Head to Head : Glue vs Caulk on Foam

[@lionellance]

Nice show and tell Jerry... thanks for sharing and keep up the great work.. Lance

[@lackawannarailfan]

Nice demonstration! Good job! Take care!

[@ModelTrainOutsider]

Cool video and nicely demonstrated. Nice job, Jerry!

[@minnesotaeerailroad8471]

Good to see! Thanks!

[@seanspennywisemiserrr]

Great comparison Jerry. I've always used silicone either white or gray. It does make it easier to remove if you have to replace or rework your track. One thing I have also found is that the silicone also seems to help absorb the sound of the loco running.

[@TriGogglin]

Great test Jerry, The Alex plus not sticking the foam to plywood very well for me, and if you use white glue to do the track, then use the thinned white glue to ballast, the water in the thinned glue could make the track glue come undone if you have used flex track that maybe an unglued problem

[@MMRails]

That happened to me. :(

[@BoxcarJerry]

Mark read Korys comment and see if that applied to your problem.

[@TriGogglin]

@@MMRails oh man that sucks, I had it happen like 20 years ago my first flex track trial on a curve. It let loose just as i was on the last inch or so and scared the demons out of me

[@davestrains6816]

Great demo Jerry. Thanks for sharing. Dave

[@FBMRR]

this is great. bet it changed a few minds of glue users. include a link for the silicone.

[@LRSX]

Very information and we'll put together jerry. My mom used my old layout tables for storage in her basement and the cork roadbed is still attached and not lifted at all over 11 years, I used latex caulk lol. Take care. I need to get some of that tight bond you recommend.

[@BoxcarJerry]

That's good to know ,11 years is a long time. I think the problem I had with Alex Plus was I put to thick a layer of it. It didn't dry in a 24 hour period.

[@LRSX]

@@BoxcarJerry I can't rember what brand I used ill have to see if I showed what I used in the old videos. I was thinking of using the tight bond to glue my kato track down

[@BoxcarJerry]

@@LRSX Try a test section with the tite bond .

[@davebnsfnscale4433]

Alex + for me

[@RoyEltham]

Thanks for doing the comparison! I'm going to get me some of that Alex Plus clear silicone. I'm using Kato Unitrack, and I agree with you it's probably the better choice for that.

[@chrisridd9423]

I’ve been wondering how moving/removing track would damage the foam surface!

[@acrranscaleandlifejourney4330]

I use the Alex plus, it works on foam really well

[@MMRails]

Thanks for sharing Jerry. Good test. I’ve used chewing gum once for track to cork. Smelled nice but was hard to remove.

[@HumancityJunction]

I like using clear silicone. It is easy to come off, but provides decent adhesion.

[@TheCanadianBubba]

Nice comparo Jerry !

[@cdplatt1965]

Good video Jerry. I used Alex on most of my layout. I learned with Alex the thinner the better if you have to take it back up. I tried some Elmer's thinned out with water in my yard and it seemed to work good but I do have some places that are starting to lift. In my helix and plywood I used nails.

[@BoxcarJerry]

Yeah I think my problem with Alex plus was I put too thick of layer on it and it just didn't dry in 24 hours and I wound up warping the little piece of shim that I had.

[@cdplatt1965]

Yeah first time I used it I left it pretty thick and then changed my mind about where I wanted the track so pulled up the cork and lots of foam come up with it. If it's real thin it comes up pretty good.

[@BoxcarJerry]

@@cdplatt1965 Good to know , thanks Chuck .

[@engineerhall5887]

Great demo 👍🏽

[@DuncSargentsKarstValleyRR]

Thanks for doing the experiment. You know I like them. --dunc

[@georgiasunbelt]

Great demo Jerry...I’ve used the silicone to put down track....good stuff....I’m all plywood and cork

[@nedmerrill5705]

I just pick up some track from foam, fastened with Elmers. Spray a little wet water (water with 20% alcohol) and wait a few minutes. It will peel right up.

[@BoxcarJerry]

Thanks good to know👍👊

[@SchuylkillRiverValley]

Nice test Jerry. As you know, I use silicone, but I've never used the Alex+. I use pure clear silicone. I don't know that it makes a difference but I've never had any issues with the silicone. It is easy to remove if you need to make some changes. Thanks for the test!

[@jasonmccarthy820]

If you want track to stay down for good on cork roadbed and you don’t plan on changing anything use Loctite power grab. I used that stuff and ended up re-doing one wall section of my layout a year later and those tracks were not budging. I ended up just pulling the rails off to use for making turnouts and left the ties glued to the roadbed and replaced the whole sheet of plywood.

[@BoxcarJerry]

Yeah power grab is a great product. I don't think people need that kind of holding power . Layouts are constantly changing and to not be able to take track up without trashing the substrate isn't a good idea.

[@jasonmccarthy820]

@@BoxcarJerry yeah I won’t be using it again. I’ve used caulk before and it worked well, and when I went to change a track arrangement it was fairly easy to remove and save the track, even with ballast glued. Power grab is a whole other animal though. I’ve went back to using caulk. I don’t want to say easy to remove, it still takes effort, but compared to what I went through before it was easier :)

[@davidbodofsky9467]

What about caulk for mounting track to caulk?

[@BoxcarJerry]

Not sure I understand your question.

[@timwright297]

As a beginner to N scale I have been thinking what the best way would be to hold down track. Looks like silicone for me.

[@pdrrengineer1404]

Thank you for doing this comparison/demo on popular adhesives Jerry. As I believe you showed, there is no one "right" adhesive for all situations. I tend to prefer white glue (Elmer's, or any other PVA glue) for a lot of applications because the bond is reversible by soaking in water (which is also its primary disadvantage). Art...

[@mysticrailroad]

nice video Jerry. i use gorilla wood glue for both cork and track. i kiss my track goodbye when i lay it and i ballast it ASAP. i don't count on being able to use it again.

[@Tom-xe9iq]

With the Elmer's, you just have to use a little water and it would have lifted right up! I use Woodland Scenics foam roadbed, same adhesive.

[@Tom-xe9iq]

@@BoxcarJerry I've got a 2 x 12ft shelf layout with a lot of track... all roadbed, track and ballast are down with PVA glue (I use 50/50 water and PVA glue for the ballast). I was amazed that by soaking the removed switch in water, all the glue and ballast came right off! You can't do that with LocTite!

[@anfieldroadlayoutintheloft5204]

Good video

[@DruSteel69]

Cool glue test, Jerry. Is the drying time pretty much the same? Thanks for sharing, brother.

[@BoxcarJerry]

Dry time on the Quick&Thick is 20-30 mins ,with a 10-15 min set time. I don't know what it is on the other two.

[@DruSteel69]

@@BoxcarJerry - Thanks bro

[@TriGogglin]

Jerry, you haven't started your vids with your, Hello or What is up my youtube freinds, Lately I really enjoyed that as your signature, gives us a chuckle lol

[@BoxcarJerry]

Tomorrow is another day my friend 😁😉. Sometimes I forget .

[@saterialewoodworking]

Aren't you supposed to be working ?