31 replies to this topic

[rumrunner]

I am making a realistic 1/32 scale track that has a normal circuit and a rally circuit. About 20 years ago when I built my last track there was a paint called Ferradore. I have since heard that this paint is no longer made. So I went to the hardware and found some colourbond paint that seems similar and some paint called ' river rock' (i think by memory) that has a very rough surface for the dirt section.

Does anyone know if Ferradore is still made or is there a similar paint? Does anyone know of any other paints that may be better?

[gzminiz]

Most tracks in vic use Ferrodor. Dulux trade center is the only place you can aquire the paint (that i am aware of)

edit: http://www.dulux.com.au/specifier/our-bran...il?product=2333

Edited by gzminiz, 01 February 2010 - 03:28 PM.

[Obsidith]

I just used solar guard for colorbond and it seems to have really good grip wit no real tyre where

all non standard tyres seem to grip really well apart from slot its and brms maye when the track has had more the 100 laps on it this might change

[kalbfellp]

Ferrodore is only available in 4 litre tins and is still like racing on wet and dry sandpaper! Severa;l guys have use clear over the ferrodore to reduce the abrasive nature of it.
With the choice of tyres these days almost any paint will do and you just select the tyres to suit.
paving paint used to be popular,as is satin enamel.

[Syd]

rumrunner, on Feb 1 2010, 01:24 PM, said:

I am making a realistic 1/32 scale track that has a normal circuit and a rally circuit. About 20 years ago when I built my last track there was a paint called Ferradore. I have since heard that this paint is no longer made. So I went to the hardware and found some colourbond paint that seems similar and some paint called ' river rock' (i think by memory) that has a very rough surface for the dirt section.

Does anyone know if Ferradore is still made or is there a similar paint? Does anyone know of any other paints that may be better?

You could also try a Solver outlet as they also make a similar paint to Ferrodor, same characteristics, and is a similar price if not $10 cheaper

[wizardgm]

kalbfellp, on Feb 1 2010, 04:57 PM, said:

Ferrodore is only available in 4 litre tins and is still like racing on wet and dry sandpaper! Severa;l guys have use clear over the ferrodore to reduce the abrasive nature of it.
With the choice of tyres these days almost any paint will do and you just select the tyres to suit.
paving paint used to be popular,as is satin enamel.

BlackBoard paint was my choice back in the 80's

[Johnnyfly41]

My choice isnt paint at all, it's Plasti Dip.

does not come in gray, I had to mix white and black. Comes out a little glossy, like a new road or a wet road.

Great grip, tires stay clean, not abrasive at all. Grip seems to improve with laps a little bit.

Some folks down under have used Plasti Dip spray clear over their plastic tracks or painted tracks to improve grip and they report they like it.

Not so easy to find in Oz, but it's there.

John

www.pretzelcityspeedway.com

[Ember]

If you're searching for PlastiDip products, try 4WD/Offroad specialists. Go figure.

Embs

[lenny broke]

I used Blackboard paint on my rally track , from the few test runs I've done so far it seems to offer reasonable grip. I'm planning a shakedown event in the next few weeks so will have more to say then,

I used Solver roofing paint (like the ferrodore) on my test track and it is fairly abrasive though it was from the bottom of the tin so may have had a bit more abrasive material than would normally be applied. I'm looking to "BoCoat" it one day- a coat or two of satin finish clear to smooth it of a bit

A couple of us are planning tracks here at the moment and have discussed the possibility of using a satin finish paint rather than the usual Ferrodore surfaces. we would be interested to hear more on the veiws of those who have used the satin finish or the other non abrasive surfaces

Alan

Edited by lenny broke, 04 February 2010 - 12:19 PM.

[rick1776]

I sent Johnnyfly a Ford and Holden V8SC just cause hes a nice guy (even though hes a yank). I fair swap for all the stuff he sent me. I set the cars up with a pair of Fabio urethane tyres and set it up exactly how I would set up a car to run on a Ferradore (light grey) track. I was half expecting John to come back saying these cars have no grip or way too much grip. In short theyre crap. But John said they were fantastic with loads of grip and just a hint of power slide on corner exit. Best cars hes had in quite a long time. Go Aussie Aussie Aussie.

So basically the plastic dip has about the same level of grip as Ferradore but from what John has said it has none of the abrasive down side. Might be worth a try?? Whats the full trade name John?? Can you get the stuff here?

[Johnnyfly41]

I hate to damage Rick's credibility, but what he said is not true.

Those Aussie V8's he sent me are way better than he described them. Probably somthing got lost in the translation from Yank to Oz-wegian.

thats my fault I thought that "friggin fantastic" was pretty much a universal language.

Here is the web site for the makers of Plasti Dip. http://www.plastidip.com/

I have lost track of the guys that overcoated their tracks with a spray can clear plasti dip, but there are tracks in Oz coated with clear PD.

There is also a guy that built a gorgeous track and rolled on plasti dip similar to my track, only he did better work.

As of late, Ember has done the latest research on where to get it in Oz.

I dont have a lot of experience, but I must say, I am delighted with the performance on my track. Here in the states the majority of tracks are painted with latex flat house paint. It is really cheap and easy and can look very realistic. Myron in Oklahoma is the one I credit with discovering plasti dip. He had a latex track and grip was always a issue and maintaining grip with tire contamination made for a track that constantly slicked up. He tried many things and plasti dip was the solution he found. All hail Myron !

I have read a lot of myths surrounding plasti dip from folks who have never used it. It pretty much behaves like paint, it looks like paint. It is not tacky or sticky, dirt does not stick to it. I would say it MUST be way tougher than paint. Every few months I wipe the track with a tack rag, thats all the maintenance required. I run urethanes of my own making and the grip is great. Stock tires are ok too, silicones, PPR, yellow dogs, super tires..... I have had guests who have run all of these. Urethanes are the best.

when you build a track, there are many things you would do differently with a do over. My track coating would NEVER change.

All that said, two gallons of it cost me 130 dollars US. My wide three lane 85 foot track used about 3/4ths of that and was covered in a single coat. It would be a lot more expensive in Oz I am guessing. I rolled it on using those firm disposable white foam rollers. This goes against the manufacture's recomendations. I think there is a fire hazard as when wet it is flamable. When dry there is zero odor and it is not flamable.

David in Spain used a material called "Clarobarp" that sounds like a similar material. I think it is a rubberized roof coating or waterproofing coating, I am not really sure. I have looked at pool coatings, things of this nature, there are probably other products out there.

I offer this information so that we can all learn from one another's trials and errors or successes. For me, it's the perfect track surface.

for what it's worth,

j

[Ember]

rick1776, on Feb 4 2010, 01:12 PM, said:

So basically the plastic dip has about the same level of grip as Ferradore but from what John has said it has none of the abrasive down side. Might be worth a try?? Whats the full trade name John?? Can you get the stuff here?

Ember, on Feb 4 2010, 10:20 AM, said:

If you're searching for PlastiDip products, try 4WD/Offroad specialists. Go figure.

Embs

As I said Rick. Available in Australia, at 4WD/Offroad specialists. Specifically I'm getting mine from TJM 4WD Megastores. They have a couple of branches in the boondocks that are South Australia. $27 for a can of clear spray. Didn't bother checking the prices of the other offerings.

Embs

[rick1776]

Just had a look at the MSDS sheet. The carrier liquid is basically lighter fluid, toluene and nail polish remover. Hope you werent smoking your cigars while painting the stuff on the track John.

[MOPARDEVIL]

I used low sheen acrylic on my track, the same stuff you paint on you interior walls inside. I rolled it on & sanded in between coats, didnt sand after the top coat. Im a fan & really like it. I run all types of cars & tyres. About the only tyre that is horribe is stock slotit. Standard Scalex ispretty good once trued & kept clean. NSR tyres are probably the best, foams are good to.

[carsy]

Here's the site for the Australian distributor of Plastidip.

http://www.plastidip.net.au/

Phil

[Johnnyfly41]

Yes Rick,

the fumes are truly something to behold when Plasti Dip is wet. It drys overnight and there is virtually zero odor. The manufacturer absolutely states NOT to roll it on. It just made sense to roll it on, so that is what I did. I didn't blow up my shop or me.

I love that list of ingredients, my theory is, the worse it is for you, the better the finish !

I think your indoor acrylic paints are what we would call "latex" here, not for sure. water soluble house paints used both outside and inside. This is what I would say the majority of routed home tracks in the states use. Safe, inexpensive and you can easily get a very real looking track surface.

The downside that I found in asking about was initial grip, not a big deal, but then the problem I thought would be more troublesome and that was maintaining grip lap after lap and contamination of tires. I have not raced on a latex track, but I know several folks who overcoated their tracks to cure this problem.

Some here in the states have used these textured spray enamels of various types. They report they look good and have good grip. Probably a little more abrasive than a standard painted track. I have seen pics of some beautiful rally tracks that used these paints and they can really be made to look like a dirt road.

Pretzel City is always available for test laps, so, stop on by and give it a try before you decide !

j

[dangermouse]

There was a chap on the forum from Brisbane who painted his track with plastidip - his handle is Mark Froble

cheers
DM

[BMR]

Anymore updates for this thread ?

Im about to top coat a track , my budget is leaning towards a mix of blackboard paint and ceiling white ( both are water based ) I have one coat over the whole track so far , previous to that I put a coat of white water based MDF undercoat on the track .

Im just waiting for the sun to dry a test coat of that blackboard / ceiling white mix that also has some foot path / driveway grip put into the paint .

This mix is going onto an oval track so a bit of sliding corner action is what Im chasing this time around .... but I dont want too much slip so it may all end up covered in Cabots clear coat ?

I have used Ferrodore , Solver roof paint , Cabots clear coat and blackboard paint in the past , my experience has been ;

Ferrodore - good grip but it can scratch cars if you race them upside down

Solver - same as Ferrodore for grip - both needed turps to do any clean up jobs

Cabots clear - I used Cabots over the Solver because the solver scratched off the surface of the track in a few places ( it was soft even after a month of drying ? ) I ended up having patches on the track to cover the scratches so I used more of the grey solver and mixed it with some black semi gloss to fill the marked areas using a medium brush to cover the scratches , the patches became burnout marks , skid marks etc so it kinda dressed up the track . In the end the Cabots offered good grip as well.

blackboard paint was a good all around surface for grip with standard rubber tyres or aftermarket urethane tyres but it got dirty very easily . Blackboard paint or I suspect any water based flat paint offered no protection against moisture ( accidential spilt coke etc ) even using only a dampened cloth to wipe the track to clean it after a while I could see some areas of MDF getting a bit of minor puffing up around the routered slots and track joins.

My preferance leans towards the mineral based paints or a Cabots clear coat if only because it offers a good seal on the MDF against accidential spills or a shed roof leak . Got kids ? make sure the paint is water spill resistant

[first corner crash]

Hey steve i found this stuff as i was surfing the net one night (as you do)
http://www.liquidrub...high-build.html

Liquid rubber i think it is similar to plasti dip in that it is a rubberized paint used for a membrane for waterproofing etc. Can be rollered on or screed i think. I think the Solver roof paint is exceptionally coarse and when it is new it is really harsh on tyres. Something like this or plasti dip over the top might smooth it out and grip it up a bit without losing the Bitumen look of texture paint. Interestingly when entering proxies in the US the rounds that are run on latex surfaces tend to favour the eurethane tyres and those with an enamel surface tend to favour the silicones and when someone tried silicones on ferradore it was akin to bambi on ice. If you want a bit of slip and slide its easy to turn up the volts mate.

I am making sure Clarkey is in the lane next to you when that happens though.

Edited by first corner crash, 30 June 2011 - 04:58 PM.

[kalbfellp]

Quote

mineral based paints or a Cabots clear coat

IMO the only way to go!
All the tracks down here are Dulux satin enamel BUT mine and that is Ferrodor with 4 coats of Cabots over it to eliminate the grit! Why?
It was free and I liked the colour!