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Uncoupling improvement

Posted: Tue May 05, 2015 9:05 pm
by Mike_R
I use the well known bamboo skewer for uncoupling, but they don't always slip between the couplers easily.
Yesterday I thought about putting wax on them. I couldn't find my lump of bee's wax (handed down from my dad, who used it to wax coat model ship rigging).
So what else? I have Pledge Klear for scenery work, no I don't polish any floors! I put some on the skewers and let it dry.
When I tried them, they slipped between couplers so much easier, I'll see how long it lasts before recoating.

Re: Uncoupling improvement

Posted: Wed May 06, 2015 3:01 pm
by torikoos
Sounds like a good idea, even if it needs to be re-applied, that wouldn't be a showstopper?
After all, locomotive gears need re-lubing from time to time too.

Koos

Re: Uncoupling improvement

Posted: Fri May 08, 2015 1:04 am
by santafe1958
Cannot remember where I got them from (I think the wife got them from a Cook shop!), but I've noticed that some skewers are slimmer than others,
although it would be worth a try with this idea too.

Brian

Re: Uncoupling improvement

Posted: Fri May 08, 2015 8:34 pm
by Mike_R
One of our members, Paul, brought some shorter square skewers with a wide flat end to our meetings. I've now changed to these, I found them at Sainsbury's. I put my layout name on the flat part and I find the square section helps when twisting it. I was surprised by how much better the polish made them.

I use the polish for my second layer of static grass and for puddles. I've read, but not tried yet, that it makes a good gloss coat over paint for decals and for coating acrylic window glazing to make it more like glass.