Cardboard

[Anonymous]

Anyone out there use card board to build models with
I have built large items for my old haunted house out of corugated card board
and was succesful but I am wondering if the thinner card stock stuff would be good seems like a lot of free card board laying around the office I could use
any commnets welcome

[AltonFan]

Bristol board is a traditional contruction material, and a search through the back issues of Railroad Model Craftsman should reveal some articles on using Strathmore bristol board for construction projects.

Depending on what it is you're trying to build, I tend to believe that styrene is a better choice for most situations. Cardboard is effected by humidity, and requires extensive bracing to prevent warping and bulging. Durability might also be an issue.

I remember being warned by an expert in postage stamp conservation to avoid using chip board (the brownish-gray board used as a backing for pads of paper) to store stamps because chip board is made from newspaper waste, and is not treated with chlorine to kill mold and mildew. This may also be a consideration in model building.

Having said all that, cardboards have been used in the hobby since the beginning, they are easy to work with, and cheap to obtain. It may be a good way to get a temporary structure up now, or to help mock-up a scene while deciding what permanent structures can be used. Cardboard might also be a good way to get started in scratchbuilding before moving on to more demanding materials.

[Anonymous]

There's a guy over at The Gauge Forums who build all sorts of interesting stuff out of cardboard. He's absolutely brilliant.

Cardstock is a traditional modelling material, before Styrene became common, buildings were usually built from Cardstock & wood. Even rolling stock was built this way (often cardstock sheathing a wooden block).

[Big_Boy_4005]

I'm not a big fan of paper products for modeling. They don't wear or age well. Any moisture will cause them to warp. Wood and plastics are much more stable and durable. Architects still use cardstock, but their models usually don't need to last beyond a presentation or two.

I used to build models professionally, and we never used cardstock. Often we built skyscrapers out of plexiglass, as the models needed to be transported and left on display for months or even years. I know that it is overkill, but I still like to make structures out of plexiglass, then cover them with wood or styrene as necessary.

Cardbord is good for mock-ups and templates, but anything that you want to last a long time should be made from something else.

[Anonymous]

Well I agree on lots of your comments
I will put the whole mock up ting to use since I really have a cash flow issue now and carboard is free I can make mock ups of my structures I plan to build and se them out to help me decide on how to make my yard and service facilities work

thanks

[DSchmitt]

Beautiful models can be built out of cardboard, but as others have said they are not durable. Although I have seen a few that were over 30 years old and still looked good.

[Anonymous]

Well how long do they last
I became really good at construction using cardboard
2-3 years would be fine for me

[DSchmitt]

QUOTE: Originally posted by unionpacific4018

Well how long do they last
I became really good at construction using cardboard
2-3 years would be fine for me

I really don't know, but in a temperature and humidity controlled area, and if they aren't handeled excessively, they should last a lot longer than that.

I had a building more tha 5 years old. It's demise came whin I accidently crushed it while moving.

[BR60103]

I have a Superquick engine shed kit that I built in high school. I'm now 57, so it's been going for over 40 years and there's no sign of warping. There is a bit of wear on some of the corners.
I have some others that are more recent that show some warpage. I nowadays brace the longer sides with scale lumber (or maybe out-of-scale lumber) and reinforce the corners.
I've met Matthyro from the-gauge and seen one his models in the flesh. It's N scale and made from cereal boxes.

[dknelson]

Try coating the cardboard with shellac -- a product that not many people have around the house anymore now that the polyurethane sealants are so popular. It has no water in it so it coats and seals paper or card or wood without swelling (at least not too much). You may need to re-seal exposed ends as you cut. It gives the cardstock something of the texture of styrene. The smell is a bit strong and you might want to do the work outside. It dries in a couple of days.
Also use sharp knife blades -- buy them in quantity and replace them often -- more often than you probably think is right but they dull fast (or resharpen on a wheel or whetstone).
Dave Nelson

[Anonymous]

I have used shellac as a kid when I made pottery stuff with my grand mother
all of these are excellent ideas and I will put them to use.
Working in an office building day in dayou t and seeing all of the differnet boxes going out the door looked like an endless supply of material going to waste.
I will post pics of some stuff when I get a building completed

thanks

[DSchmitt]

Paper models have gotten very sophisticated. See this site:

http://www.papercreek.com/

[Anonymous]

If you seek durability... look into Foamcor... styrofoam & bristol laminated sheets ---

much more durable than paperboard alone, architectural material - easy to work with and very precise cuts can be made with razor or x-acto knife. Makes super-crisp corners - unlike cardboard or bristol

(see your local architect for suppliers if Michael's or similar is not near you)

[Noah Hofrichter]

I built a few o-kay models using cardboard and masking tape a few years ago when I was 9 and 10. They were good for my age, and cheap enough too. I'm slowly phasing them out though, as they don't look that good anymore.

Noah

[der5997]

unionpacific4018 (hope I can call you that without having to get a licence!)
Free card around the office. My best source is the boxes that specialty items like 3M Transparency film for ink jet printers come in. You get a reasonably thick and sturdy 8 1/2 x 11 inch sheet that is white on one side.
this makes great building mock up material.
All the comments above about humidity etc. are valid, but for getting the feel of what goes where and how it may look, there's nothing like card.

[Anonymous]

My call sign is more of a geographical locator , the UP 4018 sits in Fair Park in Dallas TX. As for liscening of that if the UP could see what the 4018 looks like they would be all over that too.
I do answer to Sean.
I think doing a card board/cardstock of the structures I plan to build would be a safe way of making sure the structures turn out right and satisfactory.

[Kiwi Down Under]

Sean
Nothing wrong with cardboard, so long as you know how to use it. Go to my website www.gscalechuffchuff.com and you can see what can be achieved just with ordinary cardboard. The main thing to get strength is to glue layers together and once you have finished the main part of the model, give it a decent coat or 2 of enamel spray undercoat. This should seal it nicely, then finish it and paint as you want. Although I am now doing "G"randfather scale, it also worked in N and also HO scale using the same principals. ( I made a carriage 32 years ago, and its still as good as when I made it)
Tony

[Anonymous]

NIce modeling, Tony. Are your structures left outdoors permanently? I imagine you could seal the material well enough to withstand the moisture. Not sure it they would carry heavy snowload up here in the North.

Wayne

[der5997]

Sean: I've put a photo of my card mock up at http://www.railimages.com/gallery/johnwood If you look carefully you may make out the "Grand and Toy" name on some of the card. (G&T is a Canadian office supplies company, I don't know if they operate in the US, but I mention it because your card source, as mine is office based.)[8D]