Effectively applying ballast glue is a challenge at best. The more powdery soils and small gauge products even more so. The problem comes with application of the adhesive, specifically the surface tension of the liquid. Agents such as alcohol and dish soap help slightly but there is always an ongoing battle to minimize craters and […]
Category: Construction
Eight Foot “Rulers”
One of the more useful tools I’ve picked up along the way is a 98 inch aluminum cutting guide. I originally picked it up for it’s intended purpose, as a guide for a circular saw to ensure you get a straight edge on longer cuts. It’s also extremely handy, however, for laying out longer track […]
Floating Bench Work
Following my last post on floating bench work, I received a number of emails wondering if the torque imparted on the hollow wall anchor would rip it out of the wall. The design of the Hillman anchor takes this into account. That, in combination with a large washer screwed tightly against the front face of […]
Floating Bench Work
For the layout of East 38th Street’s junction railway I want a cleaner, sleeker design when it comes to the benchwork. Traditional shelf brackets work fine but they’ve always struck me as a little clunky, especially when the layout is in a living area or den. It’s a little hard to move them around or […]
The 80/20 Rule
I can’t remember if it was Al Gore, Mark Cuban, or Leonardo Da Vinci that “invented” the 80/20 rule. Either way, it is one of the more universally applicable concepts to roll out of a R&D department in years. It even applies to our leisure time pursuit. At least eighty per cent of the visual […]