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Thanks Shawn and Mike.
That is what I like about this forum, I learn something new every day.
That is what I like about this forum, I learn something new every day.
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Will Annand
Modeling the CVR in N Scale.
www.muskokacomputes.com/CVR-Home.html -
Funny thing that I've found due to modeling is that it forces you to look at things much more closely. Sand was always just sand to me. Then I started looking for different things to givedifferent textures and I found sand comes in almost unlimited forms. It is usually just rock that has been broken down to tiny peices. That makes it possible to find everything from really rough grainy stuff that's black from volcanic rocks all the way to almost soft, white powder. When you're out of your regular area on vacation or traveling it may pay to look really close at what the sand where you go has to offer. Sand from the river in Colorado or sand from the beach in Florida might be just the one you are looking for in that special place on the layout. When my wife wants to take me for a walk I try to take a Zip-lock bag along just in case. Richard
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Thanks to everyone. I think i am going to try the play sand. The idea of a wash to wet and color it will br used also. That was going to be the next question how to color it. Thanks again Paul
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Since I mentioned using tile grout for dirt/ballast yesterday, I thought someone might be interested in seeing the results. This is supposed to depict industrial trackage that is very nearly dirt bound with little actual ballast left.
In reality, it's "Summer Wheat" tile grout. The scale is HO, but I think this could work with N just as well.
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Mike,
I like it!
Thanks,
JimComment
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That looks good,Mike.
I have ballast spread out on the two sections of benchwork I'm working on for a log reload area.I had attempted using my airbrush to apply alcohol and glue on a test piece of track I set up on some scrap homasote.The big problem was blowing the ballast off the track.That's what prompted my question.I'm going to try your solution and see if I can get it to work.I guess in reality there's no getting around the tedious part of ballasting track.I'll just have to have more patience.
Thanks to everyone for helping me thru this.
Bill Burge
Marion,Iowa
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Update.
I just wetted and glued ballast to a section of track (about 6 or 8 inches) on the benchwork.That was easier than it was in the past.No ballast moved and the diluted glue went right where it was supposed to go.I used water with a couple drops of dish soap and a Elmers Glue bottle with a 50/50 mixture of glue and water.
Thanks Guys! :up: [:-jump2]Another satisfied customer!
Bill Burge
Marion,Iowa
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Good going there, Bill. For speeding up the pre-wetting if you have a large area to ballast, try using the pump sprayers like Windex comes in. They put out a spray that will wet a large area quick. The down side is that they sometimes put out small blobs of water that rearrange the ballast and make like crators on ground foam. To hold this down I try to work from a distance with the finer mist gradually working into an area so the when the larger drops come out, the ground cover or ballast is already fairly wet. The eye dropper is okay for small sections but when you have twenty feet or more you will need more speed. If you really want to go to hyper speed you can buy a small insect sprayer that pumps up and really wet a bunch in a hurry. Richard
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I found that a fine mist pump sprayer works better than the sprayer that windex comes in. The one I use was originally for hair spray.
Harry
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Thanks for addition there, Harry. I'm not completely satisfied with the spray I get so I will be looking for that type bottle. My wife has always used the spray cans for hair spray so I had missed that detail. I think those bottles are available by themselves or I might get her to switch brands? Fat chance, huh? Richard
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Or just purchase one and use the contents for making trees, then you have the bottle for ballasting.
Harry
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Richard-An old Windex bottle is exactly what I used for the water.I had no problem spraying the ballast.The glue got down in where it needed to be and now,I'm happy to say,is as hard as a rock![:-jump2][:-jump2][:-jump2][:-jump][:-jumprefect] :up:
When I get to a bigger area to ballast (GN's Whitefish Yard)I think I'll grab the garden hose to really wet that down good![:-snorkel][:-mischievous][:-devil]
Thanks again for helping.
Have a good one.
Bill Burge
Marion,Iowa
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I like using my airbrush to spray a very fine mist of water on ballast before applying the glue.
Follow along as my dog and I travel the country in our van.
FaceBook link: https://www.facebook.com/A-Dog-A-Van-and-A-View-108345371976229Comment
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Paul - just a couple thoughts ... years ago (here we go!quote:
Originally posted by plbab
Anybody ever use sand for N scale ballast? If so was it sifted? Paul
), I had used old foundry sand around a coaling station to depict spilled coal. It seemed quite effective (of course I was 16 or 17 years old and a lot more impressionable!)
One other product that I haven't seen mentioned is gravel that is used for birds to help with their digestive tract. Please use it BEFORE the bird does! :erm:
Has anyone tried this stuff?
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Hi Jim!
When I lived on a farm, we called that "chicken grit" (as opposed to the other chicken stuff that rhymes with "grit"! )
While it might work in a larger scale, I think it might be a little course for N scale...one of the problems we N scalers face, in addition to over-sized rails, is over-sized ballast, including many commercial varieties...
For my N scale ballast, in addition to the sand pictured earlier in this thread, I use the "Fine" grades of ballast by Woodland Scenics, which can be made to look pretty good, & I've sometimes used dirt that's been sifted through a nylon stocking...This gives me a look very similar to what MikeC posted above...
-Drew-
"Life is all the stuff that happened while you were making other plans."Comment
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