Styrene

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Maybe this should go in the layout building or prototypical section?

Hello all

I’ve recently bittin the scratch building bug, i wi***o build my own cras, structures etc…and as im located here in Hamilton Ontario Canada, does anyone know of a good place to buy some?.,…walmart?

its been puzzling me for the longest, and i thought since there are many canadians here, maybe they could answer?

Ryan

2

I buy large sheets of Styrene from US Plastics, the company that makes Rubbermaid products. http://www.usplastics.com will get you there. The stuff is pretty cheap, but because you get big pieces, it’s a good idea to order a lot so the shipping doesn’t drive the cost up too high. It is so very, very much cheaper than buying little slabs for $4 at the hobby shop.

You can also order Evergreen or Plastruct from any of the big Internet retailers. They are a good choice for specialty shapes, like angles and girders. An LHS will likely have these, but also check art supply places or other hobby retail outlets.

I’ve bought a jar of latex rubber from Woodland Scenics, and I make molds of some of the Evergreen sheets. I then cast them in Hydrocal. I like Hydrocal better for some modelling, because it has more of a stone-like texture, and it takes paint much better than styrene for this.

(Edited spelling. I felt so dumb.)

3

Hmmm… man bites bug. It’s usually the other way around

4

styrene has always worked good for me while scrath building. matter a fact thats what im working on right now. making a csx toolbuilding out of styrene.

5

In Canada (capital C) we have the Plastic Stores, look in the phone book under plastic-styrene etc. You can buy sheets of the stuff very reasonably, be careful of the glue you use ( it actually melts the styrene together) some of the glue is VERY toxic. I use Plastruct Plastic Weld, it works great . This material is extemely easy to work with and very durable—and fun ! !

6

lol

7

hmm, i know this will sound crazy,…but what really denotes it as “styrene” im hoping i can have a look at my LHS…its just uncommon to see around here, actually i dont think i’ve ever seen it

Ryan

8

It even makes good weathered wood. Click images to enlarge

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/rough_weathered_plastic/

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/weathered_plastic/

Thank you if you visit
Harold

9

stop into a sign shop
they have ton’s
they order things like that all the time

K

10

dang, that sure is some nice weathered wood…thanks for th help

Ryan

11

Hobby shops carry it under various names, the most common around here being Plastistruct. It’s the same stuff that for sale signs are made of. You can buy it in various sazes, shapes, patterns, and thicknesses.

12

Go to Burlington, Brandt Street, Trains on Brandt, they have all the Plastruct that you would want

13

evergreen and plastruct are usually sold at the LHS , often in their own display rack , next to whatever wood and other scratchbuilding supplies the store sells .

p.s. it’s ok to ask if you can’t find it yourself , i looked for about 15 minutes for rock molds at my LHS and finally asked … the salesman slid aside a 4’x4’ panel on a display case and there was probably every rock mold that woodland scenics makes , i would have never found them !

14

hminky: Very impressive with the weathered wood.

15

The weathering job is very nice. I couldn’t live without my evergreen plastic, have scratch built buildings, modified them with all their different products.

16

Thank you,

I have been using sheet styrene since the Alan Armitage articles in the 1959 Model Railroaders. It is the best material for modeling.

An HO Atlas Trackside Shanty. Click image to enlarge

Harold

17

hminky,

I’ve admired your work for a long time. Excellent as usual!

18

Styrene is great. I think you will find pleasing to work with. In addition to the products mentioned you could save a little money by salvaging old yard sale signs off telephone poles and fence posts. I found a lifetime supply this way. You may still need some thinner sheet material or car siding sheet but those signs are great for doing large flat surfaces like walls or roofs. Until recently I’ve always used wood but gave styrene a try because my LHS is not carrying much in the way of basswood anymore. Here’s a picture of my first project using styrene for most everything except detail parts. Bruce

19

I was there today, picked up some grass, and an o-6-o switcher…didnt notice it, then again, i didnt paritcularly look…

Thanks guys for all the help…hopefully i can get some soon, and begin scratchbuilding…welll…whatever i need to scratchbuild[:)]

Ryan