Mike, what was the bad press about the insulation board? You can get cat repellent I would image in a good pet store.
Hi Johnny. You waited a while to bat that reference on polystyrene back . I'm not sure where I saw it now, but on a quick 're-browse' I found a couple of places that indicate the probable areas of concern - mainly environmental I think. Firstly this definition:- Extruded Polystyrene Board: (Dow Styrofoam, Amoco Amofoam - blue or pink) - Expanded using CFC or HCFC, mostly HCFC. - Some use recycled polystyrene. - Will create toxic fumes when burned. - Deteriorates, releasing gases under ultra-violet light. As well as the general 'green' issues, there is an obvious concern in the third point for modellers who use 'hot knives'. Here is a link to a site illustrating some other concerns: http://www.ejnet.org/plastics/polystyrene/index.html The site (and perhaps info) does appear to be a bit old (1996) but if you clip some of the phrases into your search engine (and Google is still the best) you may find more recent data. Of course there is the usual selection of manufacturers sites saying it (styrene) is safe, and 'consumer' sites saying it isn't - cancer being one of the bogeys in question, as always . I really don't know what the truth is ("Truth is in the eye of the beholder."), but from a fire safety point of view I'd be a bit cautious with this stuff. In a house fire these boards are inside the walls, etc, and by the time they burn you are probably in the garden or past caring. If they are all over your trainset, they are very exposed and may burn early on while you are still in the house, and so you get the benefit of the fumes . This wouldn't stop me using blue/pink boards, but I think I'd fit a smoke detector and door closer to the railway room. ===== I already asked the local pet stores about repellant - but either the stores aren't that good, or as places for pet 'lovers' the idea of stocking pet repellant is simply not in the mindset . Garden centres is another possibility, but the stuff they have is for outdoors and is usually physically unsuitable for our purpose (e.g. powders, pellets). Following rrman's pointer I found a UK 'StayOff' in a gardening web page, but it appears to be a powder that you dissolve in water before applying, not an aerosol. Hmm. I'm also working on a mechanical solution ... I'll post info if that comes to something.
Mike I think they do ,we ship over there too. Sargents products also has basically the same stuff.You can probably get it any vet or hardware store.Have ya'll got "Home Depot",across the pond as my dad used to say.It's probably available.Anyway wife said if ya'll dont want'em she said to send them to us we need 2 more to add to the 4 we already have .
Mike, I wasn't afraid of what you found, I just forgot to check the thread! LOL! My layout is so small that most of that stuff doesn't affect me. I don't use a hot knife and I sure as heck hope my apartment doesn't catch fire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My layout is just feet from my bed, so I guess I'm getting poisioned in my bed every night! Is there anyone here who uses insulation board, or something else that isn't plywood?
I used 1/2" and 3/4" BlueBoard (urethane insulation board) exclusively. I used a utility knife for all cuts and Liquid Nails Projects (Foam) as an adhesive. It has worked great for 2-1/2 years on a fixed layout. I used 3/4" for the base and laid 1/2" on top. That way the 1/2" was used to make grades by the "cookie-cutter" method, placing increasingly taller supports under it every foot or so for a 2% grade. [ 02 May 2002, 00:53: Message edited by: Hank Coolidge ]
Hank, do you run steam or diesel or both? That's a nice layout. Everything is right there at the viewer/operator. I'd give anything for some room to expand. Well.....I figure a few more years and the kid will be out on her own. Then........out comes the tape measure!
Hey Hank! Nice looking... CLEANLY done layout. I like it! Just one question.... I have to ask.. Is that a full container of mixed up Hydrocal or equal sitting by those black rock molds? I hope you put down the camera and poured those puppies quick after taking that picture!!!!! Good job on the layout. -Kitbash
Kit, I was going to mention that container sitting there, but I decided to "put a lid on it" instead!
Hi Guys, thanks for the compliments. Johnny, I run anything that fits between 1940 and 1955, and/or whatever else looks good and I can afford. No, that's not Hydrocal. Just some white plastic measuring cups in the Hydrocal mixing cup. Those molds provided the rocks for the cliff in the upper left-hand corner.
Well I don't have a problem with cats scratching but a more unpleasant one. My cat's if they can get into the train room think it's the perfect place to poop. They like to find a nice corner under the bench work and I don;t find out untill I go in there. The only think I can do is make sure the door starys closed.
