Shotgun Speedway is finished!

[RazorJon]

I have 1 huge banked curve at the end, and you can put the hammer down, and with a loose car do a power slide for 3-4 feet, but if it deslots you lose paint from the roof :lol:

[ourwayband]

You are really going to enjoy those wide curves!!!
Nice job!

Rusty

[hoganracing]

Oddly enough I just happen to have a can of that on my desk! I'm no expert but the time I had to use it, it hardened up real well and functioned like it says on the can. Someone was doing a repair on a section of flooring here and mentioned it. I brought the can in, he mixed it up and used it. So far it seems to be holding up fine.

Just my 2 cents worth.

PH

Oh, by the way, the track looks really good so far.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

A couple of things...I have been using Durham's Rock Hard for over 40 years, and my grandfather used it before that. More or less an essential in any woodshop. It also lasts on the shelf forever. My first big can lasted over 20 years. Used it right down to nothing, then opened the next can.

Also, I am a fan of painting the inside of the slot with color for lane designation. Its simple, surprisingly quick, and leaves a nice, slick coating in the slot that bars moisture from the MDF. I have had people spill drinks in the slot before and ruin a section of track, and since I started painting the slot, I haven't had problems. Not even from the ambient moisture that sometimes gets into my shop when I have all the doors open to air it out. Just don't slop too much in there with your brush. Its tough to cut out the extra paint after it hardens.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Looks just about right!

[2FER SLOTS]

[dreinecke]

Dave - the track is really coming along.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Its worthwhile to build a tape laying machine. Rocky's plans for it are on HRW. The best feature is that it eliminates the temptation to pull the tape taught.

[DixonJohn]

Looks good. Maybe I can get the trip to Ca. planned soon and give that track a good workout LOL

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Here's the link to the taping machine. For mine, I enlarged the outside disk to prevent any de-spooling of the tape. I also used Nylok for the nut to hold the same tension all the time. The wing nut tended to loosen. I used polypropylene for the base (cutting board from the kitchen), so it glides along just fine.

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=161

[Wolseley Hornet]

In my experience, it comes out smooth on the outside of the curve, and evenly "kinked" on the inside. Then it all smooths out when you burnish it.

The danger of pulling it tight, I've found, is that you snap it - and after this has happened a time or two, unpleasant scenes ensue which are not suitable for little ones to see (or even overhear,for that matter!).


David.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

There is a 3 inch radius circle on a tire testing rig I built, and it laid that perfectly. No matter what, small kinks are okay, but a stretch of any kind, anywhere is death. It will bug you and foul up forever. Also, the vital stage of burnishing the copper does more for the looks and stability of the track than anything. I generally use and old guide mounted in a small board, and put my weight on it. I just scoot around and burnish one lane, both sides, all at once.

Another thing I did different... By using polypropylene, I planned to use superglue to lock the guide pins in place. When I tested it, I found that the machine lays curves much better if the guides are allowed to rotate in place, the way the trucks at each end of a railroad car operate on curves. But it is critical that the pins should be positioned just right. Maybe I'll take a picture of mine to post later today. Its better to see what I'm talking about.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

[2FER SLOTS]

Does this tape layer use the little felt pad right behind the slot that the tape goes through?

[waaytoomuchintothis]

No, I just rounded the back side of the slot with a small file and made sure the tape is square to the opening. The tape is quite strong, and I have yet to have one break. There's very little stress on it anyway. In Rocky's original plan, you can see that he did the same rounding on his wood platform.