"How to make cheap flexible "rubber" roads yourself.." Topic

A while ago I asked here where I could find flexible roads. Someone suggested that I could make them myself and that's just what I did.

I have put a tutorial online at our club's website. It's in the Articles section of the site.

Have a look and enjoy those hundreds of $ that you can save by making your own roads, courtesy of the Stipsicz Hussars of Belgium. ;-)

stipsicz-hussars.be

Fons
The Stipsicz Hussars

Fons,

Great article I used the same technique myself for roads. I used felt for the cloth and found it didn't curl as much as thinner cloth.

Dan

You can do the same to create rivers if I am not mistaken, I recall seeing an article about it. Very nice article by the way, quite well written.

When you say "flexible" I assume that you mean that the roads will "bend" over hills and such…not that you can make straight pieces curve.

I also agree that this is a great article. I'd like to see the items "translated" into stuff I can get in the USA…(basically, what's "mastic"?).

Would the acrylic mastic be called caulk in the states? Kinda sounds like it. Anyone familiar with both?
PhilM

No, not caulk. Mastic is a gum or tar based adhesive, useful for sealing together unlike materials (ceramic tile & wooden under flooring or metal heating ducts & fibreglass sealing tape, etc) Get it at any hardware or DIY shop, and make sure you know the cleanup procedure before you start.

Sorry, I forgot..great article Fonzie. Thanks!

Great Article Fons… I am starting to wonder if I should redo my wooden roads!

Cheers,

Burkhard

P.S.: Would Mastic not be called "silicone" in english? ;)

"When you say "flexible" I assume that you mean that the roads will "bend" over hills and such…not that you can make straight pieces curve."

Yes, when I say flexible I mean that it will bend over just about anything. You can really "shape" into almost whatever form you want it to bend over. It's very thin and it takes back its original shape almost immediately. It's great stuff.

"I also agree that this is a great article. I'd like to see the items "translated" into stuff I can get in the USA…(basically, what's "mastic"?)."

Mastic is used over here to fill the space between walls and windows when you put new windows into brick walls in order to keep the cold, wind and moisture out. It's not for sealing together unlike materials like someone suggested and its not silicone either. I wish I knew how it is called in the US and UK …

I would be happy to put the correct US and UK names in my tutorial if you guys can come up with them. ;-)

Thanks for the thumbs up btw!

Fons

In this context "mastic" would be acrylic laytex caulking.

A drawback can be that that this type of caulking will dry out and harden over time… and thus become un-flexible. At that point it's no worse than cast resin or wooden roads.

Silicone caulking keeps it's flexibility longer but I don't know of one that is paintable.

Tbey do look great and I'm sure that I'll be looking for some caulking on my next visit to DIY or Lowes.

By the way… in the US, "mastic" is a term that covers most construction adhesives (aka glue) usually, but not always, with a petroleum base. It's always fun to find out that "You are always using that word… I don't think it means what you think it means."

Jack

It appears that Mastic is a "replacement" for silicone applications. So… I think that in North America we refer to Mastic as Caulking (maybe bathroom and window caulking).

- Shawn

Thanks for posting that Fonzie. That's an excellent article. Makes me want to give it a try!

Talisman – Sorry to disagree, however I have experimented with acrylic laytex caulking roads for a couple of years now and my first test piece is as flexiable as it was on day one.

You are correct the Silicone version will not hold regular paint.. Maybe the special paint that Krylon offers for plastic, but that stuff is expensive…

Later —-Kenny

There are lots of types of paintable acrylic latex, and they remain flexible for decades or longer (one common type is marked as 25 year caulk). And it is cheap enough that I use it to texture DBA boards and terrain.

Prima artikel, Fonzie! Je hebt mijn laatste vragen en twijfeld weggenomen.

Very good article and the photos make it easy to follow the process.

One question though, about the cloths! Are the household dusters or would they be something more like what are known as J ( Jay ) cloths here in the UK?

Thanks.

You can skip the cloth backing altogether by taping down a sheet of wax paper and spreading your mastic or caulk out on that. When it dries just peel it off. I found it didnt curl at all that way whereas I had trouble when I tried the cloth backing method.

And you can save yourself all of that trouble above and simply buy PVC rubber bathtub liner. It comes in 5' wide sections that you buy by the foot. You can get it at Lowes/Home Despot, those kinds of places. Check the plumbing aisle.

This stuff can be cut with scissors. It takes paint (even textured) like a champ. Best stuff for roads…EVER. Cut, paint, and your'e good to go.

I use blue jeans for my base cloth. I pick up old ratty ones at church rummage sales. You can make roads and rivers out of them. I cover the who leg first and then cut out what size and shape I need. I wait until the local hardware store has a sale on and then buy half a dozen tubes.

"You are always using that word… I don't think it means what you think it means."

Inconceivable! I always know what I'm talking about. :)

Thanks for the clarifications, all.

Thanks again for the article, Fons!!

Nice article. The pictures are very helpful. Thank you.

Thanks for the ideas chaps. They are a great help.

Now, which method to try; the jeans, wax paper… though the PVC has a certain allure!

Went and picked up 3 feet of the pvc tub liner to give it a try, looks like it may work very well. Will post my findings after I mess with it a bit ;)