Seems some early
batches of paint slipped out that were too thick and need to be thinned
up to 30% with water. The difference can be noticed when shaking. If
if it sounds like Accupaint (or floquil, etc.), then you don't need to
worry. However, if it sounds like you're shaking a bottle of syrup,
try thinning it. I had two bottles (primer and antique white) that
needed thinning and worked great afterwards. Again, this may not apply
to you.
AIR COMPRESSORS
What should I know about air compressors?
Getting one with an airtank attached is preferable otherwise you'll
be running it continually. I recommend whatever one you get has a
bleed-off relief valve.
Regardless of what you buy get an oil/moisture filter/trap and a
regulator. Air pressure will vary from airbrush to airbrush; medium
used; viscosity; and, temperature and humidty factors present when
spraying.
...
My personal preference is to pump the air tank up to about 50psi then
bleed it off at 8-25psi as required. It helps to have the water trap as
close to the airbrush as possible. A hose about 6 feet long from the
tank to the water trap, air filter and regulator, then the thin hose
to the airbrush. It is advisable to have two pressure gauges, one
showing the pressure in the tank and the other showing the pressure
through the regulator.
You might like to see Airbrushing For Model Railroaders (I think it's
Kalambach Video).
PAINTING BRASS
How do I paint this $1,200 brass model I just purchased?
Well, being handy with an airbrush is the "only" place to start
playing with brass... if you don't already have some experience...
practice airbrushing on some less-expensive (and less detailed) stuff.
My [Dennis Lippert] "system" for painting brass steam locos has always
been basically the following:
(1) Test-run the loco... to make sure it ran before you took it
apart(!). Check all of the valve gear and rods for loose screws,
tighening if found. It might even be a good idea to fully break-in the
loco before putting it through the "trauma" of disassembly.
(2) Disassmble as follows: remove lead & trailing trucks. Detach the
boiler from the frame. Install the weight (if it was just wrapped up
and sittiing in the box). Remove the trucks and couplers from the
tender, and remove its body from the frame also. If the smokebox
front is removeable, you might want to take it off also. This *should*
be all the disassembly that will be necessary.
(3) Inspect the model. Fix anything broken, and check out the factory
clear-coat lacquer. If the lacquer seems to be smooth and isn't
chipping off, use it as a primer for your paint. If the lacquer is no
good, strip the loco (I use ScaleCoat's stripper).
(4) Wash the loco with soap and "water as hot as you can stand". This
is to make the surface clean so the paint will stick better. Don't
worry about getting the motor/drive wet. As long as it dries
completely before putting power to it, it will be OK. Let the model
dry for at least a few hours, preferably overnight. After washing the
parts, always wash your hands before touching the model (or better
yet, wear rubber gloves).
(5) If the loco was stripped, it needs to be primed. I use a PPG
two-part epoxy primer (because a friend got it for me), code-named
DP400/DP401. You mix equal parts of the two bottles, let sit for 30
minutes, then thin with lacquer thinner and spray (it will only last a
couple weeks in the bottle after being mixed, so don't mix much). It
should be noted that Floquil's "primers" are basically just paint
colors with thicker pigment (for sanding). They DO NOT adhere to the
surface any better than the normal paints (this from a PPG paint
chemist who has "chemically dissected" them).
(6) Prepare your paint. I like Scalecoat II because of it's good
coverage and shiny surface. You get the best smoothness if the paint
is slightly on the thin side, rather than slightly thick. But just
*slightly*. (if Scalecoat is overthinned, it will chemically "fall
apart".
(7) Adjust the airbrush to spray a very small amount of paint. Our
first area of attack will be the chassis. Connect power leads to the
frame and the drawbar, and put about half-power to the chassis. Hold
it by the motor (assuming can motor), and spray all of the stuff
that's moving, from various angles. sit the chassis aside, upside
down, and leave it running for five to ten minutes (to make sure the
paint doesn't stick anything together when it dries.) Since the
airbrush is turned down right now, we can also spray the lead truck,
trailing truck, tender trucks, etc. Be sure to hit them from many
angles, and to roll them around while painting them. ( A skill in
itself... hitting a moving target! :-) Possibly the single biggest
trick in airbrushing brass is getting paint on everything that will be
seen (a bare spot under a detail on a black plastic loco looks like a
shadow... on brass it looks like someone forgot to paint it!)
(8) open the airbrush up to a "normal" spray pattern. Start to spray
any part (boiler, tender, etc.) Begin by spraying from obscure angles
around all details. Then come back and lay a smooth overcoat over the
entire area.
(9) once done with the main body parts, you can come back to the
chassis. Spray all non-moving parts with the "heavier" spray pattern.
Try to avoid spraying on the moving parts (since they're already
painted). Again, the motor is the nicest handle to hold with.
(10) Now you should notice that everything is painted (unless I missed
something). In the case of a PRR steamer, the boiler and tender body
should be brunswick green, the chassis components should all be black.
Take some time to look at all the parts from any angle that you can...
there WILL be bare spots somewhere (trust me!)
(11) Wait for things to dry. With Scalecoat I paint, this can take
days to quit being tacky. Suggestions to speed drying include:
-put it outside if it's a nice warm sunny day... in the sun.
-put it in front of a forced-air furnace (warm, dry air is good)
-bake it (I've never "baked" - don't look to me for suggestions
The best idea is to do one of the above to remove the tackyness, and
still let the parts sit for a week. This guarantees that everything is
dry and hard.
(12) prepare for next color(s). On most steamers this would include
graphite smokeboxes, Oxide red tender decks/cab roofs, etc. Check
your prototype! Mask carefully, but prepare yourself for the fact
that you *will* get overspray under the masking. Luckily, black is
easy to touch up. Always "overdo it" with metallic colors, and cover
up the overspray later. The metallics are incredibly hard to touch up
without it showing, so make sure everything that is to be metallic
gets sprayed the first time.
(13) Apply next color(s). Using a very low pressure (10-15 psi) to
keep overspray to a minimum. Remove masking as soon as you are done.
"Bake" again. [You can often do two or more "extra" colors at one
sitting... as long as they aren't too close to each other on the model
(overspray problems).]
(14) Clean paint from parts which must make electrical contact. These
include tender truck bolsters, wheel treads, drawbar, etc. with
lacquer thinner and Q-Tips. The engine drive wheels are easiest to
clean if you again run the chassis on a power pack.
(13) Reassemble the loco. After reassembly, do any kind of touch-up
work and details. (i.e. if you did a graphite smokebox, the railings,
etc. will also be graphite, so repaint them [black]).
(14) Dullcote the loco (or semi-gloss) after decaling. This will seal
the decals and give "an extra layer of protection" against chips.
(15) Weather the loco if you like, wrap it up, take it to the club,
and begin to brag. This is the most important step, as very few
people seem to realize that it takes more real effort to read this
message than it does to get a good paint job on a brass model!
Above all, follow these simple rules:
- have fun... painting your first couple of brass locos can be
stressful.
- take your time... it's not that important to get done today (or even
this week!).
- use a spray booth, rubber gloves, and possibly a respirator. A simple
mask won't help much... as the pigment is the least of your worries.
These may seem like overkill, but we are looking at a couple of hours
at the booth... much more time than, say, painting a freight car.
PAINTING, BRICK RED
What paint best matches red brick color?
Gee, I've been waiting to answer that question. I came upon the answer
right after I started getting back into model rr, a few years back.
Somewhere w-a-a-a-y-y back in my memory, which I believe I read when I
was about 12, says that the popular color for bricks (at least prior
to the last few years) was venetian red. And there is a color by that
name. (I think it's Polly-S, not Floquil) And just to show how well it
matches, I kitbashed a DPM bldg with some embossed & colored foam from,
I think, Heiki, that was brick, and the color matched *exactly*.
PAINTING, DIOSOL
I am soon to become a first-time user of Floquil paint. I realize that
Diosol is the required solvent for thinning, but is Diosol required for
cleaning brushes and airbrush, or can I use another solvent for the
clean-up work?
Why would you want to use something else? If it's cost you're worried
about, perhaps you're buying Diosol in those little tiny jars???? They
also sell it in larger metal cans and it is MUCH MUCH cheaper that way.
Hope this helps.
...
While the metal cans of Diosol are MUCH MUCH cheaper than buying the
little tiny jars, it still doesn't beat laquer thinner's price.
Diosol and laquer thinner are *similar* in composition, but because they
are not *exactly* alike, I suggest using only Diosol for thinning and
leave the laquer thinner for cleanup.
...
I use mineral spirits for cleaning up after most of my Floquil paints.
I have found that there are a few that just do not clean up well with
the mineral spirits, so I keep a can of Diosol handy for these colors.
I don't recall right off the top of my head which ones they are but
when I use them I sure do know which ones they are. Most (90%) of my
painting is done using Floquil paints with an air brush.
...
I would strongly suggest not getting laquer thinner anywhere near a
plastic model. The one time that I did this (accidentally), the
plastic instantly dissolved.
...
Courtesy of this newsgroup (I can't remember who suggested it, but
thanks), I now use Lacquer Thinner for cleanup after painting with
Floquil. It works just as well and is substantially cheaper even than
the big cans of DioSol. I try to soak the narrow passages of my
airbrush in the stuff for half an hour or so after using it for floquil
(or testors, etc). I use Diosol for thinning, and for cleanup when
brush painting (I keep a little jar for several sessions, until it's
too dirty to use). B.T.W. I never bought one of those tiny bottles
of diosol (I think 8 oz was my first size) and I still think it's too
expensive to use for cleanup.
You can get lacquer thinner anywhere you get paint, varnish, etc.
I'm mostly converted over to AccuFlex now, but still use Floquil or
Testors for drybrushing, metallics and a few other colors that are
missing from Badger's new line. Among its other good properties,
AccuFlex cleans up with water, which is so nice.
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Weathering Techniques
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WEATHERING, CHALKS
What tips can you give me when weathering with chalks?
About "fixing" the chalk in place. I use Testor's Dullcote in the
small spray can. I have heard several people say that they tried
different brands and settled on Dullcote -- I've never used anything
else.
About chalks disappearing when sprayed: I use a paintbrush loaded with
chalk and lightly drop the chalk onto the model where I want the
weathering. Then I go back and rub it into the paint. Usually, it's
stuck so well that it won't come off even if I wipe my finger over it.
When I spray it with Dullcote, I make sure to spray a light coat --
just enough to seal the chalk. I have noticed that the weathering is
minimized slightly, but it definitely doesn't disappear. My guess is
that if you don't rub the chalks in, the aerosol spray blows the chalk
off before the Dullcote can fix it to the model. I have noticed that
dark colored box cars tend to swallow up the chalk (make it invisible)
more than light colored cars. That's probably because of the smaller
contrast between the car color and the chalk color.
By the way, the chalks I use are "Sanford" brand and I use the set
called "Earth Tones". They are commonly available at art and craft
stores and cost $5-$6 (in Boise anyway). Another set that I know
people use is the set of gray shades.
...
Unless you're using very high pressure for spraying, it's
unlikely that the chalk weathering is being blown off. But you
are changing the reflective properties of the surface.
You need a rough surface to hold the chalk. You might try a
light spray of dullcote, delivered from farther away than
normal, so the spray is almost dry as it hits. You'll also want
to apply a normal coat of dullcote after you're done, to seal in
the chalk. Otherwise it'll rub off with handling. This final
coat will also change the appearance of your weathering. The
effect of chalk weathering is in large part due to the
micro-roughness of the chalk itself. (This has nothing to do
with the roughness of the surface previously mentioned. That was
just to get the chalk to stick.) When you seal in the
micro-roughness, even with a "flat" spray, you completely change
the reflective nature of the surface, and a lot of the
weathering effect disappears. This is very pronounced for
light-colored weathering on dark cars, and much less so for dark
weathering on light cars. When weathering boxcar red cars, I
have to make them look garish, almost cartoonish, with lots of
"extra" weathering so they look right after the seal coat.
Hint: eastern cars weather due to rain, soot and corrosion.
Western cars due to sun bleaching and abrasion. Thus eastern
cars tend to weather dark, and western cars light.
...
I have experimented, with some success, using ladies' cosmetic blushes
which seem to be a caked powder. They come in a wide variety of colors
[caution: some look somewhat metallic] and can be easily applied with
the applicator supplied or a Q-tip. This method is great for moderate
and subtle weathering.
If real heavy weathering is desired, I use weathering paints or
lacquers.
The beauty of powders or chalks is the ease of removing what you have
done if dissatisfied. However, the blushes, like most powders/chalks,
can seem to disappear if too heavily oversprayed with a clear
"fixative".
WEATHERING, DIRT
Any thoughts on how to simulate 3-D clumps of mud and dirt in HO scale?
I'm building the Walthers (Kibri, actually, I think) front end loader,
and I've never seen any such construction equipment without very large
clumps of dirt and mud on it, especially on the tires and scoop. Looking
at the numbers, realistic dirt should be noticeable, so I'd like to
simulate it.
Consider combinations of dry pastel (chalk-type) and paint. For
example, scrape the pastel with a knife to get lumpy stuff, then drop
it on wet paint.
...
This is just a quick idea; I've never used this one on anything but
scenery, but what about borrowing from the "bonded ballast" idea? If
you were to thin down some white glue, then spray? eye-drop? it onto
the equipment, then lightly sprinkle real dirt, let dry, maybe enough
would adhere to fit your purposes. Of course, this method might well
be too crude, but I have to put in the disclaimer that it's just off
the top of my head!
...
I just started experimenting with chalks and I'm really impressed. I
just bought an F7 A-B set and wanted to lightly weather them (that
recently washed look). I used black and brown chalks on the roof and
black, brown, and mustard colors on the sides (Union Pacific F7 with
gray roof and yellow sides). What I really like about chalk is that
it creates a subtle, road grime sort of look but has more variety and
brings out details better than a wash or a light overspray of paint.
It seems like darker chalks work better on light-colored paint and
medium or lighter-colored chalks for dark paint. If you look at
prototype box cars, they all look about the same color -- lighter
colors darken and dark colors lighten until they all have that
medium-dark grime look.
I still use paints to touch up the fans and exhaust stacks, and to
weather the trucks, fuel tank, etc.
...
The old "zip texturing" method makes *excellent* dirt, clumps and all.
Obtain some dry paint pigments at your favorite art store or find some
commercial zip texture kits at a train store. It's a little expensive,
but goes a long way. Get earth colors, of course.
Mix the paint pigment into some dry plaster - Hydrocal works very
nicely for this. Use the pigment sparingly; it's easy to add more
but kind of hard to get it out. Mix thoroughly.
Paint some water on the area to be made dirty and sift the plaster mix
over it. The plaster will absorb water and bond with the surface yet
will still maintain its fine texture. Put a little in a spoon, hold
the spoon over the dirt area and tap the side of the spoon - little
clumps will fall off the sppon. Maybe spritz a little water over
the area and add some more. Repeat until you like the looks.
If you want to make a nice dirt road, mix up some "water putty" to
a heavy cream consistency and gently pour it over the road area. It
has enough surface tension to form a raised area, yet stays nice and
smooth and flat. If you pre-wet the area, it will flow into smoother
edges. Sift some of the plaster mix over it for color and texture.
When it dries, lightly rub it with a Bright Boy to make smooth areas
where it was worn by tires.
Sometimes the old ideas and techniques are worth trying...
WEATHERING, TECHNIQUES
Any hints on wood weathering techniques?
I mostly use the Letraset felt pens. They come in a bunch of Pantone
colors. The M series are wide and work great. I have the warm gray
colors and most of the 40X, 41X, 42X,& 46X ones. My favorite one is
451. They dry fast so you can as you construct. They do smell like
marker pens though. In the latest NG&SL Gazette someone aged his wood
by toasting it. By pulling it out at different times you get board to
board variation. Makes the wood brittle though. They also once had an
article on the Letraset pen method but I don't remember the issue.
...
I use the same india ink and alcohol mixture to stain wood, and I
accidentally found a good way to make water stains when using this
mixture. I used some cyanocrylate (sp?) glue to attach some small
parts to a water tank I was making and it unknowingly wicked into the
wood. I didn't see this until I applied the ink and alcohol and it
caused the area of glue to simulate a water stain.
PAINTING, ROAD TIES
Is there an effective way to make Atlas' plastic ties look better? Has anyone
tried painting them, and if so, how did it work? Would any of the Floquill
colors be good for this purpose?
Almost any-ol' paint of the right color will do the job. My personal
favorite is Floquil Roof Brown. It's dead-flat, goes quite far if
thinned 50-50, and "just looks right to me". Just airbrush the rails
and ties... the nickel-silver rails are worse to look at than the
ties. Then clean it all off the railtops with a bright boy.
Why not Floquil "rail brown"?? IMHO it's way too light of a color...
closer to mud than oily OLD rust.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Track
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BALLAST, GLUEING
When handlaying track, how/when do you folks glue down the ballast?
Ballast is added in the same fashion for both handlaid and
prefabricated track. The roadbed is prepared and the track laid in
position using your favorite method before any ballast is added. The
method described below also works just as well for grass, dirt, etc.
in the rest of the layout.
There are several methods, but the basic idea is to spread the ballast
in place (I use a cheap 1" paintbrush to shape it), soak it with some
sort of wetting agent, and then flow a fixative into it. Variants
abound - this is a FAQ in the model railroading magazines as well, so
look there for alternatives.
The most common wetting agent is tap water with a drop or two of
standard dishwashing liquid added to cut the surface tension (the
water will just bead up otherwise and won't soak the ballast). This
can be sprayed on with a *fine* mister or carefully dripped on with an
eye dropper. The most common fixative is a 50-50 mixture of white
glue and water, again with a drop of detergent. This is dripped onto
the ballast and allowed to dry. All of the water will evaporate, so
the ballast should be as wet as possible without floating it away;
otherwise you may just glue down a top crust which will chip away
later.
...
1) Get a small paintbrush with loose bristles about the width of the
inside of the track.
2) Get a really fine grind, almost dust-like.
3) Mix up in a spray bottle half white glue and half water with a
little more glue than water.
4) Fill another spray bottle with water.
[Usually it is a good idea to add a drop of dishwashing detergent or
rubbing alcohol to the water to reduce the surface tension and allow
the water to penetrate the ballast better. Ed.]
5) Spray the grind with the water to compact it so when you apply glue &
water mixture it doesn't blow all over.
6) Spray with glue & water mix. Do small sections when doing track.
7) When doing gravel roads or grass, do large sections.
8) Take your time and be patient.
9) Have Fun!!!! 8^)
BALLAST, MATERIAL
Who makes good ballast material, and do you mix/combine several coarsenesses
or make it uniform?
Woodland Scenics is probably the most popular brand, but at least one
poster described it as looking like kitty litter; a bit harsh but not
far from the mark in my opinion. Their finest grade should be used by
N and HO scales, and it's really too coarse for N.
The other major source is actual rock. You can just walk outside if
you live in the area you model, you can try the local quarry or gravel
operation to see if you can get a small sample, or you can order it
from several operations which advertise in the model railroading
magazines. If you use real rock you must crush it, sift it to size,
and then remove any ferrous particles with a magnet.
Note that most real railroads use ballast that is available locally,
so the color of your ballast will differ based on the area modelled.
Most of it is a standard gray, but iron ore roads have a distinct
reddish hue, and RMC just finished a series about a marble quarrying
railroad which used marble chips!
TRACK, CODE
What does the "code" associated with track mean?
This is the height of the rail, expressed in thousandths of an inch.
Code 100 rail (common in HO) is 0.100 inches high. This is equivalent
to prototype rail weighing 152 pounds per yard, which is larger than
almost all rail used by real railroads in the United States. Advanced
modelers typically use rail sizes closer to that used on the
prototype, as shown below:
---------------------------------------------------
Nominal | Mass | Scale | Scale | Scale |
Scale | Market | Mainline | Branch | Mining |
---------------------------------------------------
G, #1 | .330 | .250 | .175 | .125 |
---------------------------------------------------
O | .175 | .148 | .125 | .100 |
---------------------------------------------------
S | .148 | .125 | .100 | .086 |
---------------------------------------------------
HO/OO | .100 | .083 | .070 | .055 |
---------------------------------------------------
N | .080 | .055 | .040 | n/a |
---------------------------------------------------
Z | .062 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
---------------------------------------------------
BENDING, CORK ROADBED
How do you bend cork roadbed?
I have found it useful to soak the cork in hot water first, and then
bend it while wet. (As per Life Like's instructions on their package).
I was fortunate that the glue I was using (Liquid Nails) was able to
bond securely even to the wet cork. I was using N scale roadbed and
was able to do about 8" radius curves without breaking the cork.
CURVES, PROTOTYPICAL LAYOUT
I have a question about track laying and rail curvature. I am under the
understanding that rail curves on prototypes are designated by degrees of
curvature. Does this mean that a curve in the track points the train in
a new direction X degrees from the way it was going? If so doesn't this
have to occur in a specific distance to indicate the sharpness of the curve?
Yes indeed. The measure is in "degrees per chain", where a chain
is an engineers chain (a unit of distance equal to 100 feet and
traditionally measured with a chain).
Just to keep things confused, land surveyors also measure distance
in chains (and rods!), but a surveyors chain is not the same as an
engineer's chain!
Think of trying to survey a railroad line. You can't just stick a
compass point in the ground at the center of the desired curve and
scribe the centerline of the track, the sizes are just too large, and
in addition, your surveyors frequently can't leave the right-of-way
for fear of death because the adjoining landowners are furious about
the condemnation proceedings by which the right-of-way was just
obtained.
Instead, what you do is work your way down the right-of-way pounding
stakes into the ground every chain (100 feet!) to indicate where the
centerline of the track belongs. The grading crew follows you and
tries to make a level grade along the line you've surveyed (with the
help of a leveling crew that uses different surveying instruments,
specifically, levels), and then another survey crew follows,
re-marking the centerline on the top of the grade for the tracklayers.
To do curves, you set your transit over one stake and sight back at
the previous stake (let's assume it was on the tangent, for simplicity).
Then you invert the transit to make it point along the same line, but
in the forward direction, and rotate it by the number of degrees in the
specified curve. Your partner is standing at the other end of a chain
anchored to your stake, and you signal him with your hands to shift
left or right until he is on the mark, whereupon he drives a stake.
You then pick up your transit and your end of the chain, walk to the
new stake, and repeat the process.
Of course, it gets more complicated on rough terrain.
The angle between the two stakes (spaced 100ft apart) with the center
of curvature as the vertex is equal to the "degree" of the curve. The
angle of the right triangle (stake,center,P) is one half of the
"degree" of the curve. Thus with "d" = the "degree" of the curve,
"r" = the radius in feet, and sin and arcsin calculated in degrees we
have:
d = 2 arcsin(50ft/r)
or solving for r
50ft/sin(d/2) = r
stake
|\ ^
/ | | |
/ | \ |
/ 50ft| |track |
/ |P | |
center ----------------| 100ft
\ | | |
\ 50ft| | |
\ | / |
\ | | |
|/ v
stake
|<----- r ----->|
Note: The 100ft is measured along the cord of the curve, .i.e. a
straight line, not along the curve, making "180 degrees" (r=50ft)
the sharpest curve that can be expressed in "degrees".
One benefit of surveying curves this way is that, if the track needs
to make a total curve of, say, 10 degrees, as measured between the
tangents at each approach to the curve, all you do to determine the
number of surveying stations between the start of the curve and the
end of the curve is divide the total curve by the number of degrees
allowed as the maximum curvature. Thus, for the example 10 degree
curve, if the maximum allowed curve is a 2 degree curve, then there
will be 5 survey stations that must be offset by 2 degrees each to
make the total curvature.
Approach spirals into tight curves can be worked out similarly. To
start a 9 degree curve (that's pretty sharp), you might require one
survey station at 3 degrees, one at 6 degrees, and then 9 degrees per
station from there on into your spiral, and then work your way back
to a tangent with a 6 degree step and a 3 degree step.
...
Just to confuse matters a bit, _Track and Turnout Engineering_ by G.M.
Kurtz mentions that in mountainous terrain the Southern Pacific used a
50 foot chain for curves and in flatter terrain used the usual 100
foot chain.
FLEX TRACK
What should I know when laying flex track?
I used a construction cement "Liquid Nails" to hold my cork and track.
Just a thin coating of this with the track pressed down onto it will
set in about 30 secconds... even under said 8" radius curves (and my
flex does not hold curves on its own).
And about Liquid Nails, the stuff skins over fairly quickly (couple of
seconds) but will remain usable for a couple of minutes. Just make
sure you press the track down into it firmly and you should have no
problem.
...
To join track on a curve, solder it while straight, and then bend it.
You're best off avoiding joints on curves as much as possible.
TRACK, ELECTRICAL GAPS
What are the recommended methods of installing/cutting/maintaining electrical
gaps?
Here on the NEB&W, we use handlaid trackage, but we still have a large
number of gaps, especially since we use solid metal frogs. And what do
we do about the gaps? The answer is...nothing. That's right, nothing.
Our gaps are just that, gaps. In fact, a little over a week ago I cut
a curved number 10 turnout into the mainline, and there is a 1/8" gap
right off the frog on the mainline route. And it ran perfectly during
all twelve hours of our weekly open houses. In fact, the only problem
we had with it was due to the angle of the frog. Being such a shallow
angle, I had to install the guide rails to keep the wheels from taking
the wrong route in the frog. After I did that, there were no further
problems. And, all of our curved mainline turnouts are superelevated,
which makes it all the more difficult.
On a layout like ours, where we have no humidity control, the gaps
should be left open to allow for the expansion of the rail and the
benchwork. As long as the rail is spiked securely in place, open gaps
will prove no problem.
It also means that areas like turnouts, crossings, etc. and other
special trackwork won't be knocked out of gauge by expansion problems.
...
I have a small (3' X 4') N scale layout with mostly hand-laid track.
Generally I cut gaps using a moto-tool cutoff wheel which makes nice
straight, narrow gaps. I usually use a small shim of styrene that is
epoxied in place to fill the gap. The styrene is easy to file down to
the contour of the rail and can be painted to become invisible.
As the layout is small, gaps are only about 2-4 feet apart and the
amount of expansion and/or contraction would be minimal. For longer
sections, I would probably leave the gaps open as the plastic filler
might not be flexible enough to take the compression and rails between
the gaps would buckle slightly out of allignment.
...
Here's a technique that works for me:
1) spike track securely in vicinity of gap
2) cut gap (if it wasn't built-in in the first place)
3) fill gap with epoxy cement
4) when set, paint over epoxy with rail color
[Some railroads fill their own rail gaps with epoxy. Painting is
optional]
...
If the gap is on a curve, (to be avoided if possible) I puddle some
epoxy on around where the joint will be, let it cure.
I allow for expansion by allowing the "normal" rail joints on straight
track to be a little loose and only solder joints on curves, to keep
the rail ends in line. I then run a pair eighteen gauge wires under
the track to serve as a bus and run feeders up from this to connect
to EVERY piece of rail on the layout. Nickle-silver dosn't oxidize
very quickly, but it is not a very good conductor.
...
I cut my gap, usually using a Dremel cutoff wheel. Then I take a flat
or square, not round, toothpick and push it into the gap. I then "set
it" with some white Elmer's or furniture glue. Next day, I trim up
the toothpick to conform to the rail contour and have a permanent,
fixed gap. Have some that are still good, AND, for all purposes
unseen, for over 20 years.
TRACK, NICKEL SILVER VS. BRASS
Nickel-silver vs. brass: what are the issues?
Nickel-silver is a copper-nickel alloy (mostly copper), considered to
be metalurgically similar to brass but superior in corrosion
resistance. Brass oxidizes rapidly to a non-conducting surface, which
means that power will not reach the locomotives or cars, resulting in
stalls. Both forms of track will accumulate other gunk on them,
requiring some form of cleaning. In general, nickel silver is much
better than brass, and is worth the small extra cost.
The more recently developed alloys used in high-quality G scale track
are much less corrosion-prone. Brass is sometimes favored over
nickel-silver for outdoor use, because it expands and contracts
somewhat less with changes in temperature.
SOLDERING, RESISTANCE
Any recommendations for a resistance soldering unit?
Go to your local friendly electronics supply house and buy a
transformer with 110v primary, 6.2v (? or there about) secondary and a
4 to 6 amp output on the secondary.
Go to your local Radio Shack and get an insulated box big enough to
hold the transformer.
Wire a 110v plug to the primary of the transformer. (Do I need to
remind you to use a grounding plug and take care not to electrocute
yourself???)
Run the secondary to two wires, one with something like an alligator
clip, and the other to a clamp making a good connection to a carbon
rod.
Where do you get a carbon rod? one might ask. Go somewhere where you
can wash some chemicals away, and cut up an old flashlight battery or
two. I have had good luck with both C cells and AA cells. The center
contains a carbon rod. Make a point on the rod with some sandpaper, or
a pencil sharpener, or something, and clamp the second wire from the
transformer's secondary to it. Radio Shack will have conenctors that
will do the job.
Now, when you plug in the transformer to the wall, and you connect the
alligator clip to something metal connected to what you want to
solder, and touch the sharp tip of the carbon rod to where you want to
solder, the metal right around the tip of the carbon rod gets REALLY
hot. Sounds kind of like one of those $250 dollar units to me. If you
really make it fancy, you might spend $25 or $30 building the thing.
How to make it fancy??
First, I like to put a control on the 110v side of the transformer. A
normal light dimmer works well, although I have also had good luck
with a sewing-machine foot control. These do not really have the
current rating, but are ok for light duty work. I like having both
hands to set up the work (the rod holds stuff in place) and then Zap
with the foot.
Second, I use large stereo-type plugs to connect to the secondary side
with the clips and rods. This lets me have several different rod-size
and clip configurations that are easy to switch.
Third, Fancy handles for the carbon rods...
Fourth, whatever else comes to mind. For the price, and ease of
construction, you can afford to experiment.
TRACK, SOLDERING
Anybody have any advice on soldering HO rail?
If you join the two piece of rail with metal rail joiners, then solder
the join, the solder will flow much more smoothly. This assumes you're
using nickel-silver or brass rail of course! Make sure that the
soldering iron heats all three metal parts (ie. both rail ends and the
rail joiner) to the same temp before applying the solder, and it should
be drawn into the space inside the rail joiner without any trouble.
Note that solder is not a very good gap filler, so if you've got gaps
larger than about 0.5mm or so, you'll waste your time trying to fill
them with solder without having a bulging great lump of solder in the
way of the wheel flanges.
Also note that you should still have non-soldered gaps every metre of
so to prevent the solder joins fracturing due to expansion and
contraction. Ideally, straight track should have NO directly soldered
rail joints, but you should use bridging wires to leave the rail ends
free to move. Curved track will usually need to have soldered joins
unless you're particularly skilled at spiking rail on curves.
...
I am one of the proponents that do not believe in soldered joiners.
Joiners should be left free to move and expand as nature dictates.
Joiners are a mechanical way to join two pieces of rail, and should be
just that. They should not be electric current carriers. No matter how
good the contact is, it will eventually fail due to oxidation.I believe
that the "bus" method (ie. a wire line that follows each section or
block around the layout) is the only reliable method to power a layout,
but that is my own opinion. There are a few different approaches to
dispense power to all sections on a layout.
A lot of people will say that it is a waste of time to solder the wire
under the layout to the track, but think of the fewer headaces you will
have with electric problems.
I would like to give two examples:
1) NTrak and modules in general (no explanation here).
2) At the club I am a member of, the layout was built in the early
50's. The HO mainline is still the original one. It is code 100
brass and has 3 major blocks. Rail is laid down and spiked on True
Scale patterns (cannot think of the name). I do not know how long
the main line is but we had a train with 98 cars (we run mostly
modern cars) and 10 engines pulling and it occupied just less of a
half of the main line. Each rail is joined but not soldered.
Back then they used a method used in O gauge layouts. A piece of wire
was soldered near the end of each rail, connecting electrically the two
rails. Talking to the old members, they hardly had any problems as far
as power flow is concerned (shorts yes). The only problems of power
flow were due to failure of the solder joints. Even now, after 40+
years we find the need to re-join some of the wire with new solder
(after a good cleanup), although most of them are still the original
solder joints.
Performance is very reliable, and that is what counts in the end.
TRACK, SWITCHES
What problems can I have with switches and how do I avoid them?
I have found problems with Atlas switches. The flangeways don't seem
to be deep enough through the frog, and the large plastic frogs can
cause engines to stall. Also, the switch machine housing sticks up too
far, and can entangle steam locomotives with wide draft gear.
Use Peco or Shinohara turnouts for N scale; they run and look much
better. Also, if you are nailing down the track, allow a little room
under the nail head for the switch to "float"; putting the track nails
all the way in can distort the rails.
...
My first fault was that I tacked down the turnout. If the turnout is
allowed to "float" it will operate better.
Second, use a jewlers file, and file the points of the turnout, this
was described in MR a few years ago.
The third thing I did was to get rid of the N scale electric switches.
I was lucky that my local hobby shop took them back. I traded them in
for the HO below ground throws, and some piano wire. I cliped the
plastic pin off at the base but befort the cone on the HO machine. I
then cut the piano wire about 2" long, then using an iron, heated the
piano and forced it into the cone stub. I then installed the machine,
with the piano wire fitting in to the turnouts throwbar (between the
rails). Once the machine was secured to the underside of the layout,
I then trimmed the piano wire (about .05) above the throwbar.
This made the turnouts not only work better but look better. For a
finishing touch I cemented pieces of ties (left over from flex track)
next to the turnout for switch stands.
TRACK, DETECTION UNITS
How should I go about setting up a track detection system?
Get a copy of Bruce Chubb's book "Building Your Own Universal
Computer Interface" available from Tab or Walther's. This is a
further development from his series several years ago in MR about
the Model Railroad Computer Interface.
He describes the system in there. If all you need is a track detector,
this book also includes a description of his circuit that is compatable
with command control systems.
TRACK, TURNOUT NUMBERS
What does the number associated with a turnout mean? What's the difference
between, say, a #4 turnout and a #6 turnout?
The number is based on the angle between the straight and diverging
tracks. Skipping the exact definition, a #4 turnout is generally the
sharpest practical size and is equivalent to an 18" curve. #6s and
#8s are more gradual and are typically used on larger layouts both
because they look more realistic and because longer equipment will
work better on them.
Traction models and models in the smallest scales (N and Z) can often
get good results with much smaller turnout numbers, down to #2.5 in
common usage.