carbon Black

[johnco]

I want to ballast the sidings on my layout to represent ash ballast.
I have sufficient light grey stone dust (passing a 500 micron mesh) but it is too light in colour.
Would adding a small quantity of carbon black to the 50/50 PVA/Water mix be ok for colour and / or would it spoil the glueing properties of the mixture?
Any answer would be appreciated, thanks.

[heda]

Not something I've tried but how about mixing some black acrylic paint to the pva/water mix and/or give it a wash of black acrylic once its dry.
Best to try on a small spare section of track first.
Dave

[Bigmet]

The carbon black - in the quantity you are likely to use it - will not alter the PVA's action. But I would be very cautious particularly if it is very fine, it goes a long way in making 'everything black', and then there is the inhalation risk while handling it (fine particulate mask recommended).

I'd prefer black-brown paint mixes applied as dilute washes. More control of colour and application to get the right tone and variegation. As suggested above, some trials to find the effect you are looking for before committing to the layout...

[Bufferstop]

Having learned my way around the innards of photocopiers and laser printers I would suggest the further away you stay from carbon black the better. It's filthy stuff and will be carried around by the slightest air current whilst you are working. Small amounts of black or brown acrylic paint added into your PVA will do fine.

[Roger (RJ)]

Is carbon black conductive? That could cause problems.

[luckymucklebackit]

Having worked in a Tyre Factory for 13 years I agree totally with Bufferstop, Carbon Black is nasty stuff that gets into every pore and is very difficult to wash off, you can sweat the stuff out days after coming into contact with it.

Jim

[johnco]

From your relies K think that I will stay well away from carbon black, thanks for the warnings.

[Bufferstop]

@Roger(RJ)
It's not conductive which is one of the reasons it is used as the toner in electrostatic printing. To add to the rest of its foul properties like many other fine non conductive powders (like flour) a cloud of it is explosive. An early and totally unofficial way of cleaning the insides of large photocopiers was to pull a lead of the main motor, cheat all of the interlocks, start it up and let the toner removal system act as a great big vacuum cleaner. It was safest to remove the corona devices as one or two technicians found out the hard way, a careless flick with a brush putting a little cloud of carbon black into the high voltage field could call a fireball, which if you were lucky just left you with a wrecked machine to explain away.

[Peterm]

You can buy acrylic carbon black paint in tubes to be mixed to the consistency you want. Maybe from cheap shops or if all else fails, an artist supplies shop.

[Buelligan]

I agree with the above opinions, keep well away from carbon black! We use it at work, 300g at a time we wear full overalls, thick rubber gloves, paper sleeves over the top down our arms, paper apron, full head covering with a battery powered filter pack, and weighed up under strong extraction. And still 9 times out of 10 you end up with some somewhere on your body, and it just spreads and spreads. On the odd occasion it's somehow made its way passed the mask, or been on me somewhere when I've finished using it and I've taken the mask off, next time I blow my nose its like tar. The whole area also has to get wiped down and mopped after use, generally mopping the floor 3 or 4 times before it comes up grey again instead of black!


Basically, unless you want it everywhere, in all sort of places you don't want it, don't try it.

[Daniel]

Sorry, wrong message in wrong thread.

Daniel

[Mountain]

@Roger(RJ)
It's not conductive which is one of the reasons it is used as the toner in electrostatic printing. To add to the rest of its foul properties like many other fine non conductive powders (like flour) a cloud of it is explosive. An early and totally unofficial way of cleaning the insides of large photocopiers was to pull a lead of the main motor, cheat all of the interlocks, start it up and let the toner removal system act as a great big vacuum cleaner. It was safest to remove the corona devices as one or two technicians found out the hard way, a careless flick with a brush putting a little cloud of carbon black into the high voltage field could call a fireball, which if you were lucky just left you with a wrecked machine to explain away.

Wasn't carbon black a byproduct of the manufacture of TNT?

[luckymucklebackit]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_black tells you about the stuff, note the paragraphs regarding health. It is not a by product and it is manufactured to closely monitored specifications, as any deviation to particle sizes can seriously affect the compounding and processing of the rubber.

Jim

[Dad-1]

Hi Jim,

Somehow I have you placed North of the border.
You didn't work for India Tyres at Inchinnan did you ??

Geoff T.

[Daniel]

Hmm...