Poundland Find

[TMDFan]

Evening All

Went into my local Poundland this lunchtime and found something I thought was worth sharing.

In their Allura health and beauty range they do a pack of nail buffing blocks for £1. The contents of the pack are 4 foam blocks with 4 different grades of sanding material on each. I have tried these on plastic kits and they are brilliant for sanding work. I even dissected one of the blocks and glued strips cut from them to McDonalds wooden coffee stirrers, imagine my surprise when they cleaned some dirty track I had lying around.

Multi purpose must haves for your modellers kit, and only £1 to boot, what a bargain.

Regards

Les

[Flashbang]

Hi
Its NOT recommended to use abrasives on modern track i.e. Nickel Silver rail.
Reason is that minute scratches are put into the rails surface which will collect more 'muck'. This is then pick up by the wheels of all stock and spread around the rest of the track.
Result is a increasing cycle of rail and wheel cleaning!

[knottinbotswana]

Flashbang,

I can see your reasoning but why single out "modern" track? I understand that different alloys have different properties (strength, hardness, resistance to corrosion, etc.) but is there that much difference to hardness (resistance to scratching) at a model rail level?

Following on, is it then recommended to only use IPA (not this one) rather than the ubiquitous track rubber?

[sishades]

Never use abrasives, use IPA. Also never use WD40, it will stuff up your locos big time.

[Lysander]

There has been a lot of discussion about this historically. I prefer IPA [not India Pale Ale !] but, unfortunately, the club's layout has been cleaned in so many ways the track now attracts dirt at a rate of knots. Most of the damage has been caused by old track rubbers, which have abraded the rails surfaces through too much over-enthusiastic use. Emery has also been used, with predictable results. Cleaning duties are now restricted to one or two members to prevent further harm.

Highjacking this tread slightly [and apols], but whilst on the subject, are there any views on the Dapol track cleaner ?

Tony.

[Flashbang]

Flashbang,
I can see your reasoning but why single out "modern" track? <Snip>

By 'Modern' I meant Nickel Silver track as opposed to older Steel rail track.
At times with steel rail its necessary to use a mild abrasive to remove any rust!
But don't do this on NS railed track

[raistlin295]

Never use abrasives, use IPA. Also never use WD40, it will stuff up your locos big time.

What sort of applicator do you use with IPA please?

[Flashbang]

Never use abrasives, use IPA. Also never use WD40, it will stuff up your locos big time.

What sort of applicator do you use with IPA please?

Hi
IPA can be applied by a lint free cloth - Old clean Hankie is ideal.
Or you can use it in a CMX rail cleaning tanker wagon or the Tomix/Dapol rail cleaning vehicle can also be filled with it.
Use the IPA to clean all your wheels too - A cotton bud is good for this dipped in the IPA but do remove any stray pieces of cotton wool that might be left by the bud.

[raistlin295]

Never use abrasives, use IPA. Also never use WD40, it will stuff up your locos big time.

What sort of applicator do you use with IPA please?

Hi
IPA can be applied by a lint free cloth - Old clean Hankie is ideal.
Or you can use it in a CMX rail cleaning tanker wagon or the Tomix/Dapol rail cleaning vehicle can also be filled with it.
Use the IPA to clean all your wheels too - A cotton bud is good for this dipped in the IPA but do remove any stray pieces of cotton wool that might be left by the bud.

Thanks for that

I tried with a piece of paper towel but of course, it got shredded by the ballast shoulders along the track.

[b308]

Meths is good as a track cleaner as well... Just use it in a ventilated area!

[Bufferstop]

Meths is good as a track cleaner as well... Just use it in a ventilated area!

and more readily available I'm sure the frequent instructions to use IPA are another health and safety coverall.

[raistlin295]

Meths is good as a track cleaner as well... Just use it in a ventilated area!

and more readily available I'm sure the frequent instructions to use IPA are another health and safety coverall.

Oddly enough, I can get as much IPA as I can drink... erm... use

[Zunnan]

Going off topic I know, but you can 'buff out' the scratches caused by abbrasives using a metal polish and the fibrous side of hardboard. Its not easy work and is time consuming, but after a few sessions the majority of the damage done will be sufficiently remedied. Just remember to thoroughly clean the railhead of all polish residue before running anything.

[Flashbang]

Hi
The CMX tanker wagon filled with IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) is the 'Bees Knees' or rail cleaners.
Pushed in front of two large locos is the best way I have found of using mine. One loco on its own will do it but it struggles!

[Bufferstop]

Zunan - It's a bit ironic but what do use to get rid or abrasive scratches on metal - more abrasives. Start with a mild one and use progressively milder until you have a mirror like surface. Perhaps for rail heads you should stop a bit earlier, leave something for the wheels to grip.