Wet looking ballast

[cncproadwarrior]

After I secured my ballast with diluted white glue. After it dried, my ballast still looks "wet". Is there something I can apply to make it look "dry"?

 

[NH Mike]

You could try airbrushing a very light mist of Dullcoat. Problem with that is that it is a laquer and will dissolve the ballast glue if put on too wet. Anything thinned with alcohol would be risk to the same effect. An overcoat of thinned acrylic matte medium would work better as it is thinned with water and when dry will be flat finish and also act as a glue. I would first ballast a small scrap piece of track the same exact way as you did the area you are talking about and try one or both methods to see which works for you.

 

[UP2CSX]

Bernie, it sounds like you either had too much white glue in the mix or the ballast wasn't fully wetted before you applied the glue. The ballast should be wet enough that the glue mixture sinks immediately into the ballast and doesn't run off. I'd wet it down well with an 80/20 mixture of water and alcohol and then try the diluted matte medium. Some of the white glue may be displaced when you do this but the matte nedium will hold everything in place and it should try without looking wet.

 

[kenw]

I would just try misting it with straight isopropyl to dilute it.