mightbe Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 Hi, A while back I noticed that the C&L flex track I had turned yellowish after being laid (with both latex and white glue in different areas). The rail turnouts was never exposed to the fumes or vapors of glue as they were built in situ. Before being laid all my nickel silver rail was the color of the rail on the left. Paint will cover the vast majority of it (i.e., the sides) but in a few places (where I had likely used more glue) the yellow had creeped onto the railhead. In one section the left railhead and right one of the same piece of flex are different colors! I've repeatedly attacked the surface with plain paper, isopropanol, and some terrifying thinner I had laying around, and I cannot seem to remove it. I think the rail has tarnished (which I didn't realize was possible with nickel silver so quickly--all the rail is brand new and the change was literally overnight while the glue dried). I've strictly avoided abrasives, but I fear that some superfine sandpaper might need to be used.. Help? Quentin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jukebox Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 Hi Quentin I identified the same issue a while back. Here's the start of my investigations: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/63300-stockrington-completing-the-storage-yard/?p=1064295 Like you, I'm not prepared to use abrasive on brand new rail, and tried everything up to and including Cellulose Thinners, to no avail. I've not been able to eliminate it, and am 99% sure it's a reaction to the PVA vapors. Scott Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mightbe Posted May 31, 2015 Author Share Posted May 31, 2015 It seems odd that I'd never heard of this before, especially with the widespread use of PVA/white glue in and around track. I think what I may end up doing is nothing until it's painted and ballasted and then use some high-grit sandpaper. That way I won't have issues removing paint etc from the railheads. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 (edited) Nickel Silver tends to have a “yellow cast” anyway. I had a pistol frame finished in nickel silver plating and it was “buttery” in color from the get go........ Best, Pete. Edited May 31, 2015 by trisonic Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mightbe Posted May 31, 2015 Author Share Posted May 31, 2015 C&L calls this rail "HiNi" and it has higher nickel content than is normal. As visible in the first pic to the left, there was no hint of any yellow at all, unlike some other nickel silver I have had that was a bit yellowy even at first. I wonder if some kind of silver polish or something could fix the coloring on the rail heads. Quentin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
awoodford Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 Hi Quentin, I've had this same problem with Peco track. I used one of those fibre glass pens to remove the stain, and it hasn't returned. Perhaps some kind of metal polish would remove it - not tried it, but it would probably be kinder than the abrasive pen. I've seen in American forums that the use of metal polish on track is quite widespread (but not Brasso, which leaves a film apparently). Also there's a method called 'gleaming', which involves going over track with a stainless steel washer to smooth out any scratches after using abrasives. Alan. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 C&L do both normal nickelsilver and HiNi nickelsilver rail but never seen it go that yellow. I have just looked at a comparison piece I made with a C&L and Peco turnouts side by side, both being ballasted. The Peco products rail is far more yellow Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 John, The otherwise admirable ME fb rail suffers from a yellow cast. I can’t seem to find any nice cold-drawn steel rail over here. Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted June 9, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 9, 2015 Nickel Silver will oxidise and go slightly yellower.It is not a problem as it is conductive. However PVA is based on acetic acid (vinegar) so the attack may be due to that else if is its really yellow. Abrading the surface to r emove the oxide is an endless task the more you abrade it the more it comes back. I have not tried the Hi Ni so I cannot say how yellow this goes. Obviously steel rail will have a better colour but it is prone to be affected by corrosive substances flux/pVA Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Horner Posted September 4, 2021 Share Posted September 4, 2021 On 31/05/2015 at 06:13, mightbe said: It seems odd that I'd never heard of this before, especially with the widespread use of PVA/white glue in and around track. I think what I may end up doing is nothing until it's painted and ballasted and then use some high-grit sandpaper. That way I won't have issues removing paint etc from the railheads. Did you ever solve this problem after painting? I’ve recently had the same experience with some hand made C&L point work. A day after using PVA to stick down the points the rail has gone very yellow in places. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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