Fixing backscene

[sandy]

Earlier in the year I put up a nice back scene and used double sided tape upon the recommendation from a member on the forum. The result was not very good. Depending on the weather. When it was warm and dry, not many wrinkles but when wet and damp, the backscene wrinkled up realy bad and looked not very nice at all. Havce just taken it off the boards and ordered some new backscene and this time have ordered backscene fixing glue so it is fixed down flat and can't wrinkle. I hope. Fingers crossed.
Just a warning to others who may think of using double sided tape for fixing backscene to boards. I used 4mm ply to fix it on,

[teedoubleudee]

Hi Sandy, you mention weather conditions being the main cause of your problem so I'm guessing your layout is in an outside unheated building?

I would just like to say that my experience of using double sided carpet tape with ID backscenes on a plywood base has been excellent but my layout is inside a centrally heated house. In fact when I was putting some up on my current layout I wanted to re-use a small portion left over fom my previous one and the tape's glue was that strong it just tore the ID backscene!

Hope you have better luck with the glue though it might be worth checking it's efficacy claim when used in a changeable environment.

By the way, this is the stuff I used:
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B ... mid=&psc=1

[Mountain Goat]

I used small loops of selotape which may seem a bit naff, but they worked surprizingly well because they gave the backscees the ability to flex so I never did get any wrinkling problems.
The only issues I had were after around 10 years the sellotape aged so needed replacing, but this was easy to do. I just made a few more sellotape loops and re-stuck the bits that had come away, and all was good again.

[Mountain Goat]

If using glue as in pasting the back with glue like one does with wallpaper, may I suggest using the technique we used to use when applying transfers to bicycles? (Some bikes when built new from the box had a lot of work where we would even have to apply the transfers, and we also did a lot of insurance bicycle rebuilds or repaints etc).
One starts from the very centre of the piece and works outwards as if it has an imaginary spine and one is massarging outwards from the centre. Then from this imaginary spine one works outwards. This technique we used to do with transfers to avoid bubbles being trapped. The worst thing one could do was start applying a transfer at the edge which is what the untrained used to do. End up with bubbles everywhere!
I hope this helps.

[sandy]

Thanks for replys TWG & MG TWG.......... no the layout is in spare front centraly heated bedroom. But if you if you check the weather forcast you may be surprised at the humidity factor. The humidity factor in the air we breath or entering our homes is consierably high in GB and remember we live in Scotland not Southern England. Well I will never use double sided tape to put up Backscene any more. Can't afford to waste good backscene at £50 a shot.

[Mountain Goat]

That is a lot of money for a backscene. It must be pretty special.

[Puddles]

I used wallpaper paste to fix up my backscenes and was very happy with the result, but after a few months they began to ripple. I only noticed the distortion when the room light reflected on the semi gloss surface and once I had noticed the fault my eye would always go to the problem area.
Pics are when they where first put up.






Puddles

[Brian]

I would secure any backscene to a pre sealed and securely fixed rear board by using a spray mount adhesive. Wall paper paste is really too wet. Tape will slowly come away. Other adhesives may over time cause issues.

[bulleidboy]

I used the self-adhesive backscenes, and although the ply backscene board was well prepared, and the backscenes were carefully attached, I still, after a day or so had large bubbles appearing. These can be reduced by pricking the bubble with a pin, but you can still end up with creases. If I were to do it again I would use a good adhesive and not the self-adhesive backscenes.

[Walkingthedog]

I used wallpaper paste for the first sheet of mine, what a disaster, ended up in the bin.