Advice on Assembling poly styrene buildings, updated first attempt

Mike,

 

CA bonds wood to plastic pretty well.  

 

Be sure to post some photos!

 

Dave

 

When I build Korber kits, I reinforce the corners and add bracing the long ways. Make sure that you lightly sand the area where you are gluing and as David says CA works very well.

 

Here are a few pics.

 

 

 

 

Hope this helps.

 

Cesar

Mike:

 

I use both styrene plastic and wood to reinforce many of my kits.  Here are two structures that use both styrene strip and wood strip to reinforce the corners and roof. These stations also have a floor and ceiling added made from basswood.

 

Alan

 

Here is another kit that has a custom made wood platform and interior floor.

 

This is the Atlas Rural Station.

 

Testor's Model cement.

As a guy who has built a lot of model airplanes, I suggest what some others have: CA, such as Super Jet of some variety.  It will bond anything and wood to plastic won't be a problem.

 

FYI, I used too make bass wood modifications and glue (CA) to plastic, resin, or vacum formed fuselages and never had a problem.  And, the finished models were transported many times to shows.  

 

Good luck.  BTW, love  your layout.

I completed my first kit, a korber switch tower.   This was a little bit of an adventure.  Repainted the structure twice due to some issues with masking tape.  The mortar was done twice also, the first round was way too bright (white), so stripped off and done over.  Used my airbrush for the first time to help in painting the white trim on the windows.  I ended up using the CA as many of you recommended. All in all, I thought it came out pretty nice. 

 

 

I also use CA glue, Zap-A-Gap, which is the medium gap filling density form. I find the thin viscosity version cures way too quickly, can too easily be absorbed by the wood, especially if the wood isn't painted, not to
mention the ease if getting your fingers stuck together. The mid density will also fill a gap and will cure in 20-30 seconds or immediately if you use the insta-cure spray or brush on.

Jerrman

Styrene to styrene -- regular model cement will do fine as well any of the solvent type adhesives such as Tenax.

 

Styrene to wood - most of the CA adhesives will be fine as long as you are not involving any end grain wood joints (or very dry wood) that will just sponge up the CA.  A dab of Walthers Goo on the end grain and CA on the styrene will solve that for you.

Mike,

 

Turned out nicely.

 

George

Looks good to me.

 

Styrene to styrene: Testors cement for plastic models or plastic cement.

 

Styrene to wood: Testors cement for plastic models.

Mike, I do not disagree with any of the post above but my recommendation based on years of scratch building structures using styrene is to stick with stryene for all bracing. My rational is that different materials have different expansion and contraction qualities and to eliminate warping etc you are best to stick with one type of material. 

 

 The following is a model of a block of Yale University in New Haven CT I created in 100% styrene about 20 years ago for my trolley layout and it still is in great shape today. I buy Weldon stryene cement in pint cans for all styrene to stryene joints and lately have been using Loctite super glue to bond resin casting to stryene with great success.

 

 

 

 

Another more recent model is of the New Haven City Hall. Again all styrene and resin castings.

 

 

 

Les Lewis

Les, Your stuff is amazing and awesome.

Thanks, Dave G.

That is my preference as well. Let me suggest that if you plan to do a number of styrene structures rather that get small packages of Plastruct or Evergreen strips you find a plastic distributor in your area and buy a sheet of 1/4-1/2" styrene sheet and have them cut strips for you. Their saws will leave a clean edge and the net cost will be less. Alternatively you can get a blade designed for plastics for your table saw and cut your own.

 

Pete

Very nice signal tower.