Just getting started, what do I need?

[vaindioux]

Hi

I want to build a ship model that is on my hard drive and have to print.
What cardstock do I need? It's a small ship in 1/700 scale.
Is Elmer white glue good enough?
Then scissors of course.
What else do I need to get started?

Thxs a lot

Pat

[Burning Beard]

I very rarely use scissors, I feel I lack control with them and they are clumsy. I prefer a good old exacto knife with nr. 11 blades (and a straight edge for long cuts). Get a self healing cutting mat, it is well worth the money (available at Walmart) and will make your life a whole lot easier.

That is a pretty small model depending on the ship you are building, you may need to use paper for the smaller detail items (little fiddly parts). I usually build everything from 67# cardstock or cover stock, if it needs strength I laminate another piece to it.

White glue is watery and using to much can cause the paper to wrinkle/warp, tacky glues like Aleens are little more forgiving, dry faster but are thicker, also after they dry you can rub off excess. Glue sticks are good for laminating.

Find small things to help you shape items, a dead ball point pen (though I use a yarn needle) for scoring, and old set of drill bits for rolling the stock into tubes of the proper size, any thing with a round end for making cup shapes.

Mike

[vaindioux]

Mike

Thxs so much for the long answer.
What is laminating?

Thxs

Pat

[FRD]

I've found that a transparent, straight edge is helpful for scoring lines to be folded..

[Burning Beard]

Laminating is gluing two (or more) pieces of card stock together to make it thicker or stronger, like plywood.

Mike

[Don Boose]

And a steel straight edge (or two: one 6 inches or 15cm and one 12 inches or 30cm) for guiding the knife blade when cutting straight lines.

Don

[vaindioux]

Thxs a lot guys

Pat

[spaceagent-9]

There are many build threads here, I would study them completely if I were just starting, you will learn so much in just a week. You really should just try exacto blades, scissors, different weights of paper and such, to see what you like. It's good to see what other modelers do. I use hot glue because super glue makes me sick. There are spray on clear coats, but some prefer floor wax applied with a sponge. Make a few prints of parts to practice on. Roll up some tubes to for supports.

[airdave]

Originally Posted by FRD

I've found that a transparent, straight edge is helpful for scoring lines to be folded..

just my opinion, but...for scoring/folding this is perfectly great!

but if you are cutting do as Don states...

a "transparent" rule usually means clear plastic?
Scotty has not given us that "transparent aluminum" recipe he promised.
I tend to angle my knife into the rule when cutting so it does not stray away.
This increases the knife pressure against the rule edge.
...against a plastic rule, you run the risk of the knife digging into the rule.
And this leads to all sorts of dangerous results!

metal rules rule for cutting!

This is why I avoid keeping any plastic rules on my workbench.
Metal ones work just as well for scoring and folding.

[FRD]

Right, a transparent straight edge is ONLY good for SCORING, it allows you to easily see what line to score next, this was the very first tip that Lou Dausse every gave me and I've used it every since, certainly use a metal edge for cutting...