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About the same as Don, but I prefer matte medium to the white glue. Arizona Rock & Mineral ballast is my favorite.
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I was spreading ballast this afternoon, using my old honey bottle. It is the best spreader I've found for me to use, so what do you use to spread ballast?
Larry
LarryComment
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I inherited a spice shaker (about 6 fl oz. volume) which I sometimes use, but more often I pour/shake out of the corner of a cut-off milk carton.
JamesComment
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Try a plastic picnic mayonnaise container. It's opaque, so you have an idea of how much you still have to work with, it won't break if it's dropped, and the long neck gives you pretty good control. The jar also works really well for scenery cement, whether white glue, matte medium or commercial preparations.
Pete
in Michigan
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Model Railroad Hobbyist had a neat little article about making a ballast spreading tool out of a cheap toothbrush. Cut the head off the toothbrush and super glue it across the handle. Use a brush with a rectangular head:
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I bought HO Scale Yard Mix (1222), N Scale Cinders (103-1) and N Scale Basalt (115-1) ballast from Arizona Rock & Mineral. They are easy work with and have the colors I wanted. But each type also contains some particles that are attracted to a magnet. In the days of open-frame motors this was a big downside for natural materials, as motor magnets tended to lift things off the RoW and into the works. It may be less of an issue with can motors and die-cast bathtub-style frames these days. Still, I've swept everywhere I've used the AR&M material with my most powerful magnet, and will repeat any time the ballast is disturbed.
JamesComment
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