# some mdf trak repairs



## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

here are some repairs that i,ve had to do in the recent past and today. i dont know why or how but it seems be in deep freezing cold or hot n humid weather the old gray lady throws a rail or breaks away some mdf. the fiirst few times it happened i freaked out but now, i just go ahead n do a repair. after glueing down a break i tape it n let it set then, comeback later and sand /grind or what ever it takes to get it back to good. also i,ve had to relieve the tention/shrinking of the rail by severing it and fitting in a small piece of rail then solder /grind back to good. but all in all i dont mind its just another task in the hobby. the end result is back to turning some laps and having a good time in the cave!!! thats what its all about for me anyway. especially on a day like today ...just hot and humid and i dont have anything to do today cept play in the cave. so in short if yer mdf trak trows a rail or snaps some mdf dont freak cuz it can be repaired! besides its supposed to look like a used up race car trak!!!


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

My oval did that once, Your right just fix it and go on. I let the rails separate, and just fill the gap with un-melted solder and form it into place, works good mechanically & electrically and allows for expansion. 

Boosted


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

Yeah, that is an ugly looking thing that happens. Good to see you can repair it fairly easily.

Joe


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## Hilltop Raceway (Feb 12, 2006)

Just like the real world, track repair adds to the realism. How many times have you seen em pave a road nice and smooth, then come back 2 weeks later, dig it up, to put in a line...Never fails...RM


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

Hilltop Raceway said:


> Just like the real world, track repair adds to the realism. How many times have you seen em pave a road nice and smooth, then come back 2 weeks later, dig it up, to put in a line...Never fails...RM


And either leave the patch area as a 4" hump or dip

Boosted


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Ain't that the truth!!! They just paved a stretch of 5th Ave here in town last fall, and sure enough, they were cutting holes in it this past April... :freak:


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

think i,ll go ahead and finish this repair tonite and get the blue lane workin as good as the yellow lane.maybe i can make a hump or dip without even tryin !!! then i,ll submit my application to the highway department!!


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

joegri said:


> think i,ll go ahead and finish this repair tonite and get the blue lane workin as good as the yellow lane.maybe i can make a hump or dip without even tryin !!! then i,ll submit my application to the highway department!!


 If you want to do it like the highway department, you can't repair the track until at least three of your friends are there to watch while leaning on shovels.

Joe


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

just finished the blue lane mdf repair and all seems to be good
to go for the moment!! the guys on the trak crew worked through the heat wave and got the lane up and running as good as the yellow lane. some of the drivers are chompin at the bit to see how their steeds will react to the new repairs !! while i was in repair mode some much needed infield cleaning was in order so i busted out the vac and a quick once over made it presentable. now alls i need is somebody to come on by and turn some laps with me. hats off to the trak crew at( i dont have a name for my trak).and lets see how this holds up. also i think i,ll do a lil touch up painting to bring it back to good. alls well now!


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Nice job getting both lanes patched up.. In this heat and all.. whew!! If I was closer, Joe, I'd be there.. I'd even take the blue lane!! :thumbsup::thumbsup: 

P.S. I hope that snake ain't hungry!! :lol:


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

thanx scman. absolutely no beers where consumed by the trak repair crew(cant opperate heavy equipment while drinkin) but after all repairs werer successful i bought the boyz a case of duff beer!and if you ever get in the area you can have the yellow lane and the good controller. as for the snake well that was a cruel joke my wife played on me after i had a reak snake drop down through the window while turning laps! that really freaked me out. then our man zilla photo shopped it cuz i did get a few pics. i,m pretty sure i deleated them but it was starteling for sure!


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

Joe's Viper pit? 

Boosted


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

*more trak repairs*

if you look close you can see how the mdf has fractured and pinched close the pin groove. this happens more than i care to repair and its whats driving more towards a braided trak.after 5 years of doing this every winter i can only guess that the material that the rails are made out of and the mdf shrink at 2 different rates and my thought of using braide will make up for the rate at which they grow and shrink. i,m gonna start seaching for a braide manufacturing company or maybe one of you guys can point me towards a good provider of braide material.





















IMG]http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo44/joegri/panchassis2071.jpg[/IMG]


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## JordanZ870 (Nov 25, 2004)

Hey, Joe
How thick is your MDF?
My last track was 5/8 and I bet I could have parked on it.
I certainly climbed on it often enough. I did have the occasional
rail pop but I used Ted & Randy's trick of a drop of CA in the groove 
before rolling the rail back down. I never had to repair any area more
than once. As far as MDF breaking as your pic shows, I never had
experienced that.

I am thinking about using 3/8 or 1/2 MDF for this next track but may
stay with 5/8 if indeed the thinner MDF is the source of your problems.
I did* seal the track surface quite well with paint to battle temp and
humidity swings. Did you do the same?


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

yo zzz thanx for chimin in! 
i guess i,m just bitchin n moanin bout this trak. it still has many good hours of fun in it but i,m wanting to route a braid trak... i think. as for the mdf its half inch and all six sides have been primed and painted. also if you didnt already know mdf comes in 5 foot wide thats what tis trak is.as for a wish list or layout i,m gonna try and copy boosteds trak "the glass ring" that is a beatiful layout! but till then i,ll repair this one even though i dont use the blue lane. and joezzz you routed your trak maybe 2 months or so before me and if your like me your prolly ready for a new one too! i,m just in need of a good challenge.


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

How big are the temperature swings where the track sits Joe.
That sucks,especially if it's an on going problem every winter.
Rick


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

well hornet i have looked at the temps in the basement over the years and in fact i keep a thermometer on the trak in the dead of winter it gets as low as 48degrees in the winter and in the summer its just a regular warm temp (i never really checked) i did cut a vent in the duct work to get some heat to the cave area however i run the pellett stove up stairs to keep the house warm so the heat really doesnt come on that much cept when the stove is off.ya know its just one of those things(repairs) that ya gotta do to enjoy the hobby. and i do. but the main thing is move foward and start planning for a braided trak that is the big picture.


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

Joe, my 4 x 8 oval is MDF & it is 5/8" thick, I dont think I would go any thinner on the material, I too have fixed a couple spots in it and it is in the house under ideal climate conditions.

Boosted


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

LOL,jeez that's almost Canuck cold.

I wonder if braid might not give you problems too,side benefit would be it won't break anything,but getting it to stay down with those temp swings will take some wicked glue.
Steel has a terrible expansion/contraction rate compared to MDF,and that includes braid,if it was me,i'd do some investigating on glues that'll take your temp swings reliably.
Rick


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Hey the memory banks just kicked in,aren't you the guy who was using his dyer ducting to help heat his basement a couple years back:thumbsup:
Rick


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## 440s-4ever (Feb 23, 2010)

You're right on the money with the linear expansion, it doesn't take a lot of temperature swing when the piece of metal is like 20 feet long. 

Have you considered expansion joints at 2-3 points on the track? Maybe connect them electrically with a piece of braided wire under the track. Maybe several points where the copper strips sissy/overlap an inch for contact, but are not actually attached

fun looking track, have fun with it!


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

hornet yep that was me that tried the dryer heat ducted to the cave area. problem with that youd have to wash a ton of clothes then dry,em all. it was good in theory but not that practical. and 440 there are a few slip joints in there but, i,m just gonna go through this winter with this one then sacrifice it to the router gods(burn it) then route a braided trak.


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

LOL,and the better half probably figured it was your job to do laundery,if you wanted heat:thumbsup:
Rick


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

*more blue lane repairs*

i,ve been tossin round the idea of laying copper tape over the rails on the blue lane and using it for braided cars only but, in the mean time i wanted to fix what broke/poped out in the latest cold snap. i can get the cars to go around the whole circuit but there are a few spots that appear to be dead so i,m gonna force some wire in the rail slot to connect them good.this repair has been ongoing since i first routed this trak. i know a new trak is in my future but in the meantime i wanna repair what i have.as an after thought if i taped over the existing rails i spect i still could run hard shoe cars just cuz there will be a ridge for the hardshoe to make contact with.hummmm?


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

oopps forgot to add pics!


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## shocker36 (Jul 5, 2008)

I dont feel to bad about my Scorpion Buck track with the same issues but mine was from that nasty storm we had in IL and blew the shinlges off my roof on my garage and water got on it. Still need to fix it just havent figured out how to yet.


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

jeez shocker that sounds horrific! now i dont feel bad at all with the situation i,m facing. shocker post some pics of yer disaster maybe somebody will have a good idea to save yer trak.


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## pshoe64 (Jun 10, 2008)

Thanks for posting the info on what you are experiencing. I'm planning a routed drag strip and was debating using MDF or expanded foam PVC for the roadbed surface. After seeing the separation of the MDF along the routed guide slot and rail slot, I'm leaning toward the PVC. I don't have the temp swings, but the track will be taken to multiple locations so maybe the PVC will hold up better.

Hope the repairs go well,

-Paul


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

I was hoping you'd have gotten you new track done this year Joe. Sorry that didn't pan out. Hope this spring is better to you and you can start routing. Hope you get your lanes fixed so you can cruise!!

And condolences shocker. At least your house didn't end up in Oz on top of a witch. Good luck getting your table repaired!


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## shocker36 (Jul 5, 2008)

Ill get some pics up some areas are like yours were the slot is pinched together and some areas worse it was great up till that point (about 8yrs in the garage) and the crappy part about it is insurance wont cover it not because its in a garage but because and I didnt have and anything going through the roof i.e. a branch.


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

shocker i,ll be interested in seeing yer trak. believe it yer trak can be fixed. it,s just gonna take a few days and patients. i managed to get mine back to almost normal so yours can too.


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