Author Topic: Weathering rail solution  (Read 3218 times)

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GaryHinshaw

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Re: Weathering rail solution
« Reply #15 on: March 10, 2013, 03:17:40 PM »
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Gary,

Do you know whether the ME solution is hazmat with regards to shipping?

Best wishes, Dave

Don't know for sure Dave, but I just punched a fake order into MBK's site (modeltrainstuff) and put in an address for a D Schneider in Anchorage and it gave me a valid USPS Priority shipping option, so I think it should be fine.  You might be able to source the Jax locally though.

-gfh

peteski

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Re: Weathering rail solution
« Reply #16 on: March 10, 2013, 06:27:36 PM »
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As far as I know all current N scale track is nickle silver.  Way back in the late 60s someone (MiniTrix?) tried steel track, or at least SOMETHING magnetic, but that seems to have disappeared very quickly.  I have a piece of it, but that's all I ever found, and that was by accident, in a junk bin at the hobby shop in the late 70s.

Yes, Minitrix seemed to have used stainless steel for a while. I still have bunch of that flextrak.  Arnold Rapido also used a blackened steel track.  I never heard of or encountered brass N scale track and as you say, all of the currently available track is nickel silver.
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DKS

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Re: Weathering rail solution
« Reply #17 on: March 10, 2013, 07:14:36 PM »
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Yes, Minitrix seemed to have used stainless steel for a while. I still have bunch of that flextrak.  Arnold Rapido also used a blackened steel track.

I still have quite a bit of the Minitrix steel track (they used it for their sectional track in addition to flex). Not sure if it's stainless, or just an alloy that's resistant to oxidation. Arnold's track, OTOH, will rust.

...all of the currently available track is nickel silver.

While this is true, there are many different flavors of "nickel silver" (which contains no metallic silver, for those who may not have known). Rail from different manufacturers will vary in color, electrical conductivity, hardness, and reaction to chemical blackeners.
« Last Edit: March 10, 2013, 07:19:07 PM by David K. Smith »

Scottl

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Re: Weathering rail solution
« Reply #18 on: March 10, 2013, 07:25:08 PM »
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Funny, I always assumed some silver content.  Thanks for the link.

nkalanaga

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Re: Weathering rail solution
« Reply #19 on: March 11, 2013, 12:24:32 AM »
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As noted in the linked article, nickle silver is basically a special type of brass, formulated to have a silver color.  Generally speaking, it acts, chemically and electrically, much the same as other brass, except that the oxide is a better conductor.

I don't think the MiniTrix track was stainless steel.  It may have been galvanized or plated, but mine seems too tarnished to be stainless.  I do have some of the old Arnold track, but it's in an ancient set, bought a few years back, and I've never taken it out of the box.  Thanks for the note about it - probably no point in even trying to run on it after 40+ years in someone's closet...
N Kalanaga
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peteski

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Re: Weathering rail solution
« Reply #20 on: March 11, 2013, 01:32:00 AM »
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I don't think the MiniTrix track was stainless steel.  It may have been galvanized or plated, but mine seems too tarnished to be stainless.  I

I suspected it to be stainless as the stuff I have (probably 40 years old) is still as shiny and bright as when it was new.  It is steel because it is magnetic.  I suspect that (like DKS stated) it is some sort of alloy resistant to oxidation.  But then again, that is exactly what stainless steel is.  :trollface:  There are several types of stainless steel...  If someone wants to do a chemical analysis of the stuff, I can provide a sample.  :D
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Dave Schneider

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Re: Weathering rail solution
« Reply #21 on: March 11, 2013, 01:52:29 AM »
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Don't know for sure Dave, but I just punched a fake order into MBK's site (modeltrainstuff) and put in an address for a D Schneider in Anchorage and it gave me a valid USPS Priority shipping option, so I think it should be fine.  You might be able to source the Jax locally though.

-gfh

Thanks for doing this Gary...I was just wondering whether the stuff is marked flammable. I looked into it a bit more, and it looks like it has alcohol in it. Micro-Mark will only ground ship to the lower 48. Thanks for the help.

Best wishes, Dave
If you lend someone $20, and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.