Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Midwest products sheet plastics

3126 views
16 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    July 2021
  • 194 posts
Midwest products sheet plastics
Posted by NorthsideChi on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 9:35 AM

Midwest products plastics.  Another product that seems to have disappeared from stores and online 

I've used both the styrene sheets and clear polyester sheets for windows in many scratchbuilds or rigid shells for 3D prints.   These products were widely available at big art supplies stores and on Amazon. They seem to be gone now. 

I preferred non-acryllic plastics for windows because acrylic requires special solvents to adhere to styrene or 3D printed PLA plastics

Any suggested alternatives?  Seems I can get plastruct for solid colored sheets but it's more pricey. I'm not finding clear plastic with thick dimensions, or plastic that's non-acrylic. It needs to be rigid for large expanses of glass 

  • Member since
    February 2001
  • From: Wyoming, where men are men, and sheep are nervous!
  • 3,392 posts
Posted by Pruitt on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 9:44 AM

I don't know if it's suitable for your use, but I cut up the rigid clear plastic containers that a lot of stuff (cookies, some vegetables, etc.) at the grocery store come in nowadays. Works great for even fairly large windows.

  • Member since
    March 2002
  • From: Milwaukee WI (Fox Point)
  • 11,439 posts
Posted by dknelson on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 10:08 AM

Pruitt

I don't know if it's suitable for your use, but I cut up the rigid clear plastic containers that a lot of stuff (cookies, some vegetables, etc.) at the grocery store come in nowadays. Works great for even fairly large windows.

 

 
I'm glad to see someone else is being "frugal" in this way. One good source of very clear and very flat packaging plastic is cotton swabs 300 count  -- both Qtip and the generic equivalent found at food and drug stores, and it is a nice large expanse.  It also makes a nice sized tub for mixing paints and holding a supply of ballast trackside.
 
My wife gets mixed greens in an even larger clear plastic container but those don't always have a large expanse of perfectly flat clear.  
 
Dave Nelson
  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 10:09 AM

All I could find on their website was 1/4" thick acrylic sheets.

It also looks like Midwest is completely out of the HO scale lumber business.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    February 2008
  • 8,877 posts
Posted by maxman on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 10:13 AM

Evergreen lists clear polystyrene 0.015 thick if that will work.

  • Member since
    February 2008
  • 327 posts
Posted by AEP528 on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 10:17 AM

SeeYou190

All I could find on their website was 1/4" thick acrylic sheets.

It also looks like Midwest is completely out of the HO scale lumber business.

-Kevin

 

https://saundersmidwest.com/midwest-products/

Catalog lists all of the wood products.

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 10:22 AM

AEP528
Catalog lists all of the wood products.

Everything looks like it is dimensional sizes. No HO scale lumber, HO siding, or anything MRR specific at all.

Am I missing something?

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    February 2008
  • 8,877 posts
Posted by maxman on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 2:28 PM

NorthsideChi
Any suggested alternatives?  Seems I can get plastruct for solid colored sheets but it's more pricey. I'm not finding clear plastic with thick dimensions, or plastic that's non-acrylic. It needs to be rigid for large expanses of glass 

Try this shopify page for plastruct clear plastic;

https://plastruct.myshopify.com/search?q=ssm

Description can be found on page 49 of the plastruct catalog:

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0254/9950/0589/files/Vol_10_CatalogSMFL.pdf?53

 

  • Member since
    March 2011
  • 1,950 posts
Posted by NVSRR on Wednesday, May 10, 2023 8:19 PM

There linked in page doesn't say anything of issues or otherwise either

 

shane

A pessimist sees a dark tunnel

An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel

A realist sees a frieght train

An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space

  • Member since
    July 2021
  • 194 posts
Posted by NorthsideChi on Wednesday, May 10, 2023 8:38 PM

Thanks!  I didn't know plastruct made clear sheets.  Also I like the idea of the q-tip container!   

  • Member since
    February 2008
  • 2,360 posts
Posted by kasskaboose on Thursday, May 11, 2023 8:18 PM

I go with transparency paper.  It's the kind to write on using old school overhead projectors.  You can find a stack of them at most any office supply store or online.

  • Member since
    February 2008
  • 8,877 posts
Posted by maxman on Thursday, May 11, 2023 10:50 PM

kasskaboose

I go with transparency paper.  It's the kind to write on using old school overhead projectors.  You can find a stack of them at most any office supply store or online.

 

Except OP stated that material needed to be rigid for large expanses of glass.  I don’t think transparency paper qualifies.

  • Member since
    March 2017
  • 8,173 posts
Posted by Track fiddler on Thursday, May 11, 2023 11:11 PM

Evening

Midwest products was purchased by a large company out of Saunders, Wisconsin. Their batten board #4444 is no more.  Hopefully, (The Pride of the cork roadbed industry) will continue to be available, or not cheapened.

By the way, was saddened to hear from Bruce, Micro Engineering changed hands a while ago too, also having an effect on some product availabilityCrying

 

Hang toughSmile

 

TF

 

  • Member since
    July 2021
  • 194 posts
Posted by NorthsideChi on Tuesday, May 16, 2023 7:14 PM

Oh crap. I forgot they make cork bed.  Yeah that's a pretty critical component of this hobby. I can live without sheets of glass.  Roadbed is a must 

  • Member since
    February 2008
  • 327 posts
Posted by AEP528 on Wednesday, May 17, 2023 7:22 AM

Track fiddler

 

By the way, was saddened to hear from Bruce, Micro Engineering changed hands a while ago too, also having an effect on some product availabilityCrying

 

Hang toughSmile

 

TF

 

 

When the new owners were interviewed at the National Train Show by MRH, they said ME had about a 2 year backlog to fill. 

  • Member since
    May 2020
  • 1,057 posts
Posted by wrench567 on Wednesday, May 17, 2023 9:49 AM

  The blister packs that many products come in are great for windows. I've also used microscope slide covers too. Have had no issues fastening either with simple white glue.

      Pete.

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 569 posts
Posted by drgwcs on Thursday, May 18, 2023 7:02 AM

SeeYou190

 

 
AEP528
Catalog lists all of the wood products.

 

Everything looks like it is dimensional sizes. No HO scale lumber, HO siding, or anything MRR specific at all.

Am I missing something?

-Kevin

 

Kevin going back to the 80's midwest made almost exclusively dimensional lumber. I suspect more of their business has always been more balsa and model airplanes as they always carried specialized shapes for that. Northeastern is the one that does the scale sized lumber. 

Jim

 

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!