oldcarfan Posted January 9, 2016 Posted January 9, 2016 I've always assumed you all know about this, so I never mentioned it. If so please feel free to mock. For years I have been using the plastic For Sale and Keep Out signs as stock for scratchbuilding. They come in a couple of sizes and some times you can find different thicknesses. They have printing on one side, so you have to work with that, but to me it's no biggie. The best part is they are pretty cheap and the 18x24 size are great for doing siding on a trailer or a building front. I even used one sheet for a vacuum form project. I've also found some signs in a really thin steel that is pretty flexible. Plus if like me you live in an area without a lot of hobby stores, you can find these at any hardware store or Walmart. Anyway, there you go.
talon63 Posted January 9, 2016 Posted January 9, 2016 No mocking here, I use them myself, especially for trying something the first time. Those are far cheaper than sheet styrene from the LHS, I recently got a friend interested in taking up the hobby again, and he wants to do an ambitious scratch build, and has never tried one before. The first thing I pointed out was using the signs to practice technique on. Worst case, the really bad tries can be melted down in cement and used as filler for other projects.
StevenGuthmiller Posted January 9, 2016 Posted January 9, 2016 I have a large "For Sale" sign laying in my shop right now with lots of pieces missing out of it. Not sure where I got the idea, but I'm pretty sure it was from someone on this forum. Steve
astroracer Posted January 9, 2016 Posted January 9, 2016 Yea, this brings back memories! I mastered a '56 Chevy two door post car out of AMT's 1/16th scale 55 Hardtop. The side windows in the master were made from Red Roof Inn "No Smoking" placards they leave on the nightstands or tables... http://images41.fotki.com/v1288/photos/5/904975/8367422/100_1474-vi.jpg
Kennyboy Posted January 31, 2016 Posted January 31, 2016 The other plastic sheeting that is usually free and most people just throw them away is the SMOOTH license plate blanks from when you buy a new car. The smooth ones are indeed sheet styrene that I use for a lot of my scratchbuilding and also gluing to the backside of a joint to strengthen.
gtx6970 Posted February 1, 2016 Posted February 1, 2016 I need to think outside the model box more often.This is a great idea
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