This isn't another how to ballast track thread, but just what do you guys feel is the best mixture of adhesive/glue and water detergent and/or Isopropyl Alcohol? Most of the White Glue mixtures are 50/50, that and water thou I have seen 1 part glue & four parts water which seems kinda thin. That and either a few drops of IPA or liquid dishwater detergent. I've also read of IPA and water mixture spraying separately from the glue mixture or a combo of 1:1:1 (or similar) parts glue, water & IPA as a one step mixture which seems easier. What do you guys think??
I go even thinner on the mixture than 50/50 maybe 3/4 water or even thinner. Whatever it takes to ensure it draws in real good and gets to the base of whatever the ballast is laying on but I will go back around for a second treatment if necessary. I know it works because my layout is over 20 years old, travelled thousands of miles and the ballast is locked in as good as the day I first did it.
I stay away from white glue completely and used Titebond 2 (? the one that is only water soluble until it drys). Since we are doing modules that get moved, the weather can effect the modules, but this is also true with non-moving layouts. The humidity gets high or its raining and the white glue gets soft allowing the ballast and/or rail to also shift. We go about 3 parts water to 1 part glue as a rough estimate (we want it a bit thinker than the consistency of water, but still want it to flow). Once it does dry, the ballast won't become soft or soggy again.
No, sorry I should have explained better. 3/4 water - 1/4 part glue. As long as the solution is mixed well you should get good results. I don't use alcohol because it evaporates quick and I can spend a lot of time in a single session where I'd have to replenish the alcohol at intervals but that is me and I don't see why it would be a problem as long as you are aware of that. I never even thought of using dish soap (not sure what IPA is) to thin out but that does seem worthy of an experiment although I'd be real conservative about the amount used so as not to interfere with bonding capabilities of the glue. Most important is that the solution draws in thoroughly without disturbing the surface of the ballast where I would assume it looks how you want it to pre-application. When I start and once I get the solution to absorb into the ballast then I use the edges to where the ballast is saturated to add more solution as that wetted area helps to continue to draw in the glue mixture. If testing a solution I'll do just a small area and let it fully dry to see if it's worth continuing on with the same formula.
Yeah, back when I did my layout I was not aware of titebond but started using it to build my RC airplane kits. Since then that has taken place of all my white glue tasks. Excellent suggestion!
To add to this, I use white glue or matte medium. I also use real rock ballast from Scenic Express or some other supplier not the organic material from the well known scenery vender. The organic material will absorb water and correspondingly expand when wet or shrink when dry. This expansion and contraction will break the glue bond holding the ballast and the ballast will then be loosened to migrate wherever. I also pre-wet the ballast with straight 50% IPA (rubbing alcohol) to increase flow. I use the 50% IPA in my glue/water mixture rather than soap. I don't have an exact formula but 10% IPA to 50% water and 40% glue would be an approximation. Hardest part is not to touch it for 24 hours or more until the glue dries. Another advantage of using real rock ballast is that it will not float when the glue/water is used so there is less ballast one has to pick off of the tops of the ties.
Aileen's tacky glue is just like white glue with two advantages. It adheres to more surfaces and it stays flexible.
I use actual rock ballast, pre-wet with Isopropyl Alcohol, then follow with TiteBond and distilled water. The alcohol saturates ballast and washes away the dust so the glue mixture will have faster and better adhesion.
