Plastic Chairs on ply sleepers

[bordercollie]

Hello

After doing a lot of reading I have more or less decided on using experiment with 100% MEK/Butanone. I can get in a 100ml bottle from a hobby store or 1 litre  from a supplier. Although the larger size is cheaper per 100ml, I don't really know  how much I need. Very roughly, I will have about 20 m of visible track. 

Does anyone have a rough idea how would be needed? If it makes any difference makes I will be using a spirit based tint diluted with iso-propyl alcohol.

 

 Best wishes

Graham 

[Siberian Snooper]

I'd buy the litre and decant it into a small jar and store the rest in a dark cool space, I use a beer fridge.  Over time, you will find plenty of uses for it. I bought 2.5 litres of Dichloromethane (Plastic Weld) for track building and I keep that in the cupboard under the stairs, I've had that for around 12 years or so now.

[Steve Hewitt]

3 hours ago, Siberian Snooper said:

I'd buy the litre and decant it into a small jar and store the rest in a dark cool space, I use a beer fridge.  Over time, you will find plenty of uses for it. I bought 2.5 litres of Dichloromethane (Plastic Weld) for track building and I keep that in the cupboard under the stairs, I've had that for around 12 years or so now.

Probably helps get a good night's sleep.

[Jeff Smith]

I built the track for my 10' P4 BLT getting on for 40 yrs ago.  All ply and C&L (K&L then) chairs using butanone.  It was subsequently weathered with a Humbrol/turps substitute wash.  It is still rock solid!

 

If you've not tried this method of construction before you will find you will need a small paintbrush of solvent per chair.  Apply solvent with chair in place then press down for 30 secs or so.  Capillary action takes the solvent under the chair.  Mis-positioned chairs can be removed with a sharp knife.

[Stephen Freeman]

Misplaced chairs, best to apply Butanone before using knife much easier. When applying for the first time you will find more is needed than you think as it will sink into to the wood and might not stick as well as you might think. I use a bow-pen, that way it goes to the base of the chair without affecting the body of the chair.

 

A small bottle will not be enough but as said decant into a small glass bottle and try not to knock it over! We all have. An anti-spill device is well worth concocting.

Edited July 7 by Stephen Freeman

[flubrush]

Rather than a brush or a bow pen,  I use a hypodermic syringe to apply the butanone to the plastic chairs/plywood sleepers.   It's a one handed operation leaving the other hand free to press down on the chair.   The syringes seem to survive well with the butanone.

 

Jim.

Edited July 7 by flubrush

[brossard]

I built all my 0 gauge turnouts using Peco chairs and Intentio ply timbers.  I used MEK purchased from a local DIY.  This was quite a few years ago.  Yes, decanting into a glass bottle is good.  I just use a cheapie brush.  Turnouts are all in good condition.

 

John

[Izzy]

Whatever glue you use a fair amount will be lost through natural evaporation while the bottle is open. I have always used a good quality sable brush to apply it. They seem able to retain the liquid and transfer it to the job better that other types. The current one is about 15 years old now. As said often two loads are needed to a chair as the ply will absorb a lot of it. 20m of visible track is a fair amount so I think that perhaps more than the litre might be needed in the finish. Certainly decant to a small bottle for daily use. I use an old Slaters Mek-pak one. The latter is not MEK/butanone these days, milder, but still works okay. It is what I originally used when I first tried this idea back in  about 1986/7. Track made this way will last as long as you want it to. I never stain the sleepers before gluing the chairs. It makes in my experience the glue joint less certain. These days I apply poster paint after construction. Black, since they were all creosoted before use, and then weathered to suit after. This is of course down to individual preference. 
 

Bob

[St Enodoc]

Lots of comments here about decanting MEK into a glass bottle. That's fine, but make sure it's a brown glass bottle, otherwise the contents can be affected by light and produce a very nasty gas (not dissimilar to phosgene/mustard gas, as I understand it).