Construction Hints

Tools

1.      Scissors

2.      Single edge razor blades (new and sharp)

3.      Straight edge ruler (steel works best)

4.      Fine sandpaper 280, 320 and 400 grits.

5.      Tweezers, (optional)

6.      Exacto #11, (optional)

7.      Small square.

Material

1.      Strips of 1/8^th  X ¼ , 1/8^th X 1/16^th , 1/16^th X 1/16^th Balsa wood.

2.      .080 Evergreen angle #219 1 pkg (optional)

3.      Elmer’s White Glue

4.      Thick CA glue, and kicker (optional) If you use CA also buy some Debonder for clean up.

The following is for your information, but you may have your own techniques.

I have found that white glue has given me the best results in gluing paper-to-paper or paper to the balsa.  It sets up in a minute or so, and you have a chance to slide the joint into the proper position.  Use sparingly; use your finger to spread the glue into a thin film on the object to be glued.

The key to paper card modeling is to make accurate cuts and clean sharp folds.  Here is where the straight edge and razor blade come into play.

Score each of the fold lines with the razor.  A light score works fine, being careful not to cut through the piece.

The tabs on the edges serve two purposes:  one to connect at a joint and the other to stiffen an edge such as the bottom of a wall.  The fold will keep the wall straight.

The second choice for wall joints, (which I find works better), is to cut each wall apart and place ¼ x 1/8 strips on one of the walls to join.  The next wall should be brought up to the edge of the joining wall and glued.  This will give you a very small edge of white paper at the joint to color or place the angle.  Then use ¼ x 1/8 on the bottom.

A cut and fold will produce a white unprinted corner of a building.  These are several ways to handle this.  One is to use a colored pencil or cover the corner with the styrene angle and paint.  I prefer the styrene.  Evergreen has a good variety of shapes and sizes.

I also like the corner covered with the 20# paper printed material. Cut a strip of the printed stock about 3/16^th wide and fold it down the middle. Use white glue and place it on the corner of the building. It will blend in quite well and make a clean corner.

I have found a couple of ways to add a 3 dimensional look.  For building cornices, a section of the tie strip on N gauge track gives a great look to the top of a building.  On a piece of N flex track you will find one side under the rail is solid.  Remove the rail, cut along the strip, leaving the tie ends exposed.  Cut off the spikes with a razor blade and glue a piece of angle over the top of the strip and you have a great looking cornice.  Again, I use white glue it works fine.

Styrene

Evergreen Products has ½ round in several sizes.  These work well too.

Angel Hair spaghetti is small and round.  You can make good clean cuts with a sharp razor blade.  Fine sand paper on a block will flatten one side with no trouble at all.  After you have glued the piece over a doorframe it can be sanded again and make a flat surface.  Perfect for a frame around doors or vents.

In gluing these external pieces, again use the white glue sparingly.  As you place it on the piece it will form little balls or globs of glue.  Carefully use your finger along the edge and it will leave a very fine bead of glue.

Uses of Evergreen Angle Strips

Corners of buildings, tops of the walls, frames and steps

Weathering:

Here is where we separate models from toys.  The key here is not to overdo the weathering.  I use a 1/8 or so stiff bristle brush, known as a “bright” in the artist’s world, and acrylic paint.  Put a couple drops of paint on a plate and use the brush to smear it out flat.  Now use just the end of the bristles to dab into the paint.  Keep the brush very dry.  Make small, short strokes downward in the area you wish to weather.  Start at joint of panels, under the eves of the roof, under windows, or at the smoke stacks.  It should just be a shadow of paint and you should be able to see the printed siding through the paint.  Use earth colors:  tan, light gray, off white.  It will bring you model to life.  Don’t overdo it.

Roof:

On flat roof buildings, measure down ¼ inch on the inside of the wall and with a ballpoint pen draw a line all around the panel.  Now glue a ¼ x 1/8 balsa strip below that on the line.  This will stiffen the top edge and make a footing for the roof.  If the building has a hip or gable roof, glue the strip inside to top edge of the wall.

Balsa wood:

1/16 th balsa strips are OK for bridges and trestles. Some preparation of the wood is necessary for a good result. First sand the strip by folding a small piece of 320 or 280 sand paper and run it up and down the strip removing any fuzz from the wood. Then using a spray can coat the strip with paint or primer. I use Krylon flat gray. Allow to dry and repeat the sanding with 320 paper. Two coats will produce a smooth strip of balsa that is fuzz free and works well for timbers or beams and girders. For planks use 1/32 X 1/16 th.  For roof caps and over hangs 1/16^th by 1/8^th works OK. Final sanding with 400 paper produces a smooth finish. Always use an ultra flat paint for the final color. Fish plates or caps sometimes called gussets that are at beam joints can be made from card stock. Your junk mail is full of suck stock.

Glue:  

CA glue is not for the young modeler as it is “SKIN BINDING” and has some dangerous characteristics. Thick CA is fast when used with “kicker”. When using CA keep a paper towel handy and wipe off excess glue before setting with the accelerator. Sanding off thick CA is not easy.   

White glue is good for paper bonding. Use in small thin films and avoid excess glue. Wipe the glue away with a stick as it squeezes out of the joint.

Thin CA can be hard to handle for the new comer as it runs and can stick your fingers to what ever you are holding. Again be sure to wipe off all runs as you go if you choose to try this adhesive.

Plans:

If your project requires the use of a plan (trestle or bridges ect) then here are some suggestions.

Place a piece of wax paper over the plan on a work surface such as Cellotex or cork as you will need to use pins to hold the material in place. A small ceiling tile works well here. I use T pins and pin the piece in place by putting pins on each side of the strip of the pre prepared wood ( see balsa wood above for prep). I like to use thick CA for this but the old model airplane glue ( not plastic glue)  works OK too. Just takes a little longer to dry. Cutting the pieces to fit is important so go slow and be patient.

Information:

Use the internet image search for an unlimited source of info on almost any project.