I'm getting to the point with my module where it's soon time to place structures. Since the module will be transported on a regular basis, I thought it would be best to attach them in a permanent fashion instead of carting multiple boxes of things around and having to place them every time I set up. The question now becomes just how to attach them to the layout firmly, yet still with some allowance that they could be removed in the future without destroying them. If it helps, everything I'm using is styrene or resin based (N scale), no fragile wood kits.
Attaching structures to module
- Thread starter ddavidv
- Start date
F
Fred_M
I have used hot melt glue and automotive RTV silicon to glue down plastic building. A little careful prying and they can be removed in the future for moving or replacing bulbs. The RTV is a tad better for portable modules, maybe because it flexes a bit before breaking. The hotmelt method is faster. Either way, just use a few spots of it on the base corners. Fred
Perhaps plastic 90 degree angles glued on the inside of the structure and then screwed down to the module.
Another option, the practicality of which depends on the lineage of the baboons who will be handling the module in transport, is to simply use Funtak. Even faster than hot melt, removing the structures is easy, but they will stay in place as long as the module isn't banged around. Another plus is that anything hitting the structure itself is likely to result in failure of the "bond" of the structure to the module, rather than failur of the structure OR module, as is more likely as the attachement methods get increasingly permanent.
All good ideas. Thanks fellas.
I thought of the 'angles' too, but felt it would be a bit monotonous making those. A bit quicker/easier may be to just make one 'strip' with an angle on each end that runs the width or length of the building and run a screw up from the underside to hold it in place. Remove screw, building is off. Hadn't thought of the hot glue method. I may try a bit of everything and see what works the best. Kinda like Consumer Reports.
I thought of the 'angles' too, but felt it would be a bit monotonous making those. A bit quicker/easier may be to just make one 'strip' with an angle on each end that runs the width or length of the building and run a screw up from the underside to hold it in place. Remove screw, building is off. Hadn't thought of the hot glue method. I may try a bit of everything and see what works the best. Kinda like Consumer Reports.
Perhaps attach a bit of threaded rod to the structure, insert into a pre-drilled hole in the layout base and use a wingnut below? Might be easier to get aligned.
Wayne
Wayne
I have also read (not yet tried) that chunks of cheapo-foam (like sponges from the dollar store) can be used to "secure" buildings by pushing them down over the foam that is glued to the module. However, I do not know how strong the hold would be, so if one of your moduels gets upside down in the transportation mode, I would test first
Andrew
Andrew
One thing to keep in mind is how will the module be protected in transit? You could have two modules nest together to offer each other protection, or you could build a box to cover the module. If you don't put something over the module to protect it in transit, details will get broken off.
For now, 1 module gets loaded into the car. However, these things are like crack, and I see myself getting addicted to building them pretty quickly.
I tend to carry the module on it's side, to get through doorways and so forth. So everything needs to be attached pretty firmly.
I could probably make a simple cover for it out of foam board. In the future, I may want to 'stack' multiples for transport, but I'll worry about that later in life.
I tend to carry the module on it's side, to get through doorways and so forth. So everything needs to be attached pretty firmly.
I could probably make a simple cover for it out of foam board. In the future, I may want to 'stack' multiples for transport, but I'll worry about that later in life.