Need better material for frames/ribs- Suggestions wanted

[theOshkoshModeler]

Hello all!


Title says it all- I need better material to assemble frames and ribs, especially for a HUGE project I (hopefully) will start sometime this year.

My current material is about 30 12"x12" squares of cheap, ugly, brown chipboard from Amazon. Total about ~$50 USD for 2 25ct.
~0.6 mm, hard to glue, cuts like concrete using an X-Acto (many blade tips snapped)... not the best for assembling models obviously...
I'm looking for a moderately-priced material that is rigid yet easy to glue and cut (my poor blades...), preferably in white, gray, or beige/tan. I need both 1mm and 1.5mm thickness.

I've found a couple promising solutions looking around different modeling forums.
Stepping in to the Papermodelers time machine for old model builds, I've seen Bomarc use 'mat board' back in 2009 with his PBJ Mitchell. Although, since it's been 13 years already since that build, I'm not sure if Crescent still offers the same kind.
Snooping around the Kartonbau.de forums I've seen "Holzpappe" ('wood pulp board'?) used for frames, which is great for what I need; although there seems to be no equivalent material outside of the German market.
Absolutely nowhere in my search have I found balsa wood/basswood that is BOTH a thickness under 1.5mm and large enough to spray glue a whole A3 or A4 sheet of frames.

Would anyone here be able to recommend anything they use that I'd find useful? Preferably from US vendors, if you will.


Thanks!

[Astroboy]

Check your local art supply store for big sheets of mat board, poster board, etc.

[Isaac]

If you want rigidity, then soft balsa wood will do the job.

Many thicknesses to choose as well as sizes for fuselage frames and wing ribs and spars.

I use it all the time on my Radio controlled flying models and occasionally on paper models.

- Print the frames on thin paper,
- glue to the balsa sheet,
- let dry and cut the parts.
- Sand smooth as needed.



Isaac

[MacSongLi]

Originally Posted by Isaac

If you want rigidity, then soft balsa wood will do the job.

Many thicknesses to choose as well as sizes for fuselage frames and wing ribs and spars.

I use it all the time on my Radio controlled flying models and occasionally on paper models.

- Print the frames on thin paper,
- glue to the balsa sheet,
- let dry and cut the parts.
- Sand smooth as needed.



Isaac

Agree with Isaac. Balsa sands easy without those frayed edges too.

Gary

[Sakrison]

Check out the UW-OSH bookstore or Joanne Fabrics for poster board in various thinknesses.
There used to be a nice art supply store on North Main next to the camera shop, but I guess it's gone.

[CharlieC]

You can always go the other route of laminating thinner card to get the thickness you want. I don't know about the US but cereal boxes in Australia are exactly 0.5mm thickness and have been for years. I use a couple of pieces of MDF and some heavy books as a simple press to keep the glued card flat while the glue sets.

There is a thread on papermodelers about laminating normal 80gsm (copy paper) with what I think is called saran wrap in the US (plastic film used for wrapping sandwiches). The copy paper is bonded using a electric iron. The guy who developed the idea had a fancy name for it which I can't remember. That works really well and the 1mm+ thick card you get is easy to cut and quite rigid.

Regards,

Charlie

[hornswoggler]

The closest approximation to "Holzpappe" or "wood pulp board" I have come accross in the US is "taskboard". It is made in 1/32", 1/16", and 1/8".
Taskboard
It is not particularly cheap but much easier to work with than chipboard or matteboard. If you do not want to mail order it sight unseen, some art supply stores offer it in brick and mortar stores. I got mine at a "Blick" store.
Good luck!

[hornswoggler]

The closest approximation of "Holzpappe" or "wood pulp board" I have come across in the US is "taskboard". It is made in 3 thicknesses: 1/32", 1/16", and 1/8".
Taskboard
It is not particularly cheap but much easier to work with than chipboard or matte board. If you do not want to mail order it sight unseen, some art supply stores offer it in their brick and mortar stores. I got mine at a "Blick" store.
Good luck!

[theOshkoshModeler]

Originally Posted by Sakrison

There used to be a nice art supply store on North Main next to the camera shop, but I guess it's gone.

Sakrison, could you be thinking of Art Haus? It's across the street from the hardware store right next to Camera Casino.

It's only a twenty minute walk from my house, maybe I'll check it out sometime this weekend.

[theOshkoshModeler]

Originally Posted by theOshkoshModeler

Sakrison, could you be thinking of Art Haus? It's across the street from the hardware store right next to Camera Casino.

It's only a twenty minute walk from my house, maybe I'll check it out sometime this weekend.

Here's a photo of Art Haus courtesy of Google-