![]() ![]() Only the ballast dust really held, giving ne a correct-scale ballast look (most people use ballast that's WAY too big to be in scale), and the edges were nice and straight (I model the steam era when railroads took bride in a perfect ballast profile). We have an area rug at our front door on a smooth, laminate hardwood floor that I installed these on to help hold. Just peel off one side, stick it to the rug, then peel off the remaining exposed side and set the rug in place. That's why I commented that I ended up with the most realistic N scale ballasting job I've ever seen. These Multi-Surface Carpet Tile Tabs are best described as 4x4 pieces of double-sided peel and stick tape. I laid enough tape to simulate the entire ballast profile, added the track, and added ballast right away. I figured that since the tape was an adhesive anyway, I'd try adding dry ballast directly to the tape to see what happened. Is this how you did it on your module?Īctually, no. ![]() I figured there was still enough exposed surface on the roadbed to provide adequate bonding surface for the ballast. That was why I only put a thin strip down the middle of the roadbed, in case that very thing occurred. I would think that the ballast, being held with bonding agent, would keep the track from coming up if the tape did happen to come loose. Was it the kind of tape that looks like tiny fishnetting when you peel off the backing? ![]() Unfortunately for us modelers, the stuff is only available in 1000-foot rolls, and is Uber-expensive. Its double-sided duct tape is easy to tear and use, and delivers high tensile strength and a strong bond on a variety of surfaces, including concrete, tile, hardwood and irregular surfaces. 3M makes a double sided tape that's used to laminate aircraft skin to the body (didn't know that stuff was TAPED on, did ya?). Needless to say, I'm against the use of tapes to lay track. Using a heat gun to "activate" the adhesive on the tape didn't work either: it either did nothing, or the glue bubbled through the ballast. Unfortunately, gravity and humidity attacked the tape, and within a month the track was popping up all over. RedGard Seam Tape is a membrane fabric that is used for the seams between RedGard mat installations. For the first couple of weeks, it was great, and gave me the most realistic N scale ballasting job I've ever seen. Indoor Seam Tape for Uncoupling Mat Underlayment. I made sure the foam surface was clean and dry, I applied the first layer of tape, rolled it down with a wallpaper roller, added the track, and rolled the track. Oh sure, it worked for awhile, and I was pretty careful about applying it for my test (a Ntrak module). It was cheaper, but cheaper isn't always better.I tried double sided carpet tape by two different manufacturers (Duck and 3M). With the stuff from the discount store, getting the film off is very difficult. With Shurtape, all that is necessary to remove the film from the back of the tape is to snag near a corner with a knife and lift the film. I found a roll of double-stick tape at a discount store (kinda like a dollar store but larger) that looks a lot like Shurtape, but with one very important difference. Also, fabric is resilient and can withstand catches without breaking the bond. The adhesive is very sticky, especially if the taped joint is compressed for a few minutes. The fact that it is fabric means that the tape itself is somewhat compressable which means that it can more readily conform to the irregular surfaces of the glue block and workpiece. Shurtape is a fabric tape with a removable blue film to protect the adhesive on the back side of the tape. Unfortunately, the other issue at Lowes is that no one who works there knows where anything is, so you are on your own to search for whatever you are looking for. Of course Lowes is like the supermarket - they move things around weekly so that you can never find what you are looking for - that way you are more likely to see something you didn't know you need until you actually see it. I bought a couple of rolls at Lowes - the first time it was on one of those 'appendage racks' added to the end of row in the floor covering department, but the next time I found it in with the other tapes and adhesives in the paint department. In one of his videos many years ago, Captain Eddy recommended Shurtape brand carpet tape. ![]() The books say that you should never use 'carpet tape', but rather should use only fit-for-purpose turning tape. ![]()
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