I found a new modelling material

[kashirigi]

Hi everyone,

 

In my ongoing quest for lightweight, strong building materials, I came across something new (to me, anyway). It's a sign material called Sintra. It's very light and cuts easily, but is far more durable than foamcore. I'm still playing around with it to discover the most appropriate adhesive for it, but a few (like Weldbond and CA) are working so far.

 

My plan is to make a largish viaduct with it. So far it's been far less trouble than I imagined.

[Bernard]

Kashirigi - It's great hearing from you! I can't wait to see what the Sintra looks like and your results. Are you also designing any more structures? They look fantastic!!

[quinntopia]

Kashirigi!

 

Ahhh!  This is the first time I've heard of someone else using the material!  I use it myself http://quinntopia.blogspot.com/2008/12/rigid-sub-base.htmlfor those places on my layout where a more sturdy base is needed than just pure styrofoam will provide (for example, my city area is totally covered in black sintra). 

 

I've also used it to 'scratchbuild' some brides and so forthhttp://quinntopia.blogspot.com/2008/12/other-landscaping-custom-bridges-and.html.  Very cheap and pretty effective.

[cteno4]

Hey thanks for the boot to the head on syntra!

 

i had uses some way way back when i was making exhibit models. one of the exhibit guys was an old sign maker and brought in some for me to play with. it will be interesting to see what the current stuff is like as the stuff i had was in 1980! i remember it was like styrene on the surface (tad softer feel) and then a core of ligher material that was denser than foam core.

 

hoping this will be a fun material to model with where you need some meat and its nice and flat and stiff!

 

just sourced it in the DC area and found the white 3mm 4x8 for $23, so worth it to get a sheet and experiment with. i really like having a material thats 1/8", flat, and moisture does not affect.

 

also some good info here on bonding and such:

 

http://tri-dee.com/Sintra%20sheets%20information.

 

cheers,

 

jeff

[Masioka]

I found a UK source here ...

 

http://www.active-robots.com/products/accessories/construction-materials.shtml

[cteno4]

Ok i just got a sheet today of 3mm black and they also had 2mm white scraps (like 20" x 48") that they gave me. love this plastics store as they have a bunch of scrap for sale for like $1/lb. picked up some clear acrylic that is usually like $30 for a 2'x4' piece at home despot for $2.50!

 

going to start playing with the sintra. not sure its going to work for stuff w/o support at any larger size using the 3mm. the 6mm is much stiffer, but also more like $45 for a 4x8 sheet and i was too cheap to buy one of those for playing with right now.

 

do think the sintra will be great for small stuff and a great replacement for chipboard for some stuff as its so much easier to cut and leaves very nice edges. also should paint well and not warp! i may try to make a ttrak module out of it for fun to see if its sturdy enough for it. would be incredibly light module!

 

also discovered they had 020, 030, and 040 styrene sheet for about 1/20th way you pay for it from evergreen or plastruct! picked up a 4x8 sheet of 020 for $5 and 030 for $7!

 

it was also nice to find they had gatorboard in stock at $45 for a 4x8 0.5" stock. thats less than half what it goes for at the train shows. may have to pick some up at some point as its some of the stiffest stuff around.

 

now to play some!

 

cheers,

 

jeff

[Bernard]

Jeff - Where do you get your supplies from?

[Claude_Dreyfus]

It does look very much like foamboard, which is a very good modelling material (effectively a thin sheet of foam sandwiched between two plasticard-type sheets). If it is essentially the same, it would be ideal for making large structures such as viaducts etc.

[quinntopia]

I used sintra not only as the base for my city and urban areas, but also used it to create a highway bridge and a railway viaduct.  The only thing that I don't care for about sintra is that its a pain to cut, but not impossible.  This is actually a good thing as its relatively thick and you must make multiple scores with a knife to get the cut you want (it does snap pretty obediently most of the time after you've put in a couple of good scores).  And realistically, its a LOT cleaner and easier to cut than wood and far more sturdy than most styrene alternatives.

The below photos of my viaduct and highway bridge need a bit more detail, but they do the job fine for now.

 

Viaduct (with styrene strips on edges)

Highway bridge (with styrene strips for sidewalks, etc...)

[Bernard]

Quinn - I also like the lighting on your layout. I have to try the sintra for my roads, I just have to find out if Michaels or AC Moore sells it.

[quinntopia]

I get mine from a company called TAP Plastics, which seems to be pretty much on the West Coast.  They seem to cater to the more commercial or contractor types rather than the arts and crafts community.  Its commonly used for signage, so look around locally for shops that provide or sell materials for plastic interior signage and I'm sure they will have it.

[cteno4]

Ok i went to the larger local plastics distributor here in the DC area (Piedmont Plastics, they have locations throughout the usa). they had 3mm black sintra (an equivalent brand) for $27 for a 4' x 8' sheet! they also has some scrap of some 2mm in 2' x 4' that they were selling for $1/lb (about $1 ea!). they also had clear acrylic 1/16" thick 2' x 4' scraps they were selling at $1.25/lb (about $2 ea). thats a fraction (like 1/10th) the price you pay for it at home depot!

 

they also had 020 styrene sheet in 4' x 8' sheets for $5 and 030 for $7! you pay like $6 for three little 8" x 10" sheets from evergreen or plastruct! just had to grab a sheet of each, im stocked for life now!

 

in the end they gave me a couple sheets of the scrap acrylic and 2mm sintra for free! think they knew they had a new fish on the line!

 

they also had 1/2" gator board 4x8 sheet for $45 which is a very good price as its over twice that price at the train shows and mail order usually.

 

anyhow now its time to start playing with the sintra some. the 3mm is not as stiff as 3/8" foamcore, but with any support it should be fine for small spans. think it will be great for small retaining walls and such. great since hot water will let you thermo form it to curves and it sets when cooled. im also going to test it as a scenery base for structures that i want to put scenery around and move between the ttrak modules, jrm layout and home layout. should stay flat and stiff enough to do the quick transfer and should not warp with moisture or water/glues with the scenery process.

 

I just discovered the last exhibit we did had all the large sinage done on sintra. they just mounted the digital prints to the face and wraped it around the edges. the graphic printer swears by the stuff as his mounting board these days.

 

Piedmont also had listed a lot of other interesting foam boards on their websites, but alas our local store did not have any of those and shipping a sheet from another store is expensive.

 

TAP is also a good source, they are around lots of places. not sure on their prices, last time i remember buying some acrylic there a long time back the prices were not great, but they do stock a lot of materials.

 

The big lesson here was to find your local plastics store and see if they have a scrap pile and dig around in it for some deals!

 

cheers

 

jeff