Styrene Question

I keep a bit of everything on hand.  That said .020, .030, and  .040 work for most walls, etc.  Heavier pieces for the base.

 

I keep a large supply of strips, rods, tubes and shapes in a box with vertical dividers for easy finding.  Go visit the Evergreen rack and buy what looks useful.  Be assured the one size you need at night is the one you won't have (after the hobby shop closes).

 

If you use the score and snap method for walls laminate them to .010 as you reassemble, then cut the openings through the .010.  This helps to strengthen the whole wall.

 

Another tip is to drill a hole in a rubber stopper, inset a fine brush and use this as an applicator for the liquid cement.  The stopper should fit the bottle and serve as a cap while working on the model.  Put the screw cap on at night.  The brush in the cap is usually to big for fine work.

 

Don't forget to shave the burr off of a score using a chisel blade.  Do this EVERY time you make a score so that it become automatic.

 

Styrene is great to work with.  Good Luck and have fun.

 

George Lasley

Here is a great website.  Evergreen Scale models.    There are many different sheets of styrene and styrene parts.   Evergreen also offers a great "how to" book.    Click on the underlined phrases to link. 

Best wishes with your project.

 Mike   

Thanks George & Mike!

I'd start with some .030 sheet stock. I like Plastruct better as their sheet stock is bigger than Evergreen and the folks there are great to work with.

Learn the 'score and snap' method of cutting plastic. Don't try and cut all the way through first cut!

I'd spend the $10 and get one of these too.....

 

Makes nice square cuts and makes it easy to repeat cuts for multiple cuts.

Good luck! Plastic is a great medium!!

 

Thanks Dave!  From an earlier thread, I did see and ordered one of the cutters you mention.  I'll check Plastruct to see what is available!

You could also go to your local hardware store and purchase styrene signs. The type used "for sale" etc. These are inexpensive the only downside is you have to paint over the lettering.

Walter,

I use styrene from .010 to .125 inches thick. For buildings where I am going to use a styrene brick sheet on, I use .040 or .060 as the backing. I reinforce buildings with horizontal interior strips so they do not warp. Let me know what you want to build and I will give you a step by step.

 

Alan Graziano

Another very useful tool for scratch build is the NWSL Chopper II

Thanks for all the great advice and tips, just what I was hoping to receive!

 

Alan, I do not have a particular structure in mind, but will gladly take you up on your offer when ready to start a build.

Also check into plastic supply houses. One around here in the Detroit area has 4 by 8 FOOT sheets of styrene in various thicknesses for around $25 - $40 a sheet.  I bought a sheet of .060" and .080" for around $30 per sheet, rolled them into cylinders, and put them in the back of my car.  My club used some .080" for the backdrops on our display layout. 

 

All in all, a great topic!

 

Jerry Poniatowski

S Gauger in Wayne, MI

Boy, isn't that the truth!

 

It's really impossible (and expensive) to keep everything you might need, but the flat styrene sheets suggested by George are a good idea.  I also have a collection of "I" beams and "H" girders as well, since I model a lot of steel mill structures (without sidings).

 

You'll need a good set of sprue nippers, too.  A brush-on glue like Plastruct's is a good idea as well.

 

Have fun!

 

George

And 3 good metal scale rulers - 1 to use, 1 to lose, and 1 to locate after the project is complete.

Has anyone glued styrene to basswood?  I am doing this in a current project and have tried both Gorilla Glue and Elmer's Wood Glue, neither of which form a real good bond. Any suggestions?

...you too, huh?! ... add to that some straight edges, triangles, french curves, circle templates and the like...those I hang off of the work table for easy finding- unless I use them, then it's anyones guess where I left them last{usually under a pile of evergreen bags...}   

That's funny and too true!

 

George

Put a thin film of Walther's Goo on the wood and thin film of medium viscosity CA on the styrene.  Put together and get into final position quickly.  Works similarly for wood to metal.

I have not done this.  I have glued foamcore (plastic outer shell) to wood using Elmer's white glue.  That seemed to work.

 

The other thing you might try is E-6000, a slow acting CA.  Or maybe Walthers Goo.  Those are not based on experience - they are just shots in the dark.

 

George

Sand the back of the stryrene that gets bonded to the wood, then use as long a setting time epoxy as you can find. Epoxy bonding strength is fairly equal to the time it takes to set...the longer to set- the better it likes to grip{imho}...shoot for 45min epoxy and try that.

Super glue{CA} doens't always like bonding those two either-

Make sure those areas to be bonded are clean too...oily finger prints can weaken a bond just as that can lessen any paints ability to hold strong.