Last night I glued a piece of cork roadbed to a piece of pink foam. Used straight white glue. Went up this morning to check it out and it was stuck together. It took a little bit of pressure but it did break loose. Will it help to do the 50/50 mixture with water and a drop of soap to hold better? Thanks
Gluing cork to foam?
- Thread starter rogerw
- Start date
Not likely: it'll just take longer to dry. White glue is intended for porous material, like cork, but not foam. Several Members have had good success using latex caulk.
Wayne
Wayne
Thanks Wayne. How about the track to cork then? Im guessing the track not being porous ,not so good? The glue did hold but soso. Thanks
I think that the same people also use the caulk to fasten the track to the cork. Personally, I'd use Atlas track spikes, but I'm not a big fan of foam for a layout base - not that there's anything wrong with it, but I prefer wood. 
:-D
Wayne
:-DWayne
For a solid cork-to-foam adhesive, caulking or liquid nails works well, but you have to hold it in place 'til it dries.
Water-based contact cement works very well. Paint the cork and the foam with it, let it dry, then stick it down.
As for laying the track, I much prefer to use spikes, since gluing the track down is a little too permanent. The unspoken assumption is that your trackwork is going to be perfect the first time you lay it. I know I'm not that good.
Water-based contact cement works very well. Paint the cork and the foam with it, let it dry, then stick it down.
As for laying the track, I much prefer to use spikes, since gluing the track down is a little too permanent. The unspoken assumption is that your trackwork is going to be perfect the first time you lay it. I know I'm not that good.
I'm not sure why your cork is not permanently affixed to your foam after using white glue (Elmers or equivalent). That's all I have ever used. To take it back apart after discovering a mistake takes a putty knife, a lot of patience, and a lot of jabbing and even then, I usually end up tearing up the foam. As far as attaching the track to the cork, I use the appropriately sized rail nails through the holes in the center of the ties every 4-6"+/-. I have found the rail nails to give more than adequate grip when going through the cork and into the foam. Besides, once you apply and glue your ballast, you will have no problems. At least, I never have. Now if your using track that has no holes through the ties for rail spikes, that's a different story.
I've used both carpenters glue and liquid nails. The latter works well for both track to roadbed and roadbed to foam.
Like TrainNut, I always use just the white glue. Deluting it is not a good idea. I also use straight pins to hold the cork in place until it drys. Again like TrainNut, I use rail nails to hold the track down until I ballast it. That seems to hold everything in place. The beauty of this is that you can make changes easily. Soak everything in water and it all comes up without a problem, well, almost anyway.:mrgreen: About the only thing that's not worth reusing is the cork roadbed and sometimes some of the track when you don't do it right and you pull the rails out of the ties.
Thanks all. I think I will use the straight white glue for cork to foam and nail the track to the cork. I would like to stay away from the caulk method(to permanent), Im not that confident that it will go good the first time around. Thanks again all
I'm using adhesive caulk, and I use a stack of CD's about 15 in each stack, to weigh the foam roadbed down that I'm using. Keeps it from moving, and keeps it firmly pressed against the foam subbase.
Foam, cork and track
A low temp glue gun works well for cork-to-foam too. You can also use pins to hold the shape like this (click thumbnail to see full size picture and some tips):
For track-to-cork I use Carpenters glue with a piece of a plastic milk carton I cut into squares as cheap, smooth and flexible spreaders. The pins help hold the shape and I stack books on top for an hour or two while the glue dries. (I also tried Liquid Nails for Small Projects but it gets gummy, does not spread as thin and easy as Carpenters glue, smells and sets too fast for me.)
A low temp glue gun works well for cork-to-foam too. You can also use pins to hold the shape like this (click thumbnail to see full size picture and some tips):
For track-to-cork I use Carpenters glue with a piece of a plastic milk carton I cut into squares as cheap, smooth and flexible spreaders. The pins help hold the shape and I stack books on top for an hour or two while the glue dries. (I also tried Liquid Nails for Small Projects but it gets gummy, does not spread as thin and easy as Carpenters glue, smells and sets too fast for me.)
Try using "No-More Nails" or an equivalent glue. Buy the tube that fits into a caulking gun as it is easier to control the flow from the tube simply by squeezing the trigger of the caulking gun.
For cork roadbed, squeeze a bead onto one half of the cork roadbed. Spread the glue out with a 2" spatula/ putty knife. Put the half of the cork roadbed in place along the centre-lines you marked for your tracks. Press it firmly into place. If needed (usually on sharp curves), use straight pins to hold the cork roadbed in place. Repeat the process for the other half of the roadbed. It will take 24 - 48 hours for the glue to dry. Remove the straight pins. It will take a hammer and chisel to remove the roadbed.
To glue the track down to the cork roadbed, squeeze a bead or two of "No-More-Nails" down the length of the cork roadbed and spread it out over the area that the track will occupy with a 2" spatula/ putty knife. Lay and position your track and turnouts. Hold the track in place with straight pins or with weights where necessary until the glue dries. Straight pins usually are only required on curves. Remove the straight pins and weights when the glue dries.
No muss, no fuss, no mess, no bother. Simply wash the spatula/ putty knife. And no rush waiting for white glue (or carpenter's glue) to dry and wondering whether the glue is holding the roadbed and track in place. As my modules get transported from my basement every 6 - 8 weeks, well-glued track and roadbed is most important for me.
Bob M.
For cork roadbed, squeeze a bead onto one half of the cork roadbed. Spread the glue out with a 2" spatula/ putty knife. Put the half of the cork roadbed in place along the centre-lines you marked for your tracks. Press it firmly into place. If needed (usually on sharp curves), use straight pins to hold the cork roadbed in place. Repeat the process for the other half of the roadbed. It will take 24 - 48 hours for the glue to dry. Remove the straight pins. It will take a hammer and chisel to remove the roadbed.
To glue the track down to the cork roadbed, squeeze a bead or two of "No-More-Nails" down the length of the cork roadbed and spread it out over the area that the track will occupy with a 2" spatula/ putty knife. Lay and position your track and turnouts. Hold the track in place with straight pins or with weights where necessary until the glue dries. Straight pins usually are only required on curves. Remove the straight pins and weights when the glue dries.
No muss, no fuss, no mess, no bother. Simply wash the spatula/ putty knife. And no rush waiting for white glue (or carpenter's glue) to dry and wondering whether the glue is holding the roadbed and track in place. As my modules get transported from my basement every 6 - 8 weeks, well-glued track and roadbed is most important for me.
Bob M.
What would you all recommend to glue the foam to the plywood benchwork? I too want to use a foam base so I can carve ditches and streams and whatnot.
Also, has anyone tried the Woodland Scenics Roadbed/Track-Bed? And if so how were the results? Thanks guys.
Also, has anyone tried the Woodland Scenics Roadbed/Track-Bed? And if so how were the results? Thanks guys.
Ok picked up this at wally world today
I tried it out and seems to hold better than regular white glue. Its easy just spray on and says it can be used on cork, foam, plastic yada yada yada. Its also acid free so I wont have any flashbacks from the seventies:mrgreen:
I tried it out and seems to hold better than regular white glue. Its easy just spray on and says it can be used on cork, foam, plastic yada yada yada. Its also acid free so I wont have any flashbacks from the seventies:mrgreen:
Foam-to-Wood
I used a low temp glue gun for foam-to-wood (and foam-to-foam). I have also used Liquid Nails for Small Projects with good success for foam-to-wood.
Sorry, I never tried the WS Roadbed/Track-Bed.
I used a low temp glue gun for foam-to-wood (and foam-to-foam). I have also used Liquid Nails for Small Projects with good success for foam-to-wood.
Sorry, I never tried the WS Roadbed/Track-Bed.
I use it exclusively, its great, and super quiet!
I used the same glue on some stuff, but had major issues with ungluing, even with coating both surfaces. It was a paper-cardboard gluing job, for my wife.Ok picked up this at wally world today
I tried it out and seems to hold better than regular white glue. Its easy just spray on and says it can be used on cork, foam, plastic yada yada yada. Its also acid free so I wont have any flashbacks from the seventies:mrgreen:
I've used the Track Bed quite a bit. It works well over foam, and OK over plywood. Just OK, because I prefer spiking my track down over gluing, and plywood doesn't take spikes very easily.
It is much quieter than cork, and doesn't dry out and get crumbly the way cork will over time.