MORRISTOWN & ERIE RAILROAD - WESTERN DIVISION

[Erieman]

  "Since a large part of my pour will be somewhat inaccessible, is there anything other than my breath that I can use.
   I would need a herd of people expelling CO2 to get rid of the potential bubbles. any suggestions would be helpful. "

This is why the subject of heat gun vs. torch came up.  Waving a torch around above the river is another way to deliver CO2, but care is required.  Do you have an old Bernz-O-Matic torch?  Light it, turn the gas down to make a soft, noiseless flame and keep it an inch or two above the resin.  Recent 'pushbutton ignition' torches won't let you adjust the flame and would be much trickier to use.

  "I will probably make several pours due to the changes in elevation of the stream / river. Somewhere i read that using
   silly putty as a dam along or at the end of the stream works well. Any thoughts?"

I've used hot glue to seal hardboard dams, never tried silly putty.  It looks like you could use rubbing alcohol to clean up anything that couldn't be scraped off.  I've used water to check the tightness of both my rivers; just give it a couple of days to dry out before the resin pour.

James,

Thanks for your comments. I have both and I will be careful. I don't want to burn the scenery or anything else. Too much to fix if I did. As I mentioned to Andy, I am going to make a couple of test panels to evaluate color of resin, using the torch and several other items for I get into the BIG pour ( actually many pours).

Frank / Erieman

[S&S RR]

Frank


Thanks for posting the details of your water project. As you know, I have lots of water to pour and
I'm following along trying to learn the best technique.

[KCS Trains]

Frank, I have moved and living with my father-in-law.  All my train stuff is stacked up in his living room.  My new house should be finished in late June.  I've already ordered inexpensive utility cabinets to go in my work space.

As for the envirotex, I thought Bill told us that breathing on it provided the heat necessary to release the CO2 in the mix.  I may have heard that wrong.  However, you are in Arizona and you might not need to add any heat.  How warm is your layout room?

Phil

[deemery]

Here's a question for James and others with more practical knowledge than I have about this:


If it's CO2 and not heat that releases the bubbles from the Envirotex, could you use dry ice to generate the CO2? 


dave

[jbvb]

Note: I got the CO2 tip from either the WWW or an old MR (and it worked, but I was breathing, not using a torch). Assuming I remembered it right: Dry ice makes CO2, for sure, but it makes *cold* CO2.  Envirotex directions say don't pour at less than 70F.  So keep the dry ice well away from the resin, I think?

[Erieman]

Frank, I have moved and living with my father-in-law.  All my train stuff is stacked up in his living room.  My new house should be finished in late June.  I've already ordered inexpensive utility cabinets to go in my work space.

As for the envirotex, I thought Bill told us that breathing on it provided the heat necessary to release the CO2 in the mix.  I may have heard that wrong.  However, you are in Arizona and you might not need to add any heat.  How warm is your layout room?

Phil

Phil,

Late June cannot probably come fast enough for you and your trains. Good luck with the new house. Sounds great. We have started conversation about downsizing. Perhaps in 5 or 6 years. possibly sooner. i want to get my layout completed before then, so you know where my priorities are.

As far as the bubbles in the Environtex, my problem is not enough hot air, but getting far enough over the layout to get to the bubbles. You are right, Bill said hot air. Some might kid me about all the hot air that I have, but that is another story. As far as the temperature of my room, that depends if I do not turn on the AC or not. We are expecting temps around 100 on Wednesday and then in the 60's on Thursday. The real heat is just around the corner. By mid May, early June we should be in the 100 to 110 range, so perhaps leaving the AC off might be a good thing, for the Environtex.

Frank / Erieman

[Erieman]

Dave & James,
Thank you both for your comments on the Dry Ice and hot air. I would have to throw a party to get enough hot air for the area that I want to pour. Perhaps as Phil states, i should just wait for a good hot Arizona day, let the train room get up to around 100 and pour a lot of Environtex. Just thinking.

Frank / Erieman

[bparrish]

Frank.......

Wait for congress to come back in session and put your radio near your railroad.  There's enough hot air there to cook off anything  ! ! ! ! !

see  ya
Bob

[Zephyrus52246]

Looking at the envirotex instructions at their website, it IS the CO2, not the heat that releases the bubbles.  Dry ice could work, but would be a pain to handle as it gasses off, though the CO2 is heavier than normal air and would settle onto the surface.  You could use compressed CO2 gas, but I'd do this in a VERY well ventilated area as if it builds up it could asphyxiate the user.  Again, it settles in low places so pets would be at most danger if they're on the floor. 


Jeff

[Erieman]

So much for the CO2 discussion. While surfing thru my computer the other day, i came across a couple of truck pictures, which I immediately printed out copies. I also checked my Wheel Works vehicles to see if I had something that would work. Well, as luck would have it, I did. Here are two pictures of the truck. The truck on the white background is an unknown scale and unknown builder. I surmise that the size is larger than HO. Well, I really liked what I saw and decided to take a break from scenery and make this truck. Well, 1 -1/2 days later and here is my version of the ice truck. There are still several details to be done, but thought you might want to take a peak.

Frank / Erieman

[ACL1504]

Frank,

Your truck photo is probably HO scale by Wheel Works. They did do a few in O scale.

The truck bed probably started out as the dump truck bed and was modified.

Nice job on yours.

Here is the HO Wheel Works dump truck.



Hope this helps solve the mystery.

Tom

[ak-milw]

I like it Frank, nice work

[Zephyrus52246]

Great looking truck.


Jeff

[donatode]

Beautiful work Frank.

[Erieman]

Donato, Andy, Jeff and Tom,

Thank you for stopping and commenting about my truck. The front visor over the window is missing, so I need to fabricate one. I also need to fabricate the ice cover. Details, details. so much fun. Hope you all have a great day.

Frank / Erieman