Has anyone glued Trixbrix switches together?

[zephyr1934]

This past weekend a group of us put together 8 ft x 30 ft layout. It was my first opportunity to use the Trixbrix R104 double slip switches and the R40 yard ladder.

I am quite impressed by the functionality of the slip switch. My only (very small) concern is that the one steam engine I had with me bounces a lot going across the slip switch, but it never derailed even though it ran for 1-2 hours.

The R40 ladder is a very efficient use of space for yards, letting the yard expand faster than any other alternative I know of. However, I'm not that thrilled with the stability of the switches for my use. The core of a TB switch are printed in two parts (a "detach" where the rails diverge and a "throw" that actually contains the points), which makes sense from a production standpoint, but this connection is a little floppy and does not always stay together with handling. It strikes me that the switches could do fine on a static layout, especially if ballasted or attached to baseplates, but packing them loose they are prone to splitting at the connection point.

Which gets to my question, has anyone glued the TB switches together so that the core of the switch effectively becomes a single unit? What would be the best glue for the TB tracks, plastic weld? Superglue?

[Karle]

Try  Scigrip Acrylic cement, I've used it on TB's turn outs and other ABS plastics without Issues.  I prefer the 1.5 oz. tube for better control, but they do make larger tubes.  I get mine locally from Tape Plastics, but Amazon carries it.

[JopieK]

Chloroform should also work, even though it my be a little tricky to get. I always use 3M face masks (not those for COVID, those for working with chemicals obviously ;)) ad ventilate wel.

[Toastie]

Gluing (naturally) always depends on the material you want to glue. When the material is ABS, then "superglue", i.e., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanoacrylate this stuff is the best. It makes connections, which a) dissolve ABS on the surface, and then b) basically chemically reattach the ABS structure.

Now there are at least two kinds of this type of glue: One is even more fluid as water and creeps everywhere - be very careful with this one - and then there are more viscous glues (gels). These are, what I prefer when it comes to gluing ABS. Takes a little more time to get to the point of releasing any pressure (tens of seconds, vs. seconds) but allows you to "adjust" when putting the parts together - for several seconds.

You need to be rather careful to not apply too much of that stuff (as it easier to do so - it then builds up and again tends to go somewhere else ;)) 

Here is one brand (that I used all over for LEGO and recently for my broken Sony amp switch) ... it's a link for "Australia", but I could not find the US link.

https://www.pattex-adhesives.com.au/en/products/super-glues/superglue-ultra-gel.html

Works quite nicely, not only on TLG's ABS:

 

Best,
Thorsten

Edited January 2, 2022 by Toastie

[dr_spock]

I used epoxy to glue wires to my 3D printed ABS PU and PF connectors. Epoxy can also fill in gaps.

Acetone is a solvent that can dissolve and fuse ABS together.  It is volatile and flammable, so no open flames when working with it. 

 

[supertruper1988]

12 hours ago, dr_spock said:

I used epoxy to glue wires to my 3D printed ABS PU and PF connectors. Epoxy can also fill in gaps.

Acetone is a solvent that can dissolve and fuse ABS together.  It is volatile and flammable, so no open flames when working with it. 

 

Dang, I do my best work by candlelight hahahaha

[zephyr1934]

Excellent, thanks all. Right now I have 1x2 plates helping to secure the switch sections together, I'll probably make a jig (1x12 plates + 4x10 plate) to hold the ties together while removing the point of contact away from the joint while the glue sets up. Now all I need is a warm weekend day so I can do this outside and minimize the sacrificial brain cells (we just had a bunch in Dec, sigh)

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

22 hours ago, Toastie said:

You need to be rather careful to not apply too much of that stuff (as it easier to do so - it then builds up and again tends to go somewhere else ;)) 

Eheheh ...I understand very well what you mean  ... a question instead: does this glue leave white halos with the release of vapors?

[Toastie]

1 hour ago, LEGO Train 12 Volts said:

Eheheh ...I understand very well what you mean  ... a question instead: does this glue leave white halos with the release of vapors?

Hi Emanuele,

ahh, this is another advantage: No it does not, as any excessive surplus dries off really slowly. Be careful when trying to wipe it away - it will leave marks for sure. Just let the surplus dry (for an hour or so) and then cut it off with a very sharp (exacto type) knife. The adhesive surface area is secure within a minute or so.

As @dr_spock noted: In contrast to epoxy glue, this stuff barely "fills" any gaps. It joints surface contact areas. And it hardly increases the "distance" between the parts glued when applying some very minor pressure. As said: Leave the resulting excessive glue showing upon applying pressure alone and deal with it later.

Acetone (2-propanone ) is nice as well but may result in a slight geometrical loss when applying pressure - and tends to go everywhere, particularly to regions you don't want it to be; this is less favorable when moving elements are close to the application area. Tried it and yes it readily and securely fastened the point blades and/or the lever operating the blades to the enclosure. And yes acetone is flammable but so is gasoline and if I am not mistaken, many folks use gasoline by the gallons. Acetone for gluing is used in microliter amounts (about 0.0000005 gallons ).   

Chloroform (trichloromethane ) as mentioned by @JopieK is, as Wikipedia knows, "a powerful anesthetic, is euphoriant, anxiolytic and sedative when inhaled or ingested" and is overly careful with this assessment; I have used CHCl3 here and there (it removes many stains) and unfortunately never experienced any of these side effects. But the same caveats as for acetone apply.

(I love chemistry )

Best
Thorsten

Edited January 3, 2022 by Toastie

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

Oh yes, this is a punctual and comprehensive answer!

Anyway the part I liked the most was: many folks use gasoline by the gallons ...and of course the piece on the side effects of the trichloromethane was also fun!

Thanks for the tips!