Somebody brought up wetwater again the other day. Can't find it now. There are many techniques in wetting, and gluing ballast. Here is mine, and it works fine. I have been a big advocate on recycling stuff to use in my hobbies. There was talk about different ways to apply wetwater, and glue/water solution to ballast. This is a recycled little mini mister that was originally a pocket sized glasses cleaner solution. It is small, and easy to toss around the layout and doesn't take up much space on my cluttered work area. It now holds a 50/50 mix of water and alcohol as wet water. I mist my ballast, or whatever I am going to soak in glue/water solution. It works well, atomizes the water into a mist, and doesn't make a huge mess wetting the entire layout as a large one would. Easier and covers more than the eye dropper. I hold it up about 6-8" over my ballasted area, and give it a few mists of the wet water. Not too strong as to blow my ballast out of position. Next is my solution to apply 50/50 water/white glue solution. Eye dropper again, is not quick enough for me. Takes too dang long for me to dribble drips of the solution to get all the area I want covered. by the time I get a few inches of ballast soaked, the wetwater has evaporated and I will have to re-apply the wetwater on those areas.. Just too much a PITA for me. Her is my solution. I took an old empty lighter fluid bottle. Pried the top off (tough, but it will pop off) cleaned it out with alcohol, then filled it with 50% white glue, and 50% wetwater (alcohol/water). I like to add a drop or two of black acrylic paint too. It darkens the ballast a little bit to weather it so it doesn't look so clean and prestine when it dries. Instant weathering, and grime... I shake my glue/water bottle up, pop it open, and it will put a fine stream or drips if you prefer, on the ballasted area in a very laser like precision. Fast, and complete soaking of ballast with the glue/water solution. Let dry overnight, and there ya go..
I use the little misters. I bought mine at Wall Mart for a buck. Also I didn't know they still made lighter fluid.
Yeah they still have lighter fluid. How would I lite my pipe with my Zippo, hahhah.. I have an old Zippp that was my Dads, and it is older than I am (almost 50). I remember my Dad used it for his pipes as far back as I can remember, and now, I do... My mister was about a buck, but came with free classes cleaner in it, hehheh...
