Diluting Copydex

[mike morley]

I've been using neat Copydex to stick down track and underlay for years but have been investigating its use in dilute form for sticking down ballast.  There is lots of mention on here about diluting it with water but my trial mix took an extraordinary 18 hours to dry and even then it was still obstinately opaque white.  It wasnt very heavily diluted, either - about one third water, two thirds Copydex.

Do others simply put up with the elongated drying time or do they do something to speed things up?

 

I've also trialed diluting Copydex with Kleer, which took a not-much-better 12 hours to dry, and Swarfega(!), which only took two hours but left it with a distinctly greasy feel which didnt give me much confidence in its ability to actually stick things.

[Jinty3f]

I used neat windscreen wash to dilute Copydex for ballasting, mainly for ease of soaking into the dry ballast. Whilst I didn’t time it, I don’t recall it ever taking an inordinate time to dry. It also dried clear.

JD

[Pete the Elaner]

I use it exactly like I used to with PVA: 50/50 with some washing up liquid. I give the ballast 1 light coat to make it tacky then a good soaking to fix it down properly.

It is usually ok the next day. PVA used to take 3-4 days to go off completely.