The remaining steps are done each time you want to clean the track. Wipe down each piece with alcohol or (something like) Formula 409. After you do that, run down all the rails a second time with sandpaper (very lightly) as this removes any left over cleaner. Then wipe down with a clean, dry rag. This video shows you how to clean and polish a piece of classic Scalextic slot car racing track to get better electrical contact and longer lasting brushes.Y. Sep 11, 2016 Cleaning the Rails on Your HO Slot Car Track. Even if the track rails do not look rusty, they still can have oxidation on them. It can be enough to prevent good electrical conductivity to your car’s pickup shoes. And, just because a track set is bought new does not mean the rails are perfect. New sets can have been in the distribution. Buy this products here:Clean rubber for rusty tracks: rubber standar.

1. Best Way To Clean A Slot Car Track
2. Slot Car Tracks

Here'ssome tips on maintaining a braided track in good condition. As with the pages ontrack building, this is based on my experience and whatother people have told me they do. Do you know a better or easier way of keepinga track in good condition? If you've got any track maintenance tips you'd liketo share, please e mail me on slot_racing@yahoo.co.uk

Chris Frost

Keep it clean!

Tracks do need cleaning from time to time -so how do you cleanthem. The first thing to be aware of is the adhesive holding thebraid in place will loose it's grip if it has too much exposure to solvents.Tracks do have to be cleaned from time to time, so some use of solvents and alittle degradation of the adhesive bond is inevitable. The trick is to minimizethe exposure to solvents-

1 Do not use more solvent on the braid than absolutelynecessary. Always avoid putting solvent direct on the braid, use a solventdampened rag on the braid. A little liquid solvent on the painted track surfacewill do noharm provided it is rubbed off before running onto the braid.

2 Use a solvent that evaporates quickly - lighter fluid isgood. White spirit should be avoided, it evaporates slowly so it hangsaround softening the glue for too long.

Obviously it's important to follow the safety precautions onthe solvent tin. Generous ventilation and no smoking (or other sources ofignition) are important.

Minor braid repairs

Braid does sometimes come unstuck. Short lengths can bestuck down again, and providing the top surface of the braid isn't substantially damaged, aperfectly acceptable repair results. The technique is to scrape the oldglue off the surface of the board with a small screwdriver (or similar). This isright underneath the braid, don't stretch the braid more than necessary. Squeeze someEvo-stick (or similar contact adhesive) into the gap and spread it as evenly aspossible on the underside of the braid, and the upper surface of the braidrecess. Hold the braid clear of the track surface till the adhesive dries(placing the small screwdriver under the braid works fine). Once the adhesive isdry, press the braid down firmly in place, taking care to compress it evenly andto get the top surface flat.

Major Braid Repair

Firstly inspect the braid and see what needs replacing. Frequently some braids (particularly inside ones) are almost perfect,while the outside braid on the outside lanes are very much the worse for ware. The braid on straightsis often unscathed. There is no point replacing braid that's in acceptablecondition - spend your time on the bits that need doing. A small bit of frayedbraid can be glued with Evo-stick or even super glue - as long as it goes downflat there is no need to replace it.

Don't try and join lengths of braid on the track surface- I've tried lots of ways of doing it and none are satisfactory. My firmrecommendation is to replace acomplete length of braid and join them under the track (seeTrack building Part 3). If the track comes apart in sections replacethe braid along the complete length of the section.

Best Way To Clean A Slot Car Track

When the old braid comes up it usually leaves a gluedeposit on the board. This needs removing - the new braid won't stick tothe slimy remains of the old glue, and the build up of old glue can mean yournew braid sits too high. It is possible to do this by hand scraping, butthat's neither outstandingly accurate nor is it quick. If you have arouter, the answer is to rout out the braid recess. The amount of material that should be removed will be very small - you are aiming to just clean up the surface sotypically you cut deep enough to remove just the glue, perhaps going slightly deeperbut certainly taking no more than a paper thin cut off the underlying material.

If you have the tools that were used to cut the braid recessin the first place use them again (see TrackBuilding Part 2). If not there's a need to build a new jig(doing it freehand inevitably leads to slips and damage to thetrack.) This is one simple jig which works:-

The guide peg (shown in black) runs in the slot. Ideally thepeg should be the same diameter as the slot (Typically 4mm) but a smallerpeg will work. This peg is firmly fixed to the base of the router. I useda straight 6mm diameter router cutter (shown in blue in the diagram), this isslightly narrower than a normal braid recess, which means there is a bit ofclearance between the peg and the cutter.

The jig needs to attach the guide peg to the router base.Here's details of the one I built (there are lots of possible variations thatwill work as well - perhaps better!).

As can be seen from the photo (above left) the base plate of the router hastwo fixing holes. Make a plate to fit the base of the router as shown on theright. A pair of countersunk screws are used to fix it to the router base plate using the arrowed holes. these screws need to be the right size to fit the holesin router bed. Take care to mark which way round the plate fits - theycertainly were not symmetrical on my (rather cheap) router. I used 3mmthick aluminum for the plate, but the thickness and type of material are notimportant.

On top of the aluminum plate (shown as gray) I screwed a smallpiece of brass plate (shown in yellow), and soldered a 'L shapedpiece of brass wire to this to act as the guide peg. (I used 1.2mm thick brassand M3 screws, but the sizes are not important). The diagram at the top of thepage shows where the L shaped guide peg fits. A bit of trial and erroradjustment was needed to get the position of the peg right. Having got itright, it's important to do the screws up tight and use some loctite to keep themtight.

Once you've established a clean surface, laying the braid isjust like laying braid on a new track as described inTrack Building Part 3 (click here for link).

Copyright © 2001 British Slot Car Racing Association All rights reserved

No liability is accepted forthe information on this site or any use to which it may be put.

Unpacking

Once you have got your box of second hand track home, find a suitable space. Empty the box out piece by piece. Do not tip the box out as there will be a layer of dirt/grit/fluff at the bottom of the box having been stored in the loft or garage before finally being disposed of.

However at the bottom of the box you may find some interesting little bits of scenery or car. You will probably find some stuff that is not really slot car related. Some times the most exciting bits are at the bottom of the box.

Inspection

As you remove the track sections give them a visual examination for the for;

• Hole(s)
• Crack(s)
• Missing electrical connectors
• Missing track connectors
• Very rusty
• Bent rails

These should be discarded, as they will not be usable without a lot of work.

Also look for track sections that are:

Rusty (as apposed to tarnished)

These are recoverable by soaking them in cola, but the surface will always be pitted and rough and will be very susceptible to rust re-occurring. It is probably better to concentrate your resources on the track sections in better condition.

Warped (not bent)

If you have other bits of track work on them first, but I noticed that the plastic becomes more flexible after being (washed in hot water then) dried using a hair drier. Warped track (where the metal rails are straight but the plastic is twisted) can therefore be restored by heating with a hair drier (or a hot air gun from a distance with great care) then placing on a flat hard floor and covering with something flat, hard and heavy (e.g. a pile of hard back books) and allowed to cool. This will probably not work if the metal rails are bent.

Modified by a previous owner

Somebody else may have converted the track section for use with a counter or in some other way. You have to decide whether they have done a good job and produced a useful new track section, or just made something only suitable for the bin. Be very wary of soldered joints. Soldering requires some skill which not everybody has. I have also seen Blu-Tack used for electrical connections. Bin any such track sections as their creator did not know what they were doing!

Painted

I have seen track sections painted white, have had white lines added at the edge or a starting grid painted on. The sections painted white could be used for ice racing or a winter rally. I have put all the painted sections on one side as I may be able to use them or remove the paint, but I have not tried yet.

Dirty

Avoid cleaning track sections if you can help it with water. Water causes rust, so only clean track that is very dirty. Also if the track has been soaking in cola it will need rinsing I water to remove the stickiness. Add some detergent to the water such as washing up liquid. Then scrub the track sections using a nail brush and if necessary an old tooth brush.
To minimise the damage use hot water as if it is hot enough, it will evaporate a bit by itself and speed up the drying process. It also helps (I believe) if you leave the track section submerged for a few minutes so that it is also hot (warm) when it is removed. Oxygen and water are both required for rust (oxidation) so a piece of track rusts quicker once it has been removed from the water as it is damp and surrounded by air. I may be wrong, but you shouldn't leave the track on water for too long anyway.
Once the track has been removed from the water it should be dried immediately. I use a hair drier instead of paper towels etc as the hot air should ensure all the water evaporates including that sitting in crevices such as the gap between the metal rails and the plastic. Grubby track can be wiped clean with a damp cloth avoiding the metal rails.

Rounded Ends

It is worth noting that track with rounded ends is better that sections with the folded over ends (I call these flat). The rounded ends keep their shape and are easier to get a good electrical connection with. Flat section ends can have been re-shaped (bent) by a previous owner and now have less effective profile, or could have been bent so many times they can snap off half way along.
The rounded ends were a development from the flat ends. The track sections with rounded ends are therefore newer and usually less corroded. Newer track sections are also chromed to prevent corrosion. I don't usually buy standard curves or straights with flat ends unless they come with outer/inner curves, quarter straights etc or is very cheap, and now I have emptied Robert's garage for him, I don't plan on buying any more track for a while.

Preparation

You will now be left with a pile of tarnish track or track with only small rust spots.

Bulges

You should look at the inside faces (not the top face which the braids touch) of the rails and look for bulges. There are two ways of dealing with these. If there is a corresponding slight dip or rise in the rail, you should take hold of the rail with a hand each side of the bulge. Use all your fingers to spread the load as you gently bend the track back. VERY GENTLY. The bulge on the inside face should disappear.
If the rail is not bent, or bending it back has not removed the bulge completely, it should be pushed back in using a flat blade screwdriver. This can be tested by pushing a surplus guide blade along the track section and feeling the resistance. The guide part of the blade should be reduced in height to take into account the thickness of the braids which have been removed otherwise it will be taller than the slot is deep.

Rust Spots

Rust spots, light surface rust and more serious tarnishing is best removed from the rails using a hard model railway track rubber such as that made by Peco. It is less abrasive than emery or sand paper. If you do use sand paper, only use a fine grade as course sheets leave big scratches (and some of the rust) behind.

Light Tarnishing

The remaining light tarnishing (including when the track rails are a dull grey colour) can be dealt with using a domestic Nylon Scouring Pad marketed for removing stubborn food remains from pans etc. Do not use wire wool as it disintegrates and leaves small lengths of wire which cause short circuits and arcing when the circuit is powered up.

Flat Connectors

These should be carefully bent back to the original profile if possible, or a new profile to ensure good electrical conductivity, with pliers and/or a small flat blade screwdriver. If you snap the end of the connector off half way along, or it is already missing, the jagged edge may need to be bent down. It should also be smoothed off with a small file to increase the electrical contact. (If the whole of the connector is missing you should discard the track section).

Electrical Connectors

The connectors (flat and round) can now be polished using fine emery paper, nail file (cardboard stick coated with fine abrasive, ask your wife, girlfriend or mother if you are still unsure or want to know where to get them from) etc. However the best thing I have found is a soft model railway track rubber that deforms to the shape of the connector and therefore cleaning more of the curved metal.
Different abrasive pads may work, but are usually too big. Using a green nylon scouring pad will severely decrease its life as the strands get caught on the ends are pulled from the matrix, e.g. the pad disintegrates.
It is important to clean the ends as this is how the power is transmitted between the track sections. If after cleaning and reshaping you still get 'dead' sections of track within your circuit, you may need to use Jumper Cables.

Slot Car Tracks

Final Cleaning

The track rails should now be cleaned using methylated spirit (purple alcohol more commonly known as meths) and a rag. Meths evaporates quickly, especially in summer or in a 'well ventilated room' which is where you should be. If you pour a small amount onto the cloth, the cloth will soon dry out. If you put a decent amount onto the cloth it will stay damp enough to clean a few track sections. This can be done by dabbing the cloth into a partially filled dish. It is worth having a pile of sections that need wiping at one go so you can keep on refilling your cloth and use up all the meths in the dish before it evaporates away.

If you are cleaning one track section at a time, using a (blunt) syringe) or pipette and dispense an appropriate amount of liquid onto the cloth for that track piece. A simple test to see whether the rails are clean is to find a clean bit of the cloth (a white cloth is best), put some meths on, then wipe the rail. If there is now dirt on the cloth, carry on rubbing!

Coating

Something I have just tried is to give the rails especially the ends a very light coating of WD40 to prevent future corrosion. Be careful not to get the stuff onto the plastic as it is 'slippery' and the tyre will loose grip (I don't think it actually attacks the plastic so it is safe). Also be careful if you are setting up your circuit on carpet as WD40 may leave a mark. I have set my track up on boards in the loft so this does not matter.