was at H.D. the other day and after checking out I noticed there large supply of signs .all sizes and materials some were the plastic cardboard looking stuff, but some of the large 'FOR SALE " were a smooth plastic material and remembered reading once that these were good sorce of sheet styrene for building bases and parking lots ect .any body ever use em ? ,are they the right material?.. thanks Jerry
Yes, they’re typically just plain styrene. They work well, as I hear tell.
But, I’ve never used them myself. I bought a couple of big sheets of styrene from U.S. Plastic about 6 years ago, and I’m still going through them. www.usplastic.com. Yes, the Rubbermaid people.
Does anyone know if the painted side takes glue as well as the unpainted side? That would be my biggest worry.
They are a bit flimsy for building a building but they work great with a little bit of primer or another concrete/asphalt color for roads or parking lots.
They probably aren’t painted. They are quite often done with vinyl. The lettering on those can be removed with heat.
These signs are typically polystyrene, the graphics are screenprinted. Depending on the type of ink used, screenprint ink can be difficult or impossible to remove. IF you just want styrene for building bases or whatever it’s probably fine but I wouldn’t use it as a good source for good plastic. If you need styrene, find a plastics distributor in your area (Laird, Piedmont Plastics, etc.), they typically stock 4x8 sheets of polystyrene in thicknesses from 0.010 up to .125". I own a graphics company and we go through many sheets of 0.060" poly. We pay about $23 per 4x8 sheet.
The blank backside takes glue like a champ…the front, not so much…
Some of the more senior members may remember my perpetually under construction viaduct, I’m building using for sale signs:
I use the Testor’s model glue in the tube to attach things to the printed side.
Nick
Nick … I really like the bridge you are making! [tup]
I made the retaining wall in this picture from “for sale” signs. I used PVC cement which was an economcial alternative. If I did another one, I would double or triple the thickness of the verticle ribs.
I’ve used them for buildings and roads.
Terry
Yup, I’ve used them for a couple of years now. I don’t use the expensive little bottles of liquid cement, either. I found MEK (methy ethyl ketone) at Ace Hardware; a quart can costs less than those little bottles. I use rattle-can primer to paint on both sides, although, it usually takes 2 coats to cover the printed side.
In addition to the viaduct, I’ve used strips of signs for fascias:
Nick
The politicians in my neck of the woods all use plasticore. It’s a little harder to cut and work with but it does have the advantage of being rigid enough for buildings. I’ve built quite a few paper models over the years and now just do a bridge design in Paintshop Pro, print it on cardstock, & glue it using carpenter’s glue onto the plasticore & then cut it out. If you know about grommetts & stuff, you can get quite a realistic 3-D effect.
I also recently did an arch suspension bridge with a hula hoop and bamboo skewers.
I was interested in using them for curbing but I am not sure about the the thickness size.
Doc
thanks to all,very helpfull and the picts for examples are great! again thanks …Jerry
Same here. I’ve used them to make speaker enclosures for sound installs. Some MEK works great on the unpainted parts.
John
I’ve considered this option recently after devouring a lot of money in Evergreen’s sheets and working out the price per square foot versus a big sheet from them. Since you’ve clearly gone this option, I suppose you could answer two questions I’ve had about them: 1) does it ship rolled up or in a big unwieldy sheet and 2) if it does come rolled up does it unroll easily?
I use to work at a clothing retail store that used 2x4 plastic signs to advertise things, that were hung from the ceiling. When ever I changed out the signs I would take them home rather than through them away. I have not tried to make anything out of them yet but I am getting ideas from looking at the photos here.
David
Central Of Texas Lines
Yes and yes. I ordered two sheets. I think I got .030, maybe .040, I forget. I was rolled into about a 6-inch diameter tube. It unrolled easily and flattened out. It didn’t seem to have much “short term memory.” However, I’ve noticed that it was harder to flatten the second sheet, which I kept rolled up for a long time while I worked my way through the first. Now I keep it flat, and it’s “forgetting” the bad curve stuff.
You might check locally for sign dealers or plastic distributers. As I recall, I paid almost as much for shipping as I did for the plastic itself. I bought this 6 years ago, and I still get e-mails from them. US Plastic is a privately-held company. Inside the envelope with the shipping information was some “inspirational” literature. I thought it was weird to get something about the personal journey of Roger Staubach along with my plastic, but it takes all kinds I guess…