Review: Turn Borders by HOSlotCarRacing.com

hi all

in my experience i have found that Tamiya model company has good paints for painting polycarbonate clear car bodys. for RC cars. this is a bit flexible, and etches well into the polycarbonate. this may be just the ticket for your turn borders. also JC Whitney automotive supply has believe it or not paint markers designed for painting the raised white lettering on real car tires. these paint markers come in red and white, as well as yellow and blue. since they are paint markers, and designed for use on rubber car tires i can only assume they will work well for this purpose too.

i personally went another route for my turn borders with HO railroad roadbed cork. it is 1/16" too short, but i have access to black pebble grain lexan, that approximates the pebble grain on AFX tracks, this is the extra 1/16" thickness i need to make the borders meet track level. i used 3M DP-805 mix pak adhesive to glue it to the railroad cork after nailing the cork down. i dont know that i will do the international red/white checkering of the borders or not. i will likely put a white pinstripe on the borders at the far edge. the cork with the lexan looks good,

the lexan is a bit of a pain to trim to fit. i have taken to removing the track screws and slipping a piece under the track in the turn i want to border, then using a utility knife i score the lexan where it meets the track edge. i made a tool out of a piece of .050 aluminum with a hole for a sharpie pen where i need to cut the outer edge of the lexan. this tool i butt against the track, and draw a line on the lexan where i have to cut for the outside arc of the border, then i slip the lexan out, score it on the marker mark, bend and peel on both score marks. i use #80 grit sandpaper to smooth and bevel the rough edges, and a pair of sheetmetal snips to get the ends the correct shape. then i fit this road surface to the cork and glue it down.  

i made a template out of clear lexan for the shape of the ends of my turn borders. since i wanted my borders to taper back into the track exactly the same length and shape instead of just stopping short. on this template there is a mark where it lines up with the seam where the straights meet the turns, this way the borders are all the same length, and same shape tapering back into the track.

this was way cheaper than the dedicated rubber turn borders at a dollar a foot, tho a lot more time consuming, plus it requires a good adhesive to make it stick. i recommend the DP-805 as it uses a mixpak tube and gun to pre mix it, it is thick, and dries fast. the lexans color, and grain matches the track, and is easily painted as opposed to the rubber borders. the cork edges look kinda like real gravel roadbed and add a little realism.

i will send pix of these borders when i can. as soon as i can get to my purchasing dept at work i will get a part number, location where you can order it from, and a price for this material. it comes in 4'x8' sheets. i may be able to send a sample piece of it to anyone who wants to check it out if they are interested in it.

just email me at moparmat2000@aol.com and let me get your address i will drop a sample of it in the mail. 

My guess is some sort of flat rustoleum type product meant for plastic or rubber on top of a few thin layers of primer might work.  We'll find out soon.

www.rustoleum.com