General questions

[Sidney Schwartz]

I'm new to paper modeling and have some general questions.

1. When building plastic models I would "test build" a complete kit using white glue. This let me find and fix any fit problems before painting and permanently gluing. Much better than getting the kit 90% built and then finding the chassis won't fit in the body. Is there a way to do something similar with paper, some way to build and disassemble it without destroying it?

2. After printing the kit I'm working on I sprayed it with Krylon Matte finish to help prevent smearing while handling it. I chose it because I'd used in on plastic models with no problems. It doesn't seem to get along well with paper, though...you can see mottling in the outlined places in the pic. I'd appreciate recommendations for an alternative.

Thanks in advance for your assistance. I'm sure I'll have more questions down the road.

[Texman]

To me, the mottling looks like a krylon issue. The only time I have problems is
spraying in high humidity. Been using it a long time.

As to build/disassemble a paper kit. That's the beauty. If you dry fit the parts, and
they look ok, you're good. If something messes up after gluing, you can just print another and start over.

[Don Boose]

That is definitely mottling. I have never had it happen, but I never spray a completed model. I spray the parts before assembly, so would know if there was interaction with the printing ink.

This recent thread included a discussion of Krylon and other preservative coatings: Sealing paper for model preservation and spray coat- current method not working

Don

[Burning Beard]

Was it wet (atmospherically) when you sprayed it? That will make the spray react badly.

[Sidney Schwartz]

Originally Posted by Texman

To me, the mottling looks like a krylon issue. The only time I have problems is
spraying in high humidity. Been using it a long time..

Could be. It's been brutal hot here the past few days, and it feels more humid as well. Temps are supposed to go down starting tomorrow, so I'll give it another try.

Originally Posted by Texman

As to build/disassemble a paper kit. That's the beauty. If you dry fit the parts, and
they look ok, you're good. If something messes up after gluing, you can just print another and start over.

That's true, and certainly a big difference from plastic kits. On the other hand, printer ink ain't cheap and I've been using a lot of it lately.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I'm sure I'll get it all figured out. Model building builds patience.

[Laurence Finston]

Originally Posted by Sidney Schwartz

I'm new to paper modeling and have some general questions.

1. When building plastic models I would "test build" a complete kit using white glue. [...] Is there a way to do something similar with paper, some way to build and disassemble it without destroying it?

Sewing is good for this purpose, among others. It's best to reinforce the holes for the stitches (e.g., with cellophane tape), if you plan to do a lot of taking apart and putting together. Depending on how robust it is, paper won't stand very much of this, though.

Originally Posted by Sidney Schwartz

2. After printing the kit I'm working on I sprayed it with Krylon Matte finish to help prevent smearing while handling it. [...] I'd appreciate recommendations for an alternative.

Whenever possible, I suggest using paper that already looks the way you want it to. Of course, this usually precludes printing out the plans on a laser or ink-jet printer and requires tracing by hand.

[Sidney Schwartz]

Originally Posted by Laurence Finston

Sewing is good for this purpose, among others. It's best to reinforce the holes for the stitches (e.g., with cellophane tape), if you plan to do a lot of taking apart and putting together. Depending on how robust it is, paper won't stand very much of this, though.

Interesting...I would not have thought of that. Thanks.

Next question. I've been using 65 lb card stock. Is that heavy enough? Too heavy?

[Texman]

I use 65lb cover stock for my models. I build 1/87 vehicles, 1/144 aircraft, and 1/350 - 1/700 ships.
Some folks say it is to thick, but it seems to work great for me.

What scale are you looking at?

[Laurence Finston]

Originally Posted by Sidney Schwartz

Interesting...I would not have thought of that. Thanks.

I've found it to be a very useful technique, especially for closing models like these:

The GNU 3DLDF Astronomy Page

The GNU 3DLDF Polyhedron Models Page

I didn't invent it, though; bookbinders have been sewing pages since the days before there was paper.

Originally Posted by Sidney Schwartz

Next question. I've been using 65 lb card stock. Is that heavy enough? Too heavy?

In Germany, we use grams per square meter, so I don't know what the reference size is for paper weights in pounds and it's a long time since I used paper in the US. It really depends on the project. I use paper and cardboard of all different weights. If it's too thick and heavy, it's difficult to cut and will require more x-acto blades. I tend to use medium weight paper or cardstock most of the time. My printer will only print up to 300 g/m2. (I do use printers for some things.)

Standard printing paper is about 80 g/m2; that's a bit too light for most purposes, at least for me. 170 g/m2 is a good weight for many things. I'd say between 90 g/m2 and 220 g/m2 is good for most purposes. I would say, as light as possible, as heavy as necessary would be a good rule of thumb.

[Sidney Schwartz]

Originally Posted by Texman

I use 65lb cover stock for my models. I build 1/87 vehicles, 1/144 aircraft, and 1/350 - 1/700 ships.
Some folks say it is to thick, but it seems to work great for me.

What scale are you looking at?

The 65lb eems to be working for me too. At this point I'm not focused on any one scale...my main concern is that the parts are not too small for my old eyeballs and fingers. I'm working on a couple of HO scale locos from RXR, and those are manageable for me. I'm assuming that something much larger, like an aircraft carrier, is going to be in a different scale.