Torch Butane
One of the fascinating activities in building a model railroad layout is the water scenes. Even with all the trees, fauna, grasses and other scenic materials it looks like a barren waste land without water.
The creation of water scenes is not necessarily ease but worth the effort. There are several materials that can be made to look like water. There are three types of resin plastic that I use to create water scenes. They are all non-toxic and readily available either by hobby shop or WEB site.
With out going into trade names, the three types are different for specific reasons. One comes in a squeeze bottle that is very thick and does not run readily and I find hard to use. I use it for specific areas where a fast moving liquid would not stabilize fast enough to create the scene that I want. However, it is wonderful in making waterfalls. It is so thick that you can comb it with a fine metal comb that produces the look of a water fall.
The next type is a thick but fast pouring liquid plastic that can be used to begin a small too large pond and streams. The key to this one is that it has restrictions as to how much can be poured. It dries very slowly thus the amount you can pore at any on time is only about 1/8 thick. It dries very clear and is very useful when you add small amounts in specific areas to increase the realism.
The next type is hard and comes in beads with a slight yellow color. It is my favorite of the three because of its nature once heated to a liquid. It is very hot once heated and it pours fast but solidifies quickly. This allows you to pour your next layer almost immediately. It also has a unique characteristic of creating a wave like action.
The best example I can give you is when I poured the plastic down a pre-made stream bed. The stream had already been landscape with rocks, wood, brush and the like. There was a stop at the end of the stream. I poured the hot plastic gradually and watched the flow pattern just like a stream and solidify with unique qualities like the real world. I repeated this action several times which gave the stream character and caused a waterfall effect over the rocks. At the base or stop fascia board, a small pond was created as I wanted.
This particular plastic water is tricky to produce and use. Great care must be taken not to burn your self nor let the liquid plastic boil over. Also, you must use a container where you have complete control. The container needs to have a handle that will not act as a heat sink thus burning you. It would be wise to have a container with a spout like the coffee pots used on camping trips. This way you will not have the liquid plastic going places you do not want it to go.
A stove is not the best way to heat the plastic. For one thing, there usually are no stoves in the layout area and the heating would take to long unless you had a gas stove. The best method is to use a torch or some quick heating implement that would generate enough heat to liquefy the plastic rapidly. We have used a torch in a pinch but it is cumbersome and a bit dangerous. The safest method is a butane stove that can produce maximum heat. What ever method you use where fire is concerned make sure you have a fire extinguisher available and there is plenty of fresh air circulating in the layout room. Also, use fire retardant gloves when working with liquid plastic and fire. DO NOT MAKE TO MUCH LIQUID PLASTIC AT ONE TIME. You will accomplish each project in plenty of time by following the directions on the package.
There are other types of clear resins available but this set is easily attainable from more than one source and ease to use.
Joy Ball has been involved in the restoration and maintenance of a variety of Brass Model Locomotives. Through her years of expertise, Mrs. Ball has perfected the art of train restoration often spending countless hours preserving vintage Brass Locomotives to running condition of even the newest Brass Model Replicas. It should be noted that the above article was written by JoyÂ’s husband Michael Ball. Receive her free newsletter at http://www.brasslocomotiveworks.com
Melting pennies with my butane torch lighter
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New Hot Jet Flame Butane Torch Cigar Pipe lighter $12.82 |
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New Hot Jet Flame Butane Torch Cigar Pipe lighter $12.82 |
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New Hot Jet Flame Butane Torch Cigar Pipe lighter $12.82 |
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One-Touch Butane Welding Cyclone Gas Torch KT-2904 $18.77 |
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KOVEA NEW Twin Brazing Gas Torch KT-2108, Fuel-Butane Gas, Whirlwind Torch $24.40 |
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Wall Lenk Pro Torch 220 Butane Torch KLPT-220 $24.99 |
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Kovea One-Touch Butane Gas Welding Torch KT-2211 $10.89 |
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Iwatani Torch Burner Professional #Cb-tc-pro $28.78 Professional cooking torch for all cooking needs. Use only with Iwatani gas cylinder, Bu-5 and BU-6… |
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BonJour Chef’s Torch with Fuel Gauge $39.99 BonJour Chef’s Torch with Fuel Gauge Preparing delicate creme brulee, brown meringue, or melt cheese over soup with BonJour’s Chef’s Torch with Fuel Gauge. It has a fuel level indicator window so you can refill it when necessary. Instructions included…. |
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BonJour Creme Brulee Pro Culinary Torch with Fuel Gauge $32.99 Product Features Large heavy metal body culinary torch Caramelizes sugars, browns meringues, crisps meats, skins tomatoes and melts cheese on gratins The butane gas powered torch features a fuel level indicator window, an extra-long nozzle with anti-flare flame, adjustable temperature control, safety lock Butane fuel not included; removable stand Features a full color culinary recipe book featurin… |
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Blazer GB2001 Self-Igniting Butane Micro-Torch $49.75 Blazer GB2001 presents the Self-Igniting Butane Micro-Torch. State-of-the-art electric ignition system. 2500 degree flame. Air adjustment and gas flow knobs for superior flame control. The first and still the best. 45 min burn time, 26 gram gas capacity. Color: Black… |
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Bernzomatic TS4000 Trigger Start Torch $33.19 The BernzoMatic trigger-started cast aluminum torch head light is a self-igniting high-temperature torch head designed for easy operation. Simply pull the trigger for ignition, and release it to turn off. This head produces a swirl flame and burns propane or mapp gas. Pressure regulation allows the flame to burn in any direction and ensures consistent performance. Even while the flame burns, the r… |
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Bernzomatic 19425 JT850 Self-Igniting 20,000 BTU Outdoor Torch $33.99 The BernzOmatic JT850 trigger-started outdoor torch is specifically designed to produce a high-output flame for a wide variety of outdoor uses. You can use this torch to burn off weeds and leaves, start barbecues and campfires, control insects, melt ice from walkways or patch asphalt cracks. This torch burns propane or mapp gas, and features an integrated trigger-start mechanism for quick flaming … |
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Click N Vape all In One Vaporizer W/Wind Proof Torch Lighter $5.99 Smoke any time with the touch of a button. No more carrying around grinders and tins, you can leave your pipe, rolling papers and even your lighter at home. Click-n-Smoke is the most compact vape style pipe on the market so you can leave that bulky table vaporizer at home! This pipe is all you need! Featured here is the first huge innovation in decades that will change the way you smoke…. Foreve… |
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Zippo Premium Butane Fuel (1.9 oz.) $2.66 Zippo Premium Butane Fuel 1.9 oz…. |
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Vector Quintuple Refined Butane Fuel – 3 Pack $14.65 Triple pack of quintuple filtered premium Quintuplus Vector butane gas refills are highly recommended for ALL butane lighters. Jet torch and turbo lighters require ultra pure gas to produce highly efficient jet flames and to keep from clogging…. |
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Isobutane Fuel Refill (2 ounce) Contains a high performance fuel for small gas appliances, utilizing a small entry port valve for refilling. This high performance fuel refill is compatible with our Culinary Torch…. |
This entry was posted on Thursday, July 28th, 2005 at 7:13 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.