Wenlock's Blog

That point looks so nice its a shame to use it.

 

Pete.

That point looks so nice its a shame to use it.

 

Agreed...I was going to say its a shame to paint it

 

(watching very closely as I will start my first such turnout in about 6 weeks)

Looks very tidy. What glue or solvent did you use Dave?

Thanks for the positive comments guys! I used Butanone as a solvent, which appears to work really well. A 00 size brush was used to apply it to the chair/sleeper junction and capillary action "sucks" the dissolved plastic into the wood grain. My first thought was to stain the sleepers before glueing on the chairs, but I'm concerned that any wood stain might seal the wood surface and stop the melted chair base fusing to the wood. If anyone has tried this method, I'd be interested in hearing their findings!

 

Dave

Hi Dave - yes butanone's the perfect stuff to use for the very reason you give. Staining the wood prior to fixing the chairs doesn't present any problems at all, and is actually much easier to do without the chairs and rail in place. Graham Beare (Western Star) is building my track and in one of his entries on my journal he explains his methods. See here.

Hi Adrian, thanks for that! It looks like i'm going to have to find a supplier for "Bowley’s dark oak wood stain" Interesting to hear that it doesn't compromise the chair/sleeper bond, i'll definitely be prestaining my next point.

 

Best wishes

 

Dave

When you go looking for wood stain you need a product that has a spirit base... for several reasons:-

 

[1] dries quicker than non-spirit based products;

[2] absorbed by the timber to a greater degree than alternatives;

[3] is generally a solution rather than a suspension and hence does not clog the grain;

[4] butanone does not have impact on the stained timber, well not unless you immerse the sleeper in solvent!

 

Bowleys, Colron, Blackfriars still do spirit stains - might be difficult to obtain from a big-chain DIY superstore.

 

By diluting the stain one can vary the degree of staining.... ie. lighter than when used neat.

 

I put some of the stain in a 2-litre ice-cream tub... throw in a couple of handfuls of sleepers... swill for a couple of minutes and then decant. Dry the sleepers by dumping on a pad of newspaper and throw the top few sheets away after two or three minutes. The wood can be handled after half-an-hour although the smell hangs around for a day or so.

Hi Graham,

 

"although the smell hangs around for a day or so."

 

Mrs Wenlock's going to love that! sounds like a job for the garage. What would you recommend using to dilute the wood stain? I've got plenty of white spirit, but is there something better?

 

Best wishes

 

Dave

Dave, hi

 

Just one more thing...are the 31.5mm gauges from Debs as I assume C+L supply 32mm with their 'turnouts in a bag'?

 

Pete

I have used white spirit and I have used Iso-Propyl-Alcohol, in an emergency I have used Butanone!

 

You need to look at the shade card for the different manufacturers and decide what colour suits you - colour cards for spirit stains are reasonably accurate although I cannot be sure about illustrations on web pages. My choice of stain was dictated by the need to replicate new-ish creosote hance dark oak. You may like a lighter colour stain. You may also like to try mixing stains eg. a pale stain to lighten a dark stain.

 

regards, Graham

Dave, hi

 

Just one more thing...are the 31.5mm gauges from Debs as I assume C+L supply 32mm with their 'turnouts in a bag'?

 

Pete

Hi Pete, Yes the jigs were from Debs. Thoroughly recommended, they are nicely machined and hold the rail in place well.

are you thinking of having a dabble in 7mm?

 

Best wishes

 

Dave

Yes the jigs were from Debs. Thoroughly recommended, they are nicely machined and hold the rail in place well.

are you thinking of having a dabble in 7mm?

 

Hi Dave - Thanks for that - Certainly am...have a thread on the go about building an extract from Wenford Clay dries. Am awaiting to collect 3 C+L TIAB kits and a bunch of rail/ chairs/sleepers next month when I am back in the UK.

 

I was going to just build to 32mm but a number of peeps have suggested 31.5mm...decisions decisions!!

I was going to just build to 32mm but a number of peeps have suggested 31.5mm...decisions decisions!!

 

You can be sure that Adrian and I will argue for S7.... and "running rights" might be a dubious argument for you on the basis of your location! Maybe you need to consider airing the question / decision elsewhere?

I was going to just build to 32mm but a number of peeps have suggested 31.5mm...decisions decisions!!

Hi again Pete, I'd certainly recommend giving 31.5 a go. I thought long and hard about scale 7, but in the end the fact that I wanted friends "standard" gauge loco's to be able to run on my track, swung it for me! The 31.5 gauge finer flangeways look much better to my eye and stop wagon wheels dropping into the crossing vee.

 

I'm sure which ever gauge you go with, you'll enjoy 7mm. Funnily enough, i quite fancy a dabble in 2mm, "Vive le differance!"

 

Dave

Hi Dave,

 

I can certainly vouch for the quality of the bond between plastic chairs and stained wood sleepers. I've been building track in 2FS using exactly these methods and have been surprised at how strong a bond is created. The drawback in 2FS is that no-one produces laser cut wooden sleepers and I've had to cut my own with the consequent variability in width. I've used Colron Jacobean Oak for dying the sleepers; I didn't dilute it and the sleepers haven't come out too dark.

Excellent work by the way, Dave, and I especially like the stock that you are producing. There is some excellent 7mm work on RM Web and I certainly find it the most interesting after 2FS content.

 

David