Model Railroading > Metal roofwalk bulging, the answer is......

I have some plastic grain cars with etched metal roofwalks. A number of the cars have roofwalks which have become detached from the cars in the middle.

Option 1: Try to glue the walkway down at each contact point and use weights to hold them down until the glue dries.

Option 2: lift off the roofwalks on the 'short' end until it is broken free from any attachment all the way to the end to relieve the stress causing the walkway to spring up. Glue down the walkway at all free points and hold it down while the glue sets.

Adhesives being considered are G S Hypo used for watch crystals and jewelry, Micro Scale Crystal Clear and clear canopy glue.

Ideas? Thanks. About 10 cars to work on.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/19 00:02 by fbe.

After trying the TO search for 'all dates' this is what I find.


https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?3,4209727,page=1

These responses indicate I was headed down the right track.

Hi FBE!

I just use Pacer Formula 560 Canopy Glue. (or any other brand of canopy glue). Looks like white glue, handles like white glue, but when set, sticks better than ACC, as it keeps a flexible bond.

Cheers,
Harry



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/19 12:09 by tracktime.

https://www.michtoy.com/item-VMS-CM01-PE-FLEXY_5K_CA_Glue_for_Photo_Etched_25ml.html

This stuff is amazing.  

Remove the walkway from the short end to release tension then re-glue with the canopy glue to allow for expansion and contraction.

I went to the michtoy link and watched their video. It looks like they use about $8.50 of their $9.00 bottle of CA as puddles for pin point application. Their strength of application video is a bit misleading since it is not normal to fully submerge a fine detail part in a puddle of any adhesive but it does show their puddle is stronger than a standard CA puddle.

Thanks for the link.

Harry,

Thanks. I wonder if that canopy glue would work on those pesky 3 part truck sideframes which sometimes won't stay together?

Alan

fbe Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Harry,
>
> Thanks. I wonder if that canopy glue would work on
> those pesky 3 part truck sideframes which
> sometimes won't stay together?
>
> Alan

Hi Alan!

Yea.. I just pitch those sort of sideframes into the round bin! =). But it might be worth a shot. =)

Cheers,
Harry
 

Harry, I am too cheap to pitch anything which might prove useful. Use the 3 piece sideframes with "quality" plastic wheelsets weathered up for wrecker trains and flatcar loads. If the canopy glue works I might build up a half dozen trucks with IM wheelsets to carry around in my free-mo repair parts box. I could use them for repair or upgrade to cars purchased at a swap meet or something. It might keep plastic out of the landfill.

Alan

fbe Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Harry, I am too cheap to pitch anything which
> might prove useful. Use the 3 piece sideframes
> with "quality" plastic wheelsets weathered up for
> wrecker trains and flatcar loads. If the canopy
> glue works I might build up a half dozen trucks
> with IM wheelsets to carry around in my free-mo
> repair parts box. I could use them for repair or
> upgrade to cars purchased at a swap meet or
> something. It might keep plastic out of the
> landfill.

Sounds good Alan!  But just in case, plastic is recyclable too! =)

Cheers,
Harry
 

That's a good idea, disassembled, rusted up and dirtied and another load for a gondola headed back toward the steel mills. Truck castings again or just rebar?

All in all a productive day around the workshop for diesel sound systems and grain car roof walk repair.

I find the Micro Scale Krystal Klear clear adhesive is a nice glue for attaching the walkway which was bulged out. It sets in an hour or so which is nice and probably cures overnight. I have a smaller bottle of RC56 canopy glue but it takes hours to set so the Krystal Klear gets me moving to the next car quicker. It was the adhesive I had on hand so it saved a trip cross town.

After I apply the adhesive to roofwalk supports with a tooth pic I stack two popsicle sticks on each walkway where it is freshly glued. These stand taller than the rooftop filler hatches so I can stand a steel nut or heavy bottle to hold the walkway in place while it dried. Perhaps I will replace these with hardwood or plastic strips which are truer.

I applied Krystal Klear on the truck sideframe with the broken clip last night. This morning I find the sideframe secured to the bolster. I am sure I could have broken it free though it seems secure enough for normal layout operations as long as it is not dropped.

A replacement truck is planned though I would like to get some run time to see if some run time would not break the glue joint. The Krystal Klear was not heavily slathered on the sideframe pin but was an even covering. I installed the wheelsets last night during assembly so there was no stress this morning twisting the sideframes to get the axles in.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/22/19 11:23 by fbe.