What paper/Glue do I need for general use?

[BazookaJo]

Want to start having a play with some of the paper models available to download.

Thinking of some of the Wacky Racers, and maybe a little later, the Aliens Pulse Rifle.

What sort of paper would you recommend in general for working/printing on e.g. a 100gsm matte finish photo paper?

Plus what would be the best sort of glue/dispenser (yes I really am an idiot ).

Many thanks in advance

Joe.

[GEEDUBBYA]

Howdy again Joe,

It seems I am answering your posts as you post them lol.
Personally I use inexpensive photo paper. The brand I use is called "jetprint photo paper" and is made by International paper co. It comes in six mil, seven mil, eight mil and nine mil thicknesses. You can purchase it in matte finish, gloss, hi gloss, and portrait quality. It costs about $5 to $7 per 25 sheets depending on the quality paper you buy. As for Glue......Good old elmers works, although super glue....aka cyno acrylate esther, can also be used. Some ppl use hot melt, others use glue sticks.



You can buy these at wal mart fairley cheaply as I stated before. The above photos were so you would know what to look for.

Hope these help, have a good day,

Greg aka GEEDUBBYA (GW)

[Rick Thomson]

I use Uhu Alleskleber for most things, hot melt when it has to bear a load, (landing gear, etc), and occasionally crazy glue gel.

160 gm/sq meter paper is my normal construction material, I don't really care for photo paper as I find it doesn't glue together all that well, but that is just my personal preference. If I want a glossy or semi-glossy finish, I'll give it a quick spray with clear laquer.

[barry]

Hi

Whatever glue you use, I use pva, UHU, superglue ....., you don't need much so transfer it to the end of a cocktail stick. That way you have some control where it goes, I use an old steel knitting needle you can pick the glue off the end ready for the next seam. If you are just starting ordinary cardboard 120 gsm and 160 gsm will do fine and 80 gsm for small rolled pieces, cornflake packets make good stiffening material.

Have fun

[rickstef]

well, what to use?

first visit your local office supply or craft store

Glues:
Elmer's white glue, or the blue gel glue.
Aleene's Tacky Glue(in the gold bottle)
Uhu All purpose glue.

Paper:
start out with plain cardstock
65#, 67#, 80#, 110#

The reason i mention cardstock over photopaper, it will throw you for a loop, photo paper doesn't like white glue, super glue works well for that, use it sparingly.
you can use photopaper and white glue only if you rough up the glossy parts of the paper.
Or if you want, buy from the Epson line, the glossy photo paper, there is a version which feels like regular stock.

also, get yourself, a metal ruler, cutting mat, and an X-acto style knife, and a set of nice and sharp scissors.

As time goes on, you will discover what you like to use, also keep your eye out for stuff around the house, your wife, girlfriend, mom might have which you could maybe snag into your toolset.

Rick

[GEEDUBBYA]

Originally Posted by rickstef

As time goes on, you will discover what you like to use, also keep your eye out for stuff around the house, your wife, girlfriend, mom might have which you could maybe snag into your toolset.

Rick

Rick, are you tryin to get that man killed before he even builds his first model? lol
You should make statements like that with a "disclaimer" like "I am a professional, please dont try this at home" or "Appropriating items from the aforementioned persons has been determined to be hazardous to your health".


have a good day,

Greg aka GW

[rickstef]

Greg,

i have survived this thing a few times, mom even suggested some items from her sewing room when we were moving her stuff to a new room.

Rick

[Darwin]

My personal preference is Aileen's Tacky Glue. The "original" formula seems to do best for general work. Toothpicks work well as applicators. Gluing tips like Testor's makes for model cement does ok as well. I also keep instant glue on hand....prefer the type that comes with an applicator brush built into the cap (kind of like fingernail polish). In addition to the other tools mentioned, take a swing through the scrapbooking section of a crafts store like Michaels, Ben Franklins, etc. and pick up a small assortment of embossing styluses (stylii?). My favorite scissors are Fiscar's microtip. The good old craft knife is also a must. I'd also recommend a good (flexible) metal straightedge...the type that has a non-slip cork backing. When (not if) you really get hooked, you will find yourself wandering not only through crafts shops, but Tandy Leather, fly tying shops, etc. with an eye out for things that look useful. Again a personal preference, but I prefer card stock (like Bristol board) from office suppliers (Staples, Office Depot, etc.). Having a ream of presentation-quality bond on hand is also good. I use anywhere from 24 lb bond to 110 lb cardstock, depending on what the part is going to be used for. A good set of tweezers or forceps also comes in very handy...get the reverse-acting type that holds the jaws closed when no pressure is put on the handle. A set of side-cutting wire cutters also belongs in the toolbox. Bet you never thought this hobby could get so complicated......

[BazookaJo]

Cheers guys

I'll have a look around. I'm from the UK, so I'll probably have to find some alternatives to the producst you mentioned. Also, thickness over here is measured in weight (tjickness would mack more sense to me, but there you go), but there's probably a conversion chart somewhere.

Thanks again

Paul.

[josve]

Hi!

I have had very good results with karton in 160-220g.It's easy to score lines, it glues very well, it's stiff enough to make small parts look good, it prints very well.
For strengthening I use karton in 0,5mm and 1mm

[Bengt Fredén]

Cheers BazookaJo, and welcome to the Forum!

Paper:
To begin with, experiment with any medium thick card with a white, smooth surface. But check first with the manual for your printer that it´s OK to use thick card in the sheet feeder. When you print, set your printer to "heavy card paper", "matte heavy paper" or something similar.
I normally use 160 - 170 g/m2 paper, for example on airplane 'skins', and for models with no internal formers (which I normally mount on 0.8-1 mm thick white or grey card) I use a more sturdy 220 - 230 g/m2 paper.
I know that you have very good quality card in England, the kind you can buy in shops for artists, I just can´t recall the name of it just now...is it Bond?
For rolling thin parts, I use a thin, copy-weight (80-100 g/m2) paper with a smooth, dense white surface. Of course you can also experiment with coloured or dyed card, or even silver paper if it´s OK with your printer...

The photo papers are a lot more expensive but you will also get a much higher quality, especially in black or darker areas if you print on an ink jet.
As mentioned above, glossy papers can sometimes be a little difficult to glue, but if you rough up the tabs or ends with a fine sand paper, it works fine. The glossy papers are the most expensive, though. I very rarely use them. Epson or Canon or other brand names sell their heavy weight glossy photo papers in smaller packages, which are very expensive.
Here in Sweden we can buy other 'pirate' brands in larger packages (100 sheets) in either A4 or A3 sizes, which reduces the price per sheet considerably. I constantly search to find cheaper photo paper (I use mostly matte paper) without having to compromise in quality.
Try at Dixon´s or any equivalent dealer in England - I´m pretty sure you can find medium thick photo paper (about 160 - 170 g/m2) that aren´t as expensive as the top ink jet brands.
Experiment and print out a test sheet for all papers that you try - if you use the same test sheet consistently you can keep a record in a file over time and compare print quality, paper white tone, surface grain, and so on.
You will probably also find, as you get into this hobby, that the most expensive material that you have to buy is the ink cartridges for your printer. I buy bulk packs, or when there is a special sale. Others that I know of, have installed professional 'continous feed' systems, with inks in small bottles. This, however, requires some kind of modification of your printer. I have considered this, though, because the cost of ink cartridges is much too high in my opinion and such a system makes it much more affordable if you print large sheets often.

Glue:
Here you also have to try what works best for you. Many card modellers use so called 'white glue', which dries somewhat slowly. I use a very common type of 'office' glue, the type which you use for glueing photos in an album. I have found that this type dries just fast enough to let you move around and fix the parts a little. I avoid glues that are water-based, as they tend to warp and 'buckle' the paper. The German brand UHU have a good glue, called 'Hart' (hard) in tubes with a thin pointed tip - this glue sets very fast, so I only use it for smaller parts that I don´t have to move around too much. For applying the glue to small parts or areas I use a tooth pick that I have cut to a bevelled tip and stuck into a wine cork - this makes an excellent (and very cheap) tool for applying glue without smearing it over the parts. Glue that dries quickly often leaves a very cobweb-thin thread from the tip of the tube to the place where you apply the glue - this could be a bit annoying, but if you remove it away from the part with a finger (or another tooth pick) before it sticks to the paper, it wont be a problem. Trial and error, as usual.

Other stuff you´ll need:
As poined out above, you also need a cutting mat (or a large piece of thick cardboard), a straigth edge or ruler (metal or plastic, I prefer plastic because it allows you to see the parts) a sharp, pointed knife or scalpel with extra blades, a couple of sharp scissors and some small tool for scoring. For scoring, I simply use sewing needles that I put in a port wine cork, placed upside-down - cheap, very thin and not so sharp that it cuts through the paper. I use them together with a small plastic ruler and score two to three times, depending on the thickness of the card.
A very good method of scoring is to do it from the back side of the sheet - the paper surface does not 'break' and the fold becomes almost invisible and you don´t have to paint or touch it up with colours. A light box can be very handy here for seeing the scoring lines through the paper! Or, just puncture small holes along the line just outside of the ends, turn the sheet over, align the ruler and score between the two holes.

I keep my sharp knives, scissors, sewing needles and other tools away from my children in a drinking glass on a shelf or in a box, thus preventing injuries. Swann & Morton has a very good scalpel handle, by the way, which they call "Retract-away". With your thumb, you just push the sharp scalpel blade down - keeps it sharp and you can put the knife in your pocket! Ingenious!

Best of luck, and most importantly, have fun!

best regards,
Bengt

[BazookaJo]

Thanks again.

Getting my shopping list together as we speak.

Joe.

[Fishcarver]

http://www.cardfaq.org/faq/

Joe: Welcome! Check out this link for a lot of useful information!
Regards from Canada
Jim

[shadow8136]

Cardstock as known as 'pepakura'
110 lbs is the best especially white, and elmers glue.
NO WATER-BASED SUPER GLUE!!!!
it just goes into the paper and only sticks your fingers.
then resin, bondo, and model.