A word to the wise about using real dirt... use a magnet first!

tommann

Posts: 239
Joined: 2005-03-24

Hi;

I've read on this site that you should run a magnet through real dirt before putting it on the layout. I thought that there was no way that magnetic particles would be in real dirt - WRONG! I recently "stole" some real sand from a beach in Malibu and, remembering that someone said that you should run a magnet through it, I just did so. I'm glad I did. The big "horseshoe" magnet was covered, by tiny magnetic particles that look like metal filings! Thank you to whomever suggested this and I'm glad my feeble old mind remembered about it. I sure wouldn't want all that stuff in my locos!

Tom Mann.

Model Railroading IS fun... Once you've figured out what you're doing

Tom Mann from CA

Submitted by tommann on Thu, 05/22/2008 - 15:09.

Kashirigi

Posts: 110
Joined: 2008-01-04

It never would have

It never would have occurred to me to do this, but I will certainly do it now. I sometimes use natural sand for rockier areas. It's unlikely that metallic dust would spread given the amount of glue and gel medium I used, but it never hurts to be sure.

--
Japanese N-scale trains in a very tight space: http://yamanotesen.thruhere.net

Thu, 05/22/2008 - 17:21

ranulf

Posts: 463
Joined: 2005-05-29

Don't forget to bake it to

Don't forget to bake it to kill any bacteria, insect eggs, or other nasties in the sand. People laugh, but good advice!

"Do Not Hump!?!?! Does that mean what I think it means!?"

I only posted for the points.

Thu, 05/22/2008 - 22:41

tommann

Posts: 239
Joined: 2005-03-24

Thanks for the "baking"

Thanks for the "baking" hint. Good idea, I'll do it.

Tom

Model Railroading IS fun... Once you've figured out what you're doing

Tom Mann from CA

Thu, 05/22/2008 - 23:03

Jimmi

Posts: 810
Joined: 2006-12-18

Be sure no one else is in

Be sure no one else is in the house when you bake it. People, especially women, tend to think it odd that you are baking dirt.

The secret of success is sincerity. Once you can fake that, you've got it made. Jean Giraudoux

Jim

Thu, 05/22/2008 - 23:13

Bryan

Posts: 4131
Joined: 2004-02-29

Do a search of our site...

Do a search of our site... there's previous threads about both of these subjects (magnets to clean, and baking of sand)... some with humours commentary.

Bryan

Thu, 05/22/2008 - 23:30

Kashirigi

Posts: 110
Joined: 2008-01-04

Microwaving will kill the

Microwaving will kill the bacteria too, but you might want to run the magnet by it first. Shorter time, less smell.

Mmm, baked dirt.

--
Japanese N-scale trains in a very tight space: http://yamanotesen.thruhere.net

Fri, 05/23/2008 - 00:47

69Z28

Posts: 1070
Joined: 2006-03-19

Real Lowdown on Baking

Real Lowdown on Baking Dirt.

If you want the best advice on using dirt check my blog entry. I am, after all, the Worlds Greatest Modeler.

For you folks from Grand Bay, AL, just move your pointy thing over the following and (don't use your middle finger, unless you wiped it off first) click it.

http://www.nscale.net/blog-entry/69z28/2007/08/05/worlds-greatest-railroad-modeler-2

See ya

Ron

--
Ya gots ta choose. Sometimes ya wins and sometimes ya lose.

Sun, 05/25/2008 - 11:21

BryanC

Posts: 1326
Joined: 2005-01-26

Ah, Ron! I was waiting for

Ah, Ron! I was waiting for you to chime in with your experiences!

If you hadn't, I was planning to post that link!!!!

BTW, this topic does surface from time to time and Ron's blog entry always finds its way in to the mix!

Cheers!

Bryan C
Alligator Lines "The Eclectic Line of the South"

http://ALines.home.att.net

Sun, 05/25/2008 - 12:26

russtrnmn

Posts: 14
Joined: 2007-08-13

I'm not from Grand Bay but

I'm not from Grand Bay but about 30 miles to the west. That sory is about the funniest I've read in a while. Sounds like something I would do. Years ago when I modeled HO I used real sand from the beach. It looked good at the sand house on the layout. Where I had put the sand by the rails they coroded a few weeks later. Since it was at the engine servicing area on the layout most of my locomotive wheels started needing a lot of cleaning. Green track and wheels are not prototypical. The only thing I could think of was that the sand had a high salt content. I havn't used dirt are anything on my nscale layouts.

Sun, 05/25/2008 - 23:42

FergusonTE

Posts: 589
Joined: 2005-10-27

My Real Durt

I used sifted and cooked soil on this "spring" module. Under the trees is the same sort of thing, only it's leaf litter from the forest floor. (The one thing left to complete here is the addition of dead grasses.)

Outhouse in Spring