I got good results with BullFrogSnot by applying it with an artist’s paint brush, with the bristles oriented to the direction of travel (wheels turning very slowly) & no water involved. It produced little groves around the wheel & when it dried, the traction results were excellent.
it works alright - but there's an art to putting it on and not having it mess with the flanges or so thick it causes derails. the artist's brush is what i've found to be the best as well. it's amazing the pulling difference.
it's a liquid rubber that eventually dries solid. it's tricky - too thick and it causes derailments. to rough and it causes derailments. get that goldielocks mix of just right between the two and your locos will pull anything.
Thank you, I have been afraid to use my FrogSnot, but you made it look so easy. All 4 of my N Scale Atheran Big Boys traction tires have destroyed themselves so Now I can get back into the game, I was afraid I had nothing but display models and high cost models at that.
My exact situation, i got 1 big boy and 1 challenger with destroyed tires. Tried the snot but its pretty difficult due to the many drivers they have. Let me know the outcome for you 👍
Interesting stuff. I haven't had issues with many of my engines up my wonky 2-3% grades so far, but this could be helpful stuff. How long is it meant to last for? I'd love to see an update on the wheels after running for a few months to see if it needs to be reapplied.
Good question that I'm wondering myself. i guess it depends a lot on how steep the grades are, how good the trackwork is, and how often the train is run. i'll keep an eye on it and report back during one of my updates.
that was some great information on a product that a lot of people say doesn't work , yet the way you say to put it on one axal explains it best. I think people don't read it and just stick it on there. I might give it a try just to see. Has dust become a issue with those loco's ?
Also, what if you did the front left wheel, and the right rear wheel to not isolate one or more axels? From what I remember, older locomotives only ever had one traction tire on most brands.
I had to get some for my BLI Loco as well. Works good, will see how many hrs I’ll get before having to reapply. The jar will last a lifetime, I wish they sold them in tubes. But stuff does work.
yes, if there was some way to make it still conductive that would solve the problem. it would be a game changer because bullfrog snot is essentially a liquid rubber and rubber is not conductive so how they would do it - i have no idea.
I am guessing, never used it. I would say less is more. Use the toothpick to get less build up on the wheel. The wheel flanges still should get pick up if it’s not coated.
yeah, the SD40-2 were really lame. not sure if it was the whole run or just the two i got but they weren't worth the cost. can't wait for the ScaleTrains version!
i recommend using a very small brush and almost brushing it on. keep it away from the flange of the wheel and make sure you're spinning your wheels about 15-30% throttle - enough to get good rotation, but not enough to spin it wildly out of control. make sure you keep the wheels turning until it goes from that light green color to almost a green-transparent. the rotation helps it to stay smooth and the thin coat from the brush ensures it doesn't clump.
Adding the thickness of the snot is problematic. Applying it unevenly would exacerbate the issue. It's probably better on wheels that had space for a now missing traction tire. I also hope you report back when the snot wears enough to need reapplying.
yes, if the wheels had a traction tire groove that would be perfect. not very common in n scale, tho. but smooth and thin coats are definitely the trick. easier said than done.
I got good results with BullFrogSnot by applying it with an artist’s paint brush, with the bristles oriented to the direction of travel (wheels turning very slowly) & no water involved.
It produced little groves around the wheel & when it dried, the traction results were excellent.
it works alright - but there's an art to putting it on and not having it mess with the flanges or so thick it causes derails. the artist's brush is what i've found to be the best as well. it's amazing the pulling difference.
It almost looks like a kind of masking fluid. Looks interesting regardless. Thanks for this video!
it's a liquid rubber that eventually dries solid. it's tricky - too thick and it causes derailments. to rough and it causes derailments. get that goldielocks mix of just right between the two and your locos will pull anything.
Thank you, I have been afraid to use my FrogSnot, but you made it look so easy. All 4 of my N Scale Atheran Big Boys traction tires have destroyed themselves so Now I can get back into the game, I was afraid I had nothing but display models and high cost models at that.
give it a shot - those babies are too expensive to throw on the shelf. let me know how it goes.
My exact situation, i got 1 big boy and 1 challenger with destroyed tires. Tried the snot but its pretty difficult due to the many drivers they have. Let me know the outcome for you 👍
Interesting stuff. I haven't had issues with many of my engines up my wonky 2-3% grades so far, but this could be helpful stuff. How long is it meant to last for? I'd love to see an update on the wheels after running for a few months to see if it needs to be reapplied.
Good question that I'm wondering myself. i guess it depends a lot on how steep the grades are, how good the trackwork is, and how often the train is run. i'll keep an eye on it and report back during one of my updates.
Thanks for sharing. 😎😎👍
that was some great information on a product that a lot of people say doesn't work , yet the way you say to put it on one axal explains it best. I think people don't read it and just stick it on there. I might give it a try just to see.
Has dust become a issue with those loco's ?
good luck, let me know how it works for you. it's tricky but it seems to work. now comes the test of time.... does it hold up?
Also, what if you did the front left wheel, and the right rear wheel to not isolate one or more axels?
From what I remember, older locomotives only ever had one traction tire on most brands.
i thought about doing that on a test loco just to see. haven't tried it yet but i will and if the results are better, i'll report back.
hi Carlo.... great infomation... seems to work very well... thx 4 sharing.. vinny
yes, it definitely works. a little tricky but it gets the job done.
I had to get some for my BLI Loco as well. Works good, will see how many hrs I’ll get before having to reapply. The jar will last a lifetime, I wish they sold them in tubes. But stuff does work.
yeah, i'm curious to see how long it lasts. it seems like it makes a pretty tough coating.
Pretty cool stuff, never heard of it.......... bull frog snot 😂
i'd like to know how they came up with the name. do bullfrogs even make snot? no idea.
Thanks.
OK, Bullfrog... so what we REALLY need is some Bullfrog Snot that is electrically conductive! Hop to it !
yes, if there was some way to make it still conductive that would solve the problem. it would be a game changer because bullfrog snot is essentially a liquid rubber and rubber is not conductive so how they would do it - i have no idea.
I am guessing, never used it. I would say less is more. Use the toothpick to get less build up on the wheel. The wheel flanges still should get pick up if it’s not coated.
Yes, less is definitely the route to go. doesn't seem like it takes a lot to make it work.
Great review. I am disappointed to hear about the BLI locomotive. I just bought one, my others are Kato but I loved the sound and detail on BLI.
yeah, the SD40-2 were really lame. not sure if it was the whole run or just the two i got but they weren't worth the cost. can't wait for the ScaleTrains version!
Im surpriced I have applied it sparingly with wheels turning and no matter how smooth it seems the loco clumpety clumps along not smooth at all?
i recommend using a very small brush and almost brushing it on. keep it away from the flange of the wheel and make sure you're spinning your wheels about 15-30% throttle - enough to get good rotation, but not enough to spin it wildly out of control. make sure you keep the wheels turning until it goes from that light green color to almost a green-transparent. the rotation helps it to stay smooth and the thin coat from the brush ensures it doesn't clump.
Adding the thickness of the snot is problematic. Applying it unevenly would exacerbate the issue. It's probably better on wheels that had space for a now missing traction tire.
I also hope you report back when the snot wears enough to need reapplying.
yes, if the wheels had a traction tire groove that would be perfect. not very common in n scale, tho. but smooth and thin coats are definitely the trick. easier said than done.