Ztrains: Adhesion Promoter

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	Adhesion Promoter

I use the weathering powders from

Bragdon Enterprises on almost everything from buildings and trains to grasses and soils. These powders are milled incredibly fine and they contain a dry adhesive that is activated by pressure. I used this powder in a recent

Z Scale Basics article.

Prior to writing that article I spoke with Joel Bragdon just to confirm that his weathering powders would be safe to use on Micro-Trains® Track system. I was confident they would be and Joel confirmed this for me. One trick I use when weathering track is to "seal" the weathering powder with a fine mist of alcohol. The alcohol interacts nicely with the dry adhesive in the weathering powder and in effects forms a hard surface. In addition when using alcohol on rails to seal the powders you clean-up time is minimized as the alcohol evaporates nicely.

During our conversation I mentioned to Joel that I use an aerosol automotive adhesion promoter made by Dupli-Color on many surfaces prior to, and after, applying his powders. I've found that this adhesion promoter does two things. First it gives some "tooth" to most surfaces, allowing his powders to really grab and second, it lays down a nice, thin, matte finish. In addition I find the Dupli-Color adhesion promoter aerosol spray to have a finer mist than that of the aerosol Dull Cote and this adhesion promoter dries a bit faster than Dull Cote. A final light coat of the adhesion promoter also seals the powders nicely in place.

I also use this adhesion promoter on Micro-Trains® flex track prior to painting and weathering, again this helps the paint to grab and lessens the chances of subsequent paint flaking.

Joel decided to try this product firsthand and the following are his observations on the Dupli-Color adhesion promoter.

From Joel Bragdon, Bragdon Enterprises

I have purchased a can of the "Adhesion Promoter" that you recommended and am very pleased with the results. I have tested it extensively on various materials and finishes. All results were positive, none were negative but results did vary. It did not adhere well to the high polish surface of acrylic Plexiglas but the results were random and thus still very interesting, so I would still put this in the "positive" column.

It worked the best on pre-painted or pre-printed freight cars. I sprayed one half of each of several cars (in various scales and makes) with the adhesion promoter and I let it dry. Our powdered weathering products were then applied and adhesion was generally better that without the adhesion promoter but also still good in most cases without the spay. The big exceptions were on very shiny plastic (printed but not painted) cars. The adhesion promoter was a must for these.

It worked fairly well on shiny flex-track rail but not as well as flex-track that had been pre-painted with a dead flat, gray spray primer.

Compared to Dull Cote, it appears to be very superior and much less expensive per ounce. I experienced very close results when I compared it to several brands of Artist's clear spray or Artist's workable fixative that I have purchased from various art suppliers.

I do not yet have results regarding its adhesion enhancing qualities but am hoping for the best.

I will be recommending this product to my customers as an excellent alternative to some of the matte finish products currently available.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Elevated or “EL” Model Railroading

I received an email from a reader who attended the recent train show in Milwaukee, WI., and they told me about a new company called:
Imagine That, Laser Art Productions.

This new company is producing laser cut “EL”, or elevated train kits and components for several scales. I wrote to them and asked about the possibility of working in Z scale and was told that this may be in the future works for Z. Check out their site and maybe drop them an email if you'd be interested in this decidedly cool idea.

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