# Dry Adhesive (not 50/50 glue) for Ballasting???



## SantaFeKid1 (May 1, 2016)

Greetings all,

Has anyone tried using Dry Adhesive for gluing down your ballast instead of a 50/50 glue mix? 

http://www.midwestmodelrr.com/ballasting-dry-adhesive/

If you have, any luck?


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

might be okay, a little pricey at $20 /lb ... 
one thing is that they say it's resin based, so if you change your mind, it probably can't be softened again with water, like white glue can ..


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

A year or so ago, Rusty Cuda showed an interesting
method he used to ballast track. He used an adhesive tape of
some sort on the bottom of the ties and pressed the ballast on to it, eliminating all the mess of 50/50 etc. Haven't tried
it but sounds intriguingly simple.

Don


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

I don't LIKE ballasting track, but I don't find it difficult, either. It doesn't really sound like the dry adhesive saves a whole lot of effort or modeling time (drying time, yes, because I lay my ballast in two layers). I also seems to be a whole lot more expensive (even than the matte medium I use, because I dilute 1:4, not 50/50).


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Weldwood Dry cement*



SantaFeKid1 said:


> Greetings all,
> 
> Has anyone tried using Dry Adhesive for gluing down your ballast instead of a 50/50 glue mix?
> 
> ...


SantaFeKid1;

Yes, many years back I did use dry adhesive for ballasting track. It was not the kind in your attachment though. Weldwood brand, dry powdered glue is a very strong adhesive normally used in woodworking. It did a good job of holding ballast down too. I mixed the Weldwood in with the ballast, spread the ballast out normally, and sprayed with plain water and a single drop of liquid Joy dish washing liquid. The joy, dawn, etc. breaks the surface tension of the water and allows it to flow better throughout the ballast. All in all it worked fine. I think the Weldwood would also be cheaper, than the stuff you're looking at. 
On the down side; Weldwood is very strong, and permanent. So if you ever wanted to remove it, you'd likely destroy the track in the process. Also, as CTValley says, it won't be any easier to ballast dry, than with traditional white glue and water.
The white glue is the cheapest way I know. The white glue is also removable, by soaking, and will allow the track to be removed intact.

Regards;

Traction Fan:smilie_daumenpos:


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## santafealltheway (Nov 27, 2012)

CTValleyRR said:


> I don't LIKE ballasting track, but I don't find it difficult, either. It doesn't really sound like the dry adhesive saves a whole lot of effort or modeling time (drying time, yes, because I lay my ballast in two layers). I also seems to be a whole lot more expensive (even than the matte medium I use, because I dilute 1:4, not 50/50).


1 glue 4 water or 1 water 4 glue?


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

1 part adhesive to 4 parts water. Plus 2 drops of dishwashing liquid per cup of solution. It has to be very dilute to fully penetrate the ballast / scenery materials, otherwise you just get a hard crust with unglued material underneath.


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