Anyone used them ?

 

I have seen a number of different ballast spreader boxes for sale on ebay from a gentleman in Turkey . There are different sizes according to the scale you are using but basically its a plastic box which is filled with ballast and then due to the edge shape and slit in the box leaves a nice level run of ballast on your track with a correctly chamferred edge  when you run it along your track . Well thats the theory and if it works should speed up ballasting considerably.

I think the boxes seem expensive , especially when you add shipping costs and just wondered if anyone has tried them and what they think.

Not me.

Sounds like an opening for Doofer Doug.

I think there is one  in the forum index ? not turkish though, but will give you some idea of type
and to compare

lol::cool:

We also have a DIY tool in the Index which does the same job, here : http://yourmodelrailway.net/forum11/744.html

Coming from Turkey, it could turn out to be just that !!!

That's very unkind to the Turks (I have several Turkish friends :thumbs) but I couldn't resist it………….:oops::oops::oops::cheers

What's the price of it Richard ?

[user=6]Petermac[/user] wrote:

What's the price of it Richard ?

I get the impression the guy thats selling them just happens to live in Turkey - he does a lot of 009, 0N30  and other secondhand quality narrowgauge stuff and new 00 buffer stops with integral lights suitable for DCC.

Average price seems to be just under a tenner for the ballast spreader plus shipping but he has a number of combinations with other track laying tools. In fact when I entered Ballast Spreader in the ebay search I got 28 entries from him and none from anyone else.  

Thanks Richard - I might have a look at what he sells. :thumbs

There was a chap offering this sort of device for sale at the BRM Exhibition at Peterborough this weekend. They were made from a clear plastic or perspex type of material. He demonstrated one and it did work really well. However, seeing how simple the device would be to emulate, I and I suspect quite a few other people, were reluctant to part with £10.99 for what was in  essense a fancy-shaped  (empty) plastic box.

Sorry, whoever you were; good idea, too expensive. :It's a no no

Perry

I have one of the ballast spreaders from the turkish guy.And its fine i found the best way is to place it on the track to be ballasted with a thin piece of plastecard under it if you dont do this when you put the ballast in you will end up with a big heap of ballast in one place.As you start to move the spreader along quickly slide out the plastecard out.You will find it gives a neat looking finish to your ballasting.Piran

 

Silly question time - if using one of these or similar type spreaders is it better to use the traditional method of laying the ballast and then drip feeding the glue on to the surface or do you lay the glue first before running the spreader along the track ?

I have seen it done Richard with dry ballast then dribble watery glue but you could try glue first, place track then use the ballast machine - you can only muck it up !!

[user=95]Sol[/user] wrote:

 you can only muck it up !!

 

Now thats one thing I am more than capable of doing   

Perry, it was probably GreenScene at BRM with their version.

There is a video of it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADwWCUug3Mo

The video doesn't just show the gadget in use but also how easy they are to make. Not quite as easy as mine perhaps but they all do the same job.