cadmunkey

Hi

I am building a 1:60 model of the MV Queen of Chilliwack. I was originally going to use plywood to build my superstructure, but after coming across Plastruct and seeing all of their products I am thinking of using Styrene.

My questions are:

1) Is styrene a viable construction material for above the waterline?

2) Can Styrene be used as structural elements in the superstructure?

3) How does Styrene hold up over the years?

4) Are gaps, seems, and corners easily filled and cleaned up with styrene?

5) How does Styrene compare to plywoods weight wise?

Just a few concerns I have, before I make this decision.

Thanks,

subsinker

My Feedback: (61)

Hi,

I substitute it all the time for plywood. It works very well for superstructure and is probably a little lighter, depending on the thickness you use. I llike it as i build quite a bit of Dumas boats and the wood is usually dicey at best. Styrene saves me from using grain filler or sanding sealer.

Pete

toesupwa

1/ Yes
2/ Yes, as long as you use the correct thickness of styrene for the structural strength you need.
3/ It seems fairly good.. although I've not been working with it that long. I'm assuming like most plastics though, if subjected to sunlight for long periods of time it will go brittle.
4/ Yes, the 'glue' used for putting styrene together actually 'welds' the parts together.
5/ At a guess, probably 1/2 the weight of ply of the same thickness.

Use ply where you think you need the strength, styrene where you need to lose the weight and strength is not important.

patmat

Due to its flimsiness, I often use styrene as a skin over plywood... primarily to give a plate-steel look to the structure, without having to seal the wood. My tug Dearborn was built this way.

Pat M

Umi_Ryuzuki

Decks are plywood, superstructure sides and structural shapes are all styrene.
Boat is 52" long. The boat was started and orginally built up in 1998
[8D]

cadmunkey

Thanks guys,

This gives me the confidence to move forward on my project using styrene. It seems like such a great material to work with with tones of preformed sections and plates.

Cheers,

mfr02

My Lindberg trawler (styrene kit) had its 21st birthday this year. still going strong, just one or two of the more delicate bits have suffered. A layer of paint keeping the UV out and the plasticisers in probably helps.

LtDoc

Just some very general things.

Plastics usually will work as well as wood, given that the 'right' thicknesses, coatings, etc, are used, both above and below the water line. Lots of opinions about that, so your choice. Wood used to be the material of 'choice' simply because there was a lot of it around. Today, the same thing applies to plastics. (A plentiful supply usually means 'cheap', which is important to a 'tight-wad' like me. Not exactly the best recommendation, huh?) Oh well. Just like wood, what you use to put the stuff together makes a big difference, the glue. Bunch of different types, brands available. And while I certainly wouldn't classify myself as any kind of 'expert', I would rather work with plastics than wood in most cases, more experience with it.
If I say much more than that I'll probably be wrong, so I'll quit.
- 'Doc

Trisquire

Which glue would that be?

LtDoc

One that contains MEK, methal-ethal-ketone, which disolves plastic. If I remember correctly, 'Plastic-Weld' is one brand name. Very little is needed, it sort of 'wicks' into joints. Melts/dissolves the plastic and as it evaporates, the melted plastic solidifies again into 'one piece', sort of. Very nice when done correctly, and it takes some learning to use it correctly (with all the 'yucky' things usually associated with learning anything new).
- Doc

mfr02

Polystyrene cement, available in any local hobby shop that sells plastic kits. The active ingredient is MEK, but it also contains some dissolved polystyrene which makes it tacky and gives it some modest gap filling ability, with the emphasis on modest. Straight MEK is good for brushing into good joins, when capilliary action takes it in and allows the weld to happen.

cadmunkey

So if the MEK is alright for modest gap filling what would be used for major gap filling? I am hoping auto body filler is good to use as I have tonne of that stuff lying around. And what would be used to laminate styrene to wood as in patmats application? That would solve my structural problem to laminate a .5mm sheet of styrene onto of a 1/8" plywood.

Cheers,

patmat

I use CA to bond styrene to wood. If using thin "plating", (.005" or .010" sheet), lay beads of glue where rivet or weld seams would be for beams/studs behind the sheet... the glue's thickness can telegraph right through.

Bondo does NOT adhere to styrene and similar plastics... that's why they give you a plastic lid to mix the Bondo in!
Try putties meant for plastic models, such as Testors or Squadron. And avoid gaps in the first place!

cadmunkey

OK well my bondo comes in 5 gallon steel pails. I do mix it on plastic though.

Some of my surfaces are 3'x2' in dimension so there has to be seam in the styrene sheets.

Thanks again guys,

And if anyone is interested my model can be seen here:

[link]http://www.queenofchilliwack.ca[/link]

Umi_Ryuzuki

I bought a 4 foot by 8 foot (1.21mx2.43m) sheet of 0.030 styrene from a local
plastic and acrylic distributor. It enabled me to build up my 52" ferry boat using
continuous sheets.

Milliput and epoxy putties,... "Aves" seems to be another favorite in scale modeling venues.


[8D]

mfr02

NO!! The polystyrene cement from the tube will bridge small gaps, MEK will not. Badly applied, both will ruin any visible styrene surface.
As Umi suggested, milliput sticks well and provides a good finish and works easily into small gaps and imperfections.
Revell do a styrene putty which has its uses.

LtDoc

'Gap' filling with MEK type glues.

There are commercial products which basically amount to plastic dissolved in MEK. Add plastic to small bottle of MEK, it dissolves. Dip the goop out, apply to the gap. Too thin, add more plastic to that small bottle. Too thick, add more MEK.
- 'Doc

Trisquire

Thanks for all the glue suggestions.

Tom