Cleaning Micro-Engineering "Weathered" Track

[brill27mcb]

Funny how people on this forum discuss at length whether to use a masonite pad smooth side down or rough side down under a cleaning car, yet bristle and demand scientific studies on the effect of Bright Boys. My point about the LifeLike track eraser was more about the fact that many people call any abrasive block a "Bright Boy." A Bright Boy is a specific brand and material, and in my opinion it is the most abrasive of them all.

But yeah, chemically weathered rails (or wheels) are a pain and need to be remedied.

Rich K.

[OldEastRR]

Gee, i thought chemical blackening had little or no effect on electric connectivity. It's just a film on the metal, right? not a plating, and unless the laws of friction don't apply to N scale just running wheels over and over it after a certain amount of time the blackening just gets worn off -- much like the top of actual steel rails, leaving shiny metal. However, to get shiny railtops on newly-laid track then scrub you must.
The process of leaving new unblackened track shiny on top while darkening the rest of the rail is a whole different problem.

[basementcalling]

Unless someone performs some scientific testing and presents concrete test results stating that"scratched" railhead due to using abrasive rubber cleaners (like Brite Boy or similar) degrades the electrical pickup quality more than the cleaning methods using finer abrasives or even the "gleam" method), I will use whatever method is easier for me.

This is one of those subjects where we have multiple views on the same subjects but without any concrete of one method being better than the other. I don't care if I see electron microscope images of the scratches. I want to see measurable proof that those scratches negatively affect electrical pickup.  Show me the proof!

This is sort of a thing like some members of the Mazda Miata Owner's club using Baby Shampoo to wash their cars, because the cleaners specifically designed  for washing cars are too harsh on the paint.   

I'm gonna try to train my cats to lick the tops of the rails clean. No solvents to remove, and though, rough, their tongues should still be soft enough not to scratch nickel silver. Keeping their paws off buildings and claws out of the benchwork legs might prove detrimental to the layout however.