How to build a model without crumpling the paper

[herky]

I Never use paper for my models.Except when printing out paterns for formers which i thenlaminate on to card.Most of the time i use 220 or 225gm card which i find is strong especially when building 1;32 or 1;48 aircraft.I use uhu in the yellow tube as it will rub off of card before drying if you put too much on.

[codex34]

Sounds like your using to much glue straight from the bottle, soaking the flap with glue will allow the rest of the part to soak up the water from the glue and crumple the part and flap.
Flaps don't need to be covered entirely in glue, use just enough glue to glue it, lots of folks here use a glue applicator of some sort, mine is a darning needle, small dab of glue on a plastic surface, dip your applicator in and spread it on your flap near the fold line, you don't need to cover the whole thing, usually.

The large scissors will damage the paper because of the size of the cutting edges, even if they are very very sharp, and you tend to bully the paper out of the way when turning the part, you can minimize this by cutting off most of the excess paper before trimming the rest off. Smaller scissors are better though, even cheap ones for now.

We all did the exact same things when we started.
Lots of fun.

[airdave]

Originally Posted by justinxfan

Hi. This seems to be my first post and I'm not sure if I'm posting in the right place. I'm building an Air India 777-300ER I found on the Canon website. However, whenever I'm cutting out and glueing small parts, parts end up getting soggy and crumpled. Sometimes when I'm cuting out really tiny pieces, such as those flap thingys and landing gear, the paper gets stuck up (I dunno what you call it, but the edges kinda fold and crumple.) Can I have some tips of building a paper model without messing up the parts?

Like codex says, sounds, like you might be using a little too much thin glue.

But the paper is also an issue.

You live in the Vancouver area right?...so you have Michael's Craft Stores nearby.

Go to Michaels, and pick up a pack of plain white cardstock, exactly like the
one in the photo below. This is Michael's own brand. You can find it in the
Scrapbooking/Craft papers aisle.
A 50 sheet pack is regularly $3.99 I think? Its often on sale 3 packs for $10

Its not the best cardstock...its my "multi-use" stuff.
I save my extra smooth Wausau Cardstock for the best jobs.
But the Michael's stuff is still good for most jobs.

[rockpaperscissor]

I have a different gluing technique - rarely applying glue to the tabs themselves. I use Elmers glue primarily which can be found pretty much anywhere. When I'm gluing, I squeeze out a small length of glue on the meaty part of my left hand (I'm right handed) between my thumb and forefinger. I select a straight edged piece of scrap card sized anywhere from 1/2" to 2" depending on the size of the model part that I'm gluing. I use the scrap piece of card like a putty knife, and scrape off some the glue from my hand onto the edge of the "putty knife". Then I spread the glue (not too much) on the inside skin opposite to the glue tab, and finally lightly press the tabs into place. I use smooth jawed needle nosed pliers to squeeze the two surfaces together rather than my fingers. This minimizes the chances of ending up with a visible sawtooth pattern on the front surface of the skin. Seems backasswards, but that's how my personal technique has evolved over the years. If the area to be glued isn't a good fit for the putty knife technique, I apply glue to the inside of the skin with a small flat brush instead.

[westley]

Hi and welcome. Most of my models is also built with normal printer paper. Here in south africa most of the printers that's able to print on card stock is ridiculously priced, and the guys at print shops seem to make a living from one or two sales a day. I don't know what type of glue you are using but I use cold wood glue. It works ok as long as you use the bare minimum on joints. These days I'm more into scratch building so printer is no longer a prob, especially since I went through three of them this last year. Normal paper has a down side as well since the model starts to sag aftter a while, only the smaller and sturdier models seem to keep up. At least you chose the right hobby, I said it before and will again, modelling people is the friendliest and most open people I've met in my life. Looking forward to see your models. Keep sticking !

[airdave]

Just to clarify, before we scare you away from 65lb cardstock
(which, I think, is what most of the guys here use)...

176gsm/65lb cardstock will go through ANY printer.
I have never seen one yet, that it will not,
and I am talking about $29 HP deskjets,
up to my current ($80) Brother Scanner-Printer.

*and I have never owned a flat feed printer, only return feed printers.
Those are the kind that feed the paper in through the front or top and
loop it around and back out the front again.

I will agree, that anything over 200gsm/110lb might have trouble in a compact return feed printer.

[herky]

i have a cheap epson feed printer and 225gm goes through that no problems.you just have to load one sheet at a time

[herky]

Originally Posted by herky

i have a cheap epson feed printer and 225gm goes through that no problems.you just have to load one sheet at a time

mine is epson nx 230 stylus