Ballasting and painting track

[tetters]

Even though it doesn't sound like the popular method. I went ahead and spray painted my track work a matte "leather" brown colour straight out of can. I was personally looking for a quick a dirty way of getting things done. I'm happy with the results and the spray paint sticks well to the nickel silver rail. I have been going back and using Floquil paint pens to paint the rails with the Rust or Rail coloured paint pens. To finish the track off once all the ballasting is done, I'll give certain areas a shot of india ink wash down the center of the rails like sidings or yard tracks. I also plan on planting grass and weeds in between the ties to make some areas look over grown.

As for ballast on top of the ties, I wouldn't sweat it too much. Everywhere I look in the prototype world, I see copiuos amounts of ballast on the tracks. Except on a fast moving main line, but even then there is the odd speck or patch of it here and there. It doesn't mean I just spread the ballast on and forget it, I do spend a bit of time carefully brushing it where I want it to be and make sure it isn't plugging up my turnouts. The final step before applying any wetting agent or glue is that I lightly, (I mean, LIGHTLY!) tap the top of the rail heads with a rubber mallat. Sort of like a controlled bounce. The vibration helps shake any loose ballast off the tops of the ties and helps it settle.

The Doc Wayne method of wetting and gluing is the best. Like Wayne says, liberally wet the entire section of ballasted track with wet water solution. I use a spray bottle and add just two drop of dish soap. As Wayne suggested I mist the area by spraying the wet water over the area and let it fall like rain. Do this until its nice and wet and then have at 'er with the bottle aimed directly at the ballast to get it throughly wet. Mist it first otherwise the ballast will fly everywhere if you try and spray directly on it first. Final step I use a 50/50 mixture of plain ol' LePage white glue and tap water. I apply my glue with an Oral Syringe that came with some childrens cough syrup a few years ago. I fill up the syringe and then squeeze the plunger just enough to make the glue dribble out until its empty, refill and repeat. I soak the area with the glue until seeps out everywhere. 24 hours later it all dries clear and is as hard as cement. Almost.

Just my thoughts.

[rrinker]

I'll have to try the tapping method. I pour the ballast on, and then use a small foam brush as I've seen recommended elsewhere to spread it out and even it up. Brush brush brush and there's STILL some on top of the ties. If I was super concerned I guess I would carefully clean off every tie with my fingers before gluing it down but I would rather complete this sometime before the next century - I shudder to think about doing my conceptual dream layotu which would need to be about 3-4x the size of this one - not that I have a large layout now, it's only 9x15. I have also seen it suggested to take the cheap foam brush and cut it down so it fits betwene the rails - I've been using it sort of at an angle. Maybe that would help. I don't think I'm using too heavy a touch, it's pretty obvious when you brush too hard - ALL the ballast comes out and gets swept along.

--Randy

[rrinker]

For the rails, I use a 1/4" wide angled brush. Various craft paint browns and umbers, squeeze out some of each on a small board, then dip the brush in random colors, that way there is a bit of variance along the way. Also, I know from the start that it will take two coats, if not more. I'm with docWayne, I find it rather relaxing, turn on the radio, and just chill out. I also handpaint every tie, using the same process, except various grays, then a black wash on each tie. It can actually be fun, just have to get your mind right, knowing that the entire layout will take some time, but the end result will be worth it.

As for spraying, for some unknown reason, I told myself that I didn't need an airbrush, and I am sticking to it.

Do you do the black wash on the whole thing or just the ties? The ballast as-is looks sort of too 'new' particualrly on sidings - I'm wondering if a dilute black wash over the whole thing would tone down the ballast a bit as well. Also what sort of wash? I would think the india ink/denatured alcohol type would probbaly unstick all the ballast, what about some black craft paint thinned with rubbing alcohol?

--Randy

[SP1]

The final step before applying any wetting agent or glue is that I lightly, (I mean, LIGHTLY!) tap the top of the rail heads with a rubber mallat. Sort of like a controlled bounce. The vibration helps shake any loose ballast off the tops of the ties and helps it settle.

There are battery powered handheld devices that do an awesome job on vibrating ballast off the ties. You can get one for cheap at your local sexshop. No joke.

[doctorwayne]

The tapping action works great. I use the same brush as for spreading the ballast: simply flip the brush around, grasping it lightly by the metal ferrule and laying the handle across the rails. Use the fingers of your free hand to lightly and rapidly tap the handle, while at the same time moving the brush along the track. The stray ballast will bounce off the ties and into place between them. If it doesn't work, you need to remove some ballast from between the ties, as the displaced (from the tie tops) material needs some place to go.

You can check out my entire ballasting procedure HERE. It's not the only way to do it, but it's simple, cheap, and enjoyable.

Wayne

[rrinker]

Jens: no comment

Yup, exactly as stated back then, my water here is hard and I never had any luck with the detergant method. 70% rubbing alcohol in large containers isn't terribly expensive, especially if you stick to store brands. To be honest the only thing I had EVER seen in any book or magazine was add a drop or two of dish soap to the water. I tried that first, back when I did a test section to see how all this would work out (mainly experimenting with using extruded foam as a base). Not a chance, no matter what I did it just sat on top of the ballast and made a crust. Not sure what made me try, but I tried mixing alcohol with the glue and - hey, it works! Now I see the alcohol mix mentioned EVERYWHERE.

--Randy

[Gary S]

Do you do the black wash on the whole thing or just the ties? The ballast as-is looks sort of too 'new' particualrly on sidings - I'm wondering if a dilute black wash over the whole thing would tone down the ballast a bit as well. Also what sort of wash? I would think the india ink/denatured alcohol type would probbaly unstick all the ballast, what about some black craft paint thinned with rubbing alcohol?

So far, I have only put the black wash on the ties. It is just craft paint thinned with water.

I'll eventually get around to darkening between the rails a bit, but since I'm using a mix of ballast colors, light gray, dark gray, buff, with a pinch of black and brown, it doesn't really seem too clean, it looks pretty good as is. I don't think a wash over the ballast would loosen it any, and I'm sure plenty of folks have done this. The small amount of liquid wouldn't mess up the dried glue, and even if it did, it would dry back in the normal state.

[doctorwayne]

Yup, exactly as stated back then, my water here is hard and I never had any luck with the detergant method. 70% rubbing alcohol in large containers isn't terribly expensive, especially if you stick to store brands. To be honest the only thing I had EVER seen in any book or magazine was add a drop or two of dish soap to the water. I tried that first, back when I did a test section to see how all this would work out (mainly experimenting with using extruded foam as a base). Not a chance, no matter what I did it just sat on top of the ballast and made a crust. Not sure what made me try, but I tried mixing alcohol with the glue and - hey, it works! Now I see the alcohol mix mentioned EVERYWHERE.

--Randy

Yup, the alcohol method works fine, too. Another alternative for those with hard water is to use distilled water, sold at most supermarkets in gallon jugs. I use it for decalling and for thinning water-based paints. I find the odour of alcohol irritating, much moreso than lacquer thinner or methyl hydrate (another type of alcohol), although the latter two are harmful in other ways.
Oddly enough, other alcohols, mainly the potable variety, seem to not offend my olfactory senses at all.

Wayne

[P5se Camelback]

... I find the odour of alcohol irritating, much moreso than lacquer thinner or methyl hydrate (another type of alcohol), although the latter two are harmful in other ways.
Oddly enough, other alcohols, mainly the potable variety, seem to not offend my olfactory senses at all.
Wayne

[BR60103]

I mist the alcohol over the tracks with a hairspray bottle. This gives a really fine mist. It gets over everything but mostly doesn't matter (careful on cardboard buildings). Then I use an eyedropper to put the Matte Medium on where it goes.

[nachoman]

For the ballasting I've been doing this week, I've actually had better luck using soapy water (as opposed to alcohol) to pre wet the ballast using a pump action hairspray type bottle. The pump action bottles seem to produce a finer mist than the hairspray bottles. I'm using ballast from Arizona Rock and Mineral, and prewetting with soapy water and using dilute white glue is working perfectly.

[torikoos]

DoctorWayne, that's great scenery on display there, and I'm jealous of the available space you have for your layout! :-)
Very nice!
Koos

[torikoos]

The final step before applying any wetting agent or glue is that I lightly, (I mean, LIGHTLY!) tap the top of the rail heads with a rubber mallat. Sort of like a controlled bounce. The vibration helps shake any loose ballast off the tops of the ties and helps it settle.

There are battery powered handheld devices that do an awesome job on vibrating ballast off the ties. You can get one for cheap at your local sexshop. No joke.

Good idea, although your wife may jsut get a little worried if you disappear with one of those in the basement... on your own.......

[doctorwayne]

Thanks for the kind words, Koos, but the pictures exaggerate the amount of space that's actually available. There's a layout (room) tour,of sorts, HERE

Wayne

[tetters]

The final step before applying any wetting agent or glue is that I lightly, (I mean, LIGHTLY!) tap the top of the rail heads with a rubber mallat. Sort of like a controlled bounce. The vibration helps shake any loose ballast off the tops of the ties and helps it settle.

There are battery powered handheld devices that do an awesome job on vibrating ballast off the ties. You can get one for cheap at your local sexshop. No joke.

I don't even want to know how you got the notion to try that one out!!

Says to self,
"Damn, I wish I could get the ballast off the top of my ties!"
"Hey, those MOW machines vibrate the ballast when laying track!"
"Now...where can I get a scale vibrating machine???..."


Hey! If I remember correctly, my wife got one of those vibrating doohickeys as a gag gift during her bridal shower all those years ago! I wonder if she still has it??? Naw that was a long time ago and what would she need one of those for? She's got me right?" :?

Looks through unmentionables drawer...

"What luck! Here it is!"