Hi All,

I'd like to know where people prefer to buy their styrene sheets from, and what common thicknesses/sizes you get. It seems to me there's probably a more cost effective way to buy styrene sheets rather than paying an arm and a leg for little sheets from Evergreen.

Thanks!

Well, I usually use stuff from Plastruct or Evergreen, but, I have some sign stock from Home Depot from a fellow modeler here at KitMaker. It's a bit thicker (.040), but, I've found it's just thick styrene and works just as well as the packaged stuff.
I like Evergreens selection of sheet patterns. Tile, batten siding, diamond plate, etc. With Plastruct I usually go for for their strip and tube stock. They have some nice extrusions.

Cuhail

Old shop signage from the local supermarket when they change their promotions is a source of free sheet plastic, however if you need a specific thickness you don't have many options but to put your hand in your pocket.

Thanks for your input, guys. Looks like I'm just going to have to blow the cobwebs out of my wallet. There is a Walmart and Menards in the area here that I can harrass for signage, too. Beats driving to Royal Hobby in Rockford!

Hey man, I was over in Rochelle a couple of weekends ago. Oregon too. Where ya at, man? Hell, that's almost Local for me. I'm up/over in Fox Lake/Round Lake area.

I might pass on some of this thick stuff I have.Lemme know.

Cuhail

Adam,

Another source for plastic comes around the collar of some new shirts, but it's a clear plastic. It usually is quite uniform in thickness, just not wider that about 1-2 inches.

You can also try a larger print shop and see if they have any plastic sheet, even if it's scrap from a bad print job.

Just look around, but remember that all plactics are not Styrene and the glues act differently...

A few years back I picked up some .10 to .40 sheets measuring 2 foot by 4 foot from one of my local hobby shops really cheap. I just cut them down to more manageable size, so I have a life time supply of white sheets.

I still buy the evergreen strips, but stocked up on the sizes I use during one of Great Models 50% off sales, so I again I should havepretty close to a life time supply of the sizes I use.

Cuhail: I live in Dixon; I usually pass through Rochelle on my way to Dekalb, but my Wife and I like Oregon quite a lot! Is this the former signage you're talking about?

Dave: I'm checking out Great Models right now. Interestingly, at interstateplastics.com, you can get 50 0.03 sheets (12" x 12") for 50 bucks and 17 bucks shipping. Slightly better deal than the Evergreen sheets as they're 12x12 instead of 6x12, though you have to get at least $50 worth or they charge a $15 processing fee. Somehow I can't see myself using THAT much styrene unless I was a scratch-building wizard like Steve snr.

I know a chick in Dixon! Rochelle, other than the small railroad park at the BNSF/UP crossing, was pretty much a dump. Good railroad/Farm kinda town/area. We should have taken some better reference pictures while we were there. The weather was crap-tacular.
Sunday at Stronghold Olde English Faire (in Oregon) was much better.
You'll like this:


The former signage was plastic signs in Home Depot somewhere in New York. A fellow KitMaker modeler who worked at HD collected a whole bunch of the old price/description signs and cut them up into 10" X 12" pieces and sent me a bunch.




That's not a bad deal. Cut it into 12" x 10" pieces and store some away. I know I like having a good supply of plastic.

Cuhail

Oh man... it's Jesus! I mean... Blackhawk.

I haven't been to Stronghold in ages. There's a blacksmith at the John Deere Museum/Historical site in Grand Detour which is pretty cool to see, though he's not usually forging anything as exciting as weaponry.

Adamsmasher-
I buy styrene strips, tubes etc from Evergreen.

This is going to sound insane- but it is true. I buy styrene sheet from industrial plastic supply stores. in 4' X 8' sheets. Get a .040", .030", .020" and .010" thickness. (Forty, thirty, twenty and ten thousandths). Split the buy between 2 or 3 serious modeling buddies. Its been a while since I did this but I bet the 4 sheets split 3 ways would be less than $40 (per man US $).

You will have a lifetime supply- BUT once you have a supply like that- you'll begin using more and more and enjoying it more and more.

When you think about the number of times your progress gets held up because you need a piece of 10 thou. and compare to the cost of a single kit these days- its a good investment.

If you have decided you'll be modeling until you leave this world don't wait.

Then go to the hardware store and by a quart of MEK for $8 and stop buying cement at $5 for a couple of ounces.

Steve

[quote]


NOPE no clue who you're talking about

Matt

I didn't want to just throw that out there, Matt! I'd have given ya your props had I thought ya needed the advertisement.!

Cuhail

Look around your house - styrene is used in all sorts of stuff. Last night I was debating whether or not to use my precious stock of thick styrene to make a stand for my small son's Spiderman figure (it falls over a lot but I realised it has peg holes in it's feet - this could end a lot of tears!)

Then I remembered that CD cases (the rigid clear 'jewel' cases) are made from similar stuff - a quick look on the net confirmed this. So tonight I'll set about massacring an unwanted CD case and keep my good stuff back for my own modelling needs.

Cheers

A

I do the same as Steve. Industrial supply for a 4x8 sheet of what I need. A few of us go in on it and split the cost. If you are like me and ever do some serious sci-fi creations..ie. 1/12 scale hover tank, these large sheets come in mighty handy. Also nice that I don't have to keep making runs to the LHS for resupply. The tip on MEK is a good one too. Have been doing that for ahwile now. Trying to use up the last of my other cements and glues to clear some space on the bench. "Q"

Matt-
next time you do a bulk styrene buy. Ask to have a look at the Aerated PVC.
Neat material and sold in much thicker sizes than Styrene.

Great stuff for making a wheel or a turret out of. It carves like Balsa wood but no wood grain or "fuzz" like Balsa. Takes paint really well too.

If you know where we can get big sheets of brass I'd love to know ?? I'd use more of that if it were available locally.

Steve

Steve,
Thanks for the info on the PVC. Will check into it. I hear ya' on the brass sheet too. Will have to look around a bit to see what is out there. I'm sure there is some place to get it from.
"Q"

roadside signage like these are illegal in my city. I harvest them like a vegetable garden...


http://media.thenewstribune.com/smedia/2009/05/31/07/467-PX00001_9.standalone.prod_affiliate.5.JPG

I found a great place online for us USA residents to get some styrene:

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=22883&catid=715

One sheet of .020" and .030" with dimensions of 40" x 72" only cost me $20.02 USD, and that included shipping (ships from Ohio). That works out to about $0.34 per 6" x 12" piece. Needless to say, I'm up to my eyeballs in styrene.

It comes in thicknesses from .020" and up to almost .2", but the most affordable thicknesses are what we scratchbuilders would be using.

Adam, thanks for the link! Let me get it clickable for ya here....

US Plastic

There we go.
Indeed, that's a great price! And there are some tubing choices too.

Again, thanks!

Cuhail

Yep, go industrial.

When I lived i the USA I bought from Cadillac Plastics, sheets of styrene roughly 1 yard square.

Now in Oz I buy from a local plastics shop that sells furniture, and polycarb roofing, etc. They sell 1 meter sq sheets of styrene for about $20 to $40. I usually get a sheet of .5mm, 1mm, 2mm (.010", .040", .075"). Great savings and a good way to get big pieces.

Hi and Happy New Year to all. If one is to go by way of shop signage or plastic that's available at home, how do you know its styrene? or will any plastic material suit the purpose? I tried plastic lids, thickness seems ok, but its too pliable / soft compared to styrene sheets available at the LHS. Cheers -- Tat

hey Cuhail,
Thanks for the 'clickable site". Industrial is the way to go. The local plastic supplier has a "mistakes" box that is obcenely cheap.
Jake

Greetings All. I just wanted to say hey and see what was going on. As in my profile, sheet styrene is a big hit with me. At present, I'm neck deep in a M113 project. I've six (6) basic hulls going. The hulls will be jump off points for the conversions I'm planning. It's kinda like building tools(jigs) to build the variants. Crazy? You bet and it has really knocked the rust and apathy towards modeling I've been foundering in. Best regards, Michael. P.S. I gotta check in to all the tips, many thanx!