Ballast Glue - Which one to use? [Series 2 Episode 2]
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ส.ค. 2024
- In this episode I test 2 types of ballast glue and see how they compare. I use Deluxe Materials Ballast Bond and Track Magic.
I am not being paid or connected in anyway to Deluxe Materials, and these are my honest opinions and review.
In this series, I am showing you my progress of building a model railway in the loft. From the very start of converting the loft into a useable space, right through to the continuous building of the layout.
I hope you enjoy the video and find it useful in some way.
Please feel free to comment and subscribe, thank you!
![Class 37 Sound Decoder Installation [Series 2 - Episode 3]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3H2ikLVNrbA/mqdefault.jpg)
![Class 37 Sound Decoder Installation [Series 2 - Episode 3]](/img/tr.png)
Hi Tony. I'm writing these comments as I view your video, rather than waiting until the end. Nice to have a comparison, but I'm fairly certain of what the outcome will be! Ballast Bond: Easy to use, but to make it economical. you would need to apply between the sleepers and not over them; this would greatly add to the time taken to ballast your track. It doesn't take very long to make up your own 50/50 PVA/water solution and you could make it in bulk ( a litre or more) far more cheaply. Ballast Magic: I didn't like all that fine powder being dispersed into the air and possibly breathing it in. I suspect it's the Magic rather than the ballast. I think you would be paying through the nose for the water spray bottle! I also suspect that the manufacturers (of all the products) would cite your method of use for any shortcomings. You can't beat the bog standard 50/50 PVA/water/washing up liquid method - my preferred one. OK, we have a winner - give the man a Kewpie doll!
Interesting results Jak! Really good to see he options, quite surprised by the results of the ballast magic - probably one to avoid!
I was very surprised, and I thought beforehand that it may have been the better option!
I am with Mr Deltic, nothing against proprietary products and some can be really effective, but unless it blows me away AND is cheap, I will always find an alternative. PVA is good, but with a couple of caveats, 1. it locks the track to the baseboard, eliminating the sound deadening properties of cork/closed cell foam! 2. DO NOT use external grade, as it is not soft-enable with water, so if you ever want to lift the track it will wreak it! I lay the ballast, spray with IPA, then pipette 50/50 Copydex/water
Yes exactly, and that's what I was hoping this video would be able to show.
I've heard a few people now mentioning the copydex option. Might look into it myself...
TimberSurf ..... yep I’ve discovered how noisy it makes things, still looking at on a positive note it makes up for my lack of DCC....lol .... regards Fred
@@FredWilbury I started a thread on a Forum about my investigations between cork and closed cell, one of the strong reactions was that some people LIKE the clickety clack of laying track directly on the board, but I think that may be more for those on DC with no sound loco's!
Hi Tony, very interesting I watched a video of Dave Howorth's where he use ballast magic because I was thing of using it, but it did not work for him it all broke up so that answer my thinking on ballast magic that it was rubbish. I will stick with the tried and tested PVA water and a drop of dish soap, because the ballast bond is far to expensive to do a full layout. But one thing I have learnt from watching your video is use a ballast spreader, great video tony thanks for sharing with us. Regards George...
Interesting that it hasn't worked well for other people too!
No worries, glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!
Oooh, this should be interesting Tony as this is something I want to eliminate on my next layout. I was told any ‘slippery’ glue like Copydex will help solve the problem as it doesn’t lock the ballast down so I shall watch with interest. Cheers for now mate. ...........Graham
Yes, apparently Tim at the Scrap Line said he's going to be looking into that in a future video!
Very interesting, I have been looking at ways to fix the ballast down when I get to that point on my practice layout...Simon
Hope it helps! Thanks Simon!
That was a very interesting video and useful as I would have been tempted to try one of those but it looks like PVA unless anything better comes along. One thing though I think the Ballast Spreader is an excellent idea which I will take on board.
Kevin Carter Thanks Kevin! Glad it helped! And yes, the ballast spreader is a great little tool. Cheap as chips and worth the money I think!
Thanks Tony, very useful comparison. I am wondering, whether ballast bond or ballast magic give an effect of rubberised glue, to bring down the noise from the moving trains? Or these products dry out to create a hard shell like PVA?
PVA all the way cheers Paul
Probably not wrong there mate!
Hi Tony As a total novice did you use fine or medium ballast?
This will make an intersting video. I have plans to trial something different also.
The-scrap-line Model railway weathering - oooh, what is it?
@@TonyDocksStation I'm going to trial rubber bssed glues - one of them being copydex. As I've glued my track down the sound has already be amplified so my aim is to keep it round the same.
I've heard about Copydex. I'll look forward to seeing your take on it and see how that is as an option!
Rather than rip it up why not go over again with the ballast spreader and hit it with the "ballast bond". Nice review, but going by the cost it looks like good old PVA for me.
Yeah, in the end, that's what I did lol!. I picked up everything that was loose first and went over with the strong vacuum. Then re-spread it and used the ballast bond I had left in the bottle!
@@TonyDocksStation if you go the PVA route use "isopropyl alcohol" in the water spray to wet the ballast and use the same in the PVA mix instead of the washing up liquid. It does a better job of breaking the surface tension and evaporates off.
Reddington I do have a large bottle of IPA and have used it on my dioramas. So I agree with you that it’s a great solution!
None of them James ..... just use good old PVA diluted white or clear it works it’s cheap ....Shunter Fred.....ps real crushed stone !
Yeah, exactly mate. Hopefully this will show people before they buy! Hope things are well with you? You going to be at Warley for a catch up?
Tony Docks Station .... hi James I’d love to go but my old back problem of years has come back , hopefully I might get there .... take care
Sorry to hear that! If you can make it, it'd be great to see you again!