C&L Templates are accurately produced on 100 gsm paper. Please reject any that appear to be poor quality photocopies. As with any technical drawing, our templates are intended for use as a guide and an aid to speedy turnout production. Please therefore, at all times, rely on your track gauges and never scale off any drawing. Some modellers have a preference for building turnouts in-situ, directly on the baseboard. By producing them in this fashion, the turnouts 'flow' with the trackwork. However, some modellers find it easier to produce them off baseboard.
If you decide to produce your turnout on a baseboard then fix the template down to a flat surface - a piece of 'Contiboard' type material is ideal and Spraymount, or double sided Sellotape is suitable for this purpose. Fix your sleepers to the Template, again using double sided Sellotape. Many modellers now start with the crossing vee and this is an accepted way of starting to produce your turnout. However most still prefer to start with the main stock rail and scale everything from there (see detailed instructions).
Count the number of running rail chairs required and thread these on to your length of rail. Glue these down using the template as a guide. It is important to understand there is no such thing as a safe solvent. All have drawbacks. Some are irritants, others are classed as carcinogens. Many are highly inflammable. All should be handled with care. In particular, always provide adequate ventilation and never smoke whilst using them. C&L can supply Butanone, also known as Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) only in the UK. Australian and New Zealand modellers should check with their local model shop for a supply of MEK. It is illegal to mail MEK through the post and a courier must have a licence to transport infammable goods. If you cannot find any locally then contact "EFD Simply Glues" via their website.
Repeated exposure to MEK may cause skin dryness or cracking and the vapours can cause drowsiness and dizziness. Even so, it seems to be less harmful than some other commonly used solvents. MEK is effective in 'welding' ABS to itself, plywood and polystyrene. Normal application is by brush, but if you want to deposit a measured quantity, with minimum 'creep' to adjacent work, why not use a lining pen? Not the modern sophisticated types, but the tradition 'bow' pen - the dual nib type, with the knurled nut adjustment. With practice you will soon be able to, for example, glue windows, without getting solvent on the face of the material.