Homemade Cement for Ballast?

Not to be a wise guy....but you nailed it.

Just use thinned down Elmers white glue. Use a 50/50 mix with a few drops of dish washing detergent to break down the surface tension of the water.

That is it. I have been using this method for years and have ballasted a lot of Gargraves over that time.

Buy yourself a gallon....it will last a long time and it is under $15.00.

Hope that helps.

Donald

UP SD70 posted:

Has anyone ever made their own cement for ballasting track?  I've bought WS Scenic Cement, and it's pretty expensive considering it looks like watered down Elmers white Glue.  

Any suggestions would be helpful.. 

Just my opinion but, depending on the size of your layout, purchase a gallon of Matte Medium from Scenic Express. Then, you can dilute that thick Matte Medium with warm water to about the consistency of  milk, which should wind up providing about 3 or more gallons of workable ballast glue. Simply moisten the area to be glued first with the cheapest alcohol you can by, then soak the area with the diluted Matte Medium. 

1 part Elmer's White Glue to 2 parts water--been using it for years without any issues. First, saturate with wet water, then saturate with the glue mixture.

Oh, one more thing...

After you place your ballast and are happy with the location....

Literally SOAK IT with plain water in a spray bottle. Again add a few drops of dish washing soap.

If you think you soaked it enough, do it again for good measure. Then apply your glue mix from a SQUEEZE BOTTLE. Do not try to spray it on.

Donald

I will give a plug to DENNISB......I have been using his ballast for years. It is the best on the market, hands down. Buy the real stuff, forget the chicken grit and all the other stuff.

Dennis prefers his mix to be twice the water......I prefer the 50/50. No big deal, I just like the extra glue.

Also, consider buying Dennis's book that is out on the market. Real good stuff. He builds a layout from soup to nuts.  I wore mine out!!

Have fun.

Donald

3rail 2 posted:

Oh, one more thing...

After you place your ballast and are happy with the location....

Literally SOAK IT with plain water in a spray bottle. Again add a few drops of dish washing soap.

If you think you soaked it enough, do it again for good measure. Then apply your glue mix from a SQUEEZE BOTTLE. Do not try to spray it on.

Donald

Excellent advice.  And, a few more points to add/clarify...................

Plain water with a few drops of dish washing detergent acts as a wetting agent - it breaks the surface tension of the water.  Also known as "wet water" for short.

Squeeze bottle is correct.  A 50/50 glue water mix has far too much glue content in it to properly run through a spray bottle.

Elmer's glue is a lot more water soluble after it is dry than matte medium.  If you ever want to revise, replace, or remove ballasted track, simply wet it down with wet water and it will soften up considerably after a very short while.  Matte medium is pretty much water-proof after it is dry.

If you're squeezing out ballast glue and it starts beading up and not soaking in, don't panic.  You probably didn't get the ballast wet enough with the wet water.  Simply go ahead and spray some more wet water directly over the beaded-up glue, and watch it suck right in. 

I first put down 100% white glue on each side of the track/roadbed. This keeps the rock from running off into the wild. Then I do like the others in the posts above, but I add "color" to the 50/50 mix, most of the time it's black or gray paint added to the glue,

A few weeks after the glue is dry, I remove 1/3 to 1/2 of the screws used to hold the track down.

3rail 2 posted:

Do not try to spray it on.

 

Regardless of percentage of glue in the mix, do not spray it on. No one is good enough to avoid getting it where you really do not want it to go, and spraying it won't penetrate very far either.  You need to add your glue mix with control.  I use transfer pipettes - some hobby shops do sell these albeit greatly overpriced and I have seen them at shows/meets. They last a long time and can also be used for paint and thinner.

The pre wetting with water or alcohol aids in the glue penetration to achive a good bond. (spreading, flattening & feathering thickness at the edges too. The faster evaporating soak wicks the moisture from the thicker glue as the soak dries( & dissipates deep into fibers).  Alcohol loves to suck up water, they mix just as well outside of a rock glass as in one

Ballasting machine with wet water and 50/50 WW & Glue:

Word to the wise, plug/caulk wire holes and place tarp or plastic cover underneath the layout. If as i did, you operate track switches from underneath with Tortoise motors, the slot for throwbar springwire movement is an exposure to ample drainage downward.