A medicine dropper works well for glue application too. They are larger and hold more than an eye dropper but offer similar control.

Suits me, Mike. That's one of the really nice things about forums. We can make suggestions and get feedback. To me there is certainly no offence taken when someone suggests and none taken if the other party doesn't think my idea works for them. If we all liked the same thing we would all marry the same women. Wouldn't that be a fine mess? LOL

Yep, done that also Rich, and your right, it is easier to do. I just find that for me, I have better control with the eye dropper for some reason. I keep an old glue bottle around for scenery sections, but I personally like the eye dropper for the ballast. Don't know why, I'm just wierd that way...

One small suggestion for applying the glue/water mix. I find the eyedropper method to be a real drag. I use an old Elmer's glue bottle that I keep filled for handy use. It has the screw adjustment top so that I have some control over how much comes out. Sems to work quicker with no need to refill so often. The bottle can sit for months without the glue mix setting up inside if you close the lid. Sometimes the top does require cleaning off the dryed mix.

This was posted in another thread but since it is a how to for adding ballast I decided to also include it here.

Cigarguy

Crew Chief

Posted - 03/06/2006 : 07:22:59 AM

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When I lay down ballast, here are the steps I follow: First, I take a 3x5 card and fold it in half long-way. Then, I cut off one corner - what is left looks like a paper airplane shape. I call this my "special applicator." I pour some of the ballast onto the folded card, then gently pour it from the card to the tracks. Being pointed, the card allows you to get in to close areas, etc. If you gently - gently - tap on the card as you hold it, you can get the ballast to go right where you need it. The next step I do is to take a very soft 1" brush and GENTLY sweep the ballast level. Again, this is something that requires a "feel" for how hard to push. You can sweep the ballast to be level with the ties, or however you want it to look. Step 3, I spray the newly spread ballast with wet water (water with a few drops of liquid soap in it), and finally, I use an eye dropper to soak the newly spread ballast with my dilluted glue / water mixture. It will take about a day to dry, then I go back over the area with a tiny screwdriver. I simply run the screwdriver along the top of the ties, against the rails, just to clean out the flangeway. Any crumbs of ballast that may have moved from the spraying or gluing will pop right off.

Mike

D&B Lumber Co. in HO scale

Davison Division

http://www.railimages.com/gallery/mikekennedy

I have spent about 2 weeks using this method now and it has worked the best. Using Alcohol (straight) with an eyedropper. I have had good success dripping it from outside the rails, but on the ties on the outside. Less chance of it moving the ballast. As you go you can see it quickly and nicely darken the ballast inside the rails. Once it is well soaked I use the same approach, and even the same dropper with a 50:50 mix of white elmers and water and as above a couple drops of detergent. I never drip directly inside the rails. But a good application of the alcohol allows the glue solution to flow right in. If any fix up is then needed, it is never needed inside the rails, but only the outside tie area.

About misting. Either high like a rain fall, or directly on. Never found a good way to mist without getting everything around the track soaked. Since ballasting is the final step, I don't want everything soaked. But a steady hand and light squeeze with a dropper for both solutions has yielded good results and little "fix-up" of moved ballast.

Avoid over flowing in either mixture or it may float the ballast out of place. This is the reason for dripping on outside ties, and allowing it to truly soak in and not be forced into the ballast.

Cletus

MP Rich is correct. Very seldom is there a long stretch of "Neat Ballast" or consistent material used. Typically, you will find lighter ballast used on mainlines, darker on sidings (of all types) I may try to follow that concept for the most part. However, for every 6 foot of track (even mailine) I have maybe a run of only 5-6 inches where it is really edged well.

I use maybe 6-7 differnt colors/materials also. I have used different non-magnetic sands, sifted dirt, an fine ballasts.

Another trick I use to prevent movement while ballasting is to also add about two drops to my mixture of 50/50 white glue/water. I have found (I use an eyedropper for both wet water and glueing down) that a drop or two of soap doesn't hurt in the glue mixture. Especially if you missed a spot or two while pre-wetting.

Plus after everything dries, it seems to me that it is harder and never crusts over. I think, and may be wrong, it is due to the glues soaking in really well and getting to areas pre-soaking may of missed.

Cletus

Morning Gentlemen,

For another source of ballast, look at this stuff.

http://www.brennansmodelrr.com/default.asp

Unfortunately for you N-scalers some of the stuff is for O scale. :erm:

He also sells real coal!

Have a fun day!

-david j

Good point guys!

Keep the glue off the throwbars, & point rails, in addiyion to keeping all the flangeways clear!

If you do accidentally get one stuck, don't panic...you can usually work it loose...use a little warm water if you have to.

I use the manual turnout throws and it isn't such a problem butit is always a good idea to keep the glue back from the moving points on switches. It can be a real nuisance to get it operating well again. Richard

While I have learned a lot from everyones suggestions and ideas, there is one area That has not been mentioned so far and that is switches. A person has to be very careful around switches as a little sand can get in and possibly ruin a switch.

While I do as Drew says and roll a car through the new bastast area after it dries there is one more step that will help. If you push a car through with a fair amount of weight on it after the glue is on but before it has set up the wheels will push the stray ballast out or away from the tracks so that you don't have as much glued down to move. Easier to move before than after the glue sets. Richard

Hi Bill!

I always roll a car over the tracks after the ballast has dried...especially concentrating on turnouts, gaurdrails, etc...if there is any stray ballast blocking any of the flangeways, you can feel the car bumping over it...you can easily clear the stray ballast with a dental pick, or the point of a hobby knife. Just keep testing, until evrything is rolling smoothly.

Hello All.

I completed the ballast job on both sections of benchwork.Everything is glued down good.I checked for ballast against the rails and cleaned them off,then cleaned the track and test ran an engine and made adjustments.There are a couple of bare spots I'll go over again.Other than that it looks good! :up: I'll post a photo sometime soon.

Have a good one.

Bill Burge

Marion,Iowa

I think this is one of those questions with no firm answer for all situations. The prototype roads start out with what they feel is the perfect type and size ballast and then adjust as the situation changes. One of the problems of keeping the track in good shape is that the ballast actually "wears out". The trains passing and the tracks moving up and down work to grind the rock smaller as well as weather working to move it around. While there are untold tons of limestone in my area, the Missouri Pacific used ballast hauled all the way from near Saint Louis. It was a much harder rock and held up better than the softer limestone. The company that now runs the local tracks uses limestone, probably due to price but there is still a layer of the dark red color there also. Richard