1/8" hardboard will bend around a 10" radius without wetting as seen here:
http://www.lkorailroad.com/upper-valance-part-ii/
Alan
Freelancing the LK&O Railroad
Masonite's backside can also be "very gently scored" with a table saw (i.e. every inch) to assist in bending for a tight bend, but again. only barely scored to prevent inadvertant masonite cracking, and only as a last resort. Experiment on a scrap piece.
Conemaugh Road & Traction circa 1956
Hey Kass
There is another product that I found works well and is not as brittle as masonite and takes paint and glue very well. It is called "Sparta Oak" from Georgia Pacific.
I found it at Home Depot. comes in 4X8 foot sheets. about 1/8th in thick. It is a cardboard-like paneling. has a tan wood grain design on one side and plain tan on the other, I was able to bend a piece that is about three feet by two feet at a radius of about 12 inches and none of it broke. I used it on all the corners of my train room and glued it against dry wall, then took dry wall compound and mudded the seam just like a drywall seam, sanded it smoothe. I also used it as suppoort for scenery around the back of my bench. Works very well for valances also.
Check out my Video onYouTube.com under DiamonJim6
Happy rairoading
Jim
As I mentioned earlier, I bent my fascia down to a 7" radius without difficulty. Fasten or clamp one end in place, then apply hand pressure at that point and continue to do so as you slide your hands along to the point where you want to attach the other end.
Wayne
A piece of 1/8" Masonite (hardboard) should bend into a 12" curve without a problem. No need for fancy techniques or wetting. A 2x4 sheet of the stuff will bend into about a 24" curve under its own weight.
Lay out your curve and test fit the Masonite. Clamp one end and at intervals periodically through the middle of the piece. Then begin fastening it on at the other end. While you can use glue and clamps, I've had better luck with pan head wood screws or small, flat head nails (or both glue and fasteners, for a really strong bond).
Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford
Frank
Hardboard bends easily without the need to wet it or use buckets. After I cut a notch out where it would pass over the benchwork, I lightly clamped for adjusting and then screwed it to the back of the benchwork on one end. I then bent it and screwed the other side on. I could have used an extra set of hands to do it but they were all away for the weekend. I did manage on my own. Hardboard bends to a very small radius. Just go slowly and listen for that straining or cracking sound and stop.
Here you can see it passes over the bench. I mounted it with 10/32 machine screws and "T-nuts". It can be taken off in seconds with the drill.
Good luck.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Frank - Welcome to trains.com!
Darren (BLHS & CRRM Lifetime Member)
Delaware and Hudson Virtual Museum (DHVM), Railroad Adventures (RRAdventures)
My Blog
I'm going to need a curved corner for my backdrop which will be only 9" high, Two thoughts. The first is to wet 1/8" hardboard and using an empty bucket that formerly held dry wall material or anything else try to bend the hardboard using the bucket as a former. I'll try to wrap rope around it to get the right radius. Come to think of it, I might just cut the bucket down to size (cut off the top portion where the handle is) and leave a cut bottom to strengthen the curve. Don't know if either will work but worth a try. Buckets are discarded all over the place. My backyard has at least three. Frank
Nice layout Wayne. I do enjoy seeing pictures of it.
Hopefully in about a month I will be ready to put up my backdrop. I have bought tempered masonite. I just enjoy using it over regular masonite. Both sides of tempered 1/8 inch masonite are smooth. The edges appear to be more firm than regular masonite. Wayne mentioned both will work.
Once again I will not be bending a very sharp radius, 36 inches or greater.
Sorry if my remarks were misunderstood: I continue to be amazed by the number of people who make simple procedures into complicated ones, although I do understand that most people want to "get it right". Perhaps I've been more fortunate than I realised, leading me to think that my methods, which are usually pretty simple, should work for anyone. Don't worry, I'll continue to offer what insight or advice I can, and, as always, folks can take it or leave it, as they wish. I'm here to learn, too, just like everybody else.
Raised on the Erie Lackawanna Mainline- Supt. of the Black River Transfer & Terminal R.R.
No need to wet Masonite in order to bend it, and no need to use tempered Masonite either - "tempered" refers to the surface, which is harder than regular Masonite - both types are equally flexible. I've replied to so many "Masonite" threads here that I'm beginning to wonder if anybody has bothered to read any of the other ones.
The facia is a 7" radius - not sure about the backdrop, though:
You could probably bend it even tighter if necessary. I used it for both layout facia and for coved corners on the backdrop:
Bob,
I have 'formed' 1/8" Masonite into 24" radius curves for my backdrop. I use a 3/4" plywood 'form' to attach the masonite in the corners. I use standard 2" by 2" dimensional lumber to build a framework to attach the Masonite to on the flat wall. I have heard folks talk about 'wetting' the material, but have never seen it done. 24" radius is pretty tight for a backdrop corner!
As far as 'mudding & taping' - I butted mine up tight, then used drywall mud/tape on the joints. I have only had the joint 'crack' on on section(on a 25' run), and that crack is only visiable upon close inspection. I suspect leaving a 'coin width' gap would help prevent buckling if the material swells, but you you still get a 'crack' in the joint. My basement is 'dry' and I have not had any problems with my 78' of backdrops on my layout.
Jim Bernier
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
I have a related question about the best technique to make joints in hardboard used for backdrop boards. In Mike Danneman's scenery book he suggests putting a small space (approximately the thickness of a penny) between the edges of the sheets of hardboard to allow for expansion and then using joint compound and joint tape to finish the seam. In Jeff Wilson's book on benchwork he he puts the two edges tight together and backs the joint area with a piece of 1 x 4 lumber attached to the furring strips of the support structure. He then uses joint compound to finish the joint.
Any thoughts on these or other techniques for finishing the seams between hardboard sheets in a backdrop?
Bob
I recently used 1/8" hardboard (Masonite) to build a lighting valence in my train room. I would be very careful about trying to bend the hardboard into too tight a curve. I have read that hardboard can be bent down to a curve radius of 12". I've also read of people wetting one or both sides of the hardboard to make it more plyable. One person wet only one side of the hardboard. This made the wet side swell and caused the hardboard to bend towards the unwet side. I've never used this technique, but I'd test it out on a scrap piece of hard board before using it on the real thing. The wetting of the surface of the hardboard my cause it to get rough requiring sanding before you paint. The idea mentioned above about pre-drilling the holes in the hardboard before you try to mount it to its supports is a good one. Be careful when drilling the holes that you don't go through the 1/8" hardboard with your counter-sink bit. When I did my valence, I fixed the strip of hardboard to the supporting structure at one point and then gradually worked the hardboard back into the coved corner until I met resistance from the hardboard. At this point, if the curve looked like what I wanted, I fix it with more screws in the pre-drilled holes. The short screws that I used (3/4" panhead) went into the supporting pine lumber without having to drill pilot holes for them. Be careful when bending the hardboard into the desired curve that you do not have any sharp corners in the supporting structure because these will act as a breaking point in the hardboard. This is especially true for outside corners.
I don't think masonite likes to be bent in too small a radius. Test out what you have by cutting a small piece and trying it out. For example, cut a 4" strip off the small side and proceed with caution.
HTH
73
Bruce in the Peg
I put up a masonite backdrop on my previous layout about 20 years ago. I used tempered 1/8" masonite and bent my corners/curves to coincide with the radius of my double track mainline. The curve or bend was about 36 inches.
I clamped one end to my 1by2 supports and worked the masonite around the curve. I predrilled holes and reamed the masonite for flathead wood screws to set into. I then covered the screws with drywall joint compound.
When I took down the layout the backdrop held the curve and gradually for a while and did straighten out again.
I wanted to add masonite to the backdrop secured w/ 1x2s. How tight of a curve can I achieve? Can I curve it along a wall that is 11x1 or do I need a wider area? It is untempered so should be somewhat flexible and read to use a spray bottle of water to increase its ability to curve.
TIA!
Lee