Where to get sheet styrene

[Kaleb]

I've looked on ebay and other sites, I find it in small quantities. Where do you find the larger sheets? I've seen some say that they get larger sheets for just as cheap.

[Harry P.]

Go to a home improvement store and get one of those big signs that say "for sale" or "yard sale" or "beware of dog" or "no trespassing" or whatever. They're usually made of sheet styrene. I once got an old dog food sign from a grocery store display... it was going to be thrown out. It was sheet styrene, about 2 x 3 feet. It lasted me for a long time!

[Kaleb]

I got one of those. Just seems too flimsy. I'm about to head to Home Depot anyway and ill check if they have anything else.

[LDO]

If your town is big enough, there may be a plastic supply house (Austin has 2 that I know of). I once got a 4x8 sheet of .125" for something like 35 bucks. No way you could get that price buying sheets of Evergreen.

Edited May 4, 2013 by LDO

[Kaleb]

No where near that big lol. But that's what I'm looking for. I have .10 would .60 be good to use? I'm using a large for sale sign now. Not sure what thickness that is. Maybe .30?

[ScaleDale]

Is this for scratch building? .125 scales out to 3.125 at 1:25 scale. That's like, armor plate.

Evergreen and Plastruct are my sources, but the sheets aren't huge.

Well, 8x10 is 200x250.

.10 = 2.5

.6 = 15 inches

We are talking scale modeling, right?

Dale

Edited May 5, 2013 by ScaleDale

[Ace-Garageguy]

I get Evergreen from HobbyTown locally, but they have a retail finder phone and web:

Evergreen Scale Models products are available in hobby and art supply stores worldwide.
For a retailer near you, please contact us at 425-402-4918 or email to info@evergreenscalemodels.com

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Plastruct will sell direct to consumers if you don't have a LHS.

ORDER INFORMATION

Because PLASTRUCT's Product Line consists of over 4500 different Model Parts, we cannot expect any one Dealer to stock the entire range of Products. Therefore, we offer direct Mail Order service for consumers, dealers and professionals alike.

Click here: http://www.plastruct.com/Pages/OrderInformation.html

Dick Blick and other art supply houses also have styrene sheet. Click here: http://www.dickblick.com/products/plastruct-styrene-sheet-packs/

Edited May 5, 2013 by Ace-Garageguy

[ScaleDale]

This is about sheet styrene, but given the link to Plastruct above, I want to add that they have an excellent solution for scale tube chassis. It's called "traditional butyl-something coated tubing" and is really coated wire down to 3/64 and 1/16 inch. That scales to 1.2 and 1.5 inch at 1:25 and is perfect for tube chassis. It's easy to bend, holds it's shape and you will never swear at a heat gun again.

PLS 90101 and PLS 90102 are part numbers.

Dale

Edited May 5, 2013 by ScaleDale

[Edsel-Dan]

You just need a Special glue/cememnt for that Plastruct tube/rod.

I got Large sheets of Styrene at Lowes many years ago. It was sold as a

Tub Surround Kit. 5 sheets of approx 2.5 x 5 Feet!!! plus on flat joiner, and 2 corner joiners.

Not sure if that type surround is still available, but might be.

Check many different Home Improvement sellers.

The sheets were about .06 to .08 inch thick. I have been using them for Many years.

all my 1/32 scratch-built fire trucks are made of it!

Testor's liquid cement in the jar bonds it quite well.

Still have one entire sheet uncut!!

Even the Molded surrounds might be Styrene. though I believe closer to .03 or .04 inch max

Edited May 5, 2013 by Edsel-Dan

[Kaleb]

Not sure on the size everything ive seen want .1 to whatever unless im dyslexic it might be .01 to whatever. For the most part thickness does not matter, I want to build boxes, speaker, fuel, etc so the thickness will be hidden. The reason I want around .6 is for the stability. I use vise grips, snips etc so when I clamp on something I don't want to feel like I'm going to crush it. Building with the thin stuff feels like paper.

Someone mentioned a long while back about getting styrene from sign shops, if so what would I ask for? I like the looks of plastistruct and evergreen I just don't know what to look for. Some things I have to see and feel before I buy. I rarely go to hobby town they are high.

[LDO]

Dale is right about thickness. I bought the .125" to laminate for machining 1/8 scale parts. A dial caliper would be a tremendous help in figuring out what thickness you need. It's also a great tool to have for scratchbuilding.

[Casey]

For the most part thickness does not matter, I want to build boxes, speaker, fuel, etc so the thickness will be hidden.

If thickness doesn't matter, go to your local wireless (or at least U.S. Cellular) store and ask them to call you when they change out their store displays. They toss out huge sheets of plastic (might be ABS, though) when they change out their signage. I picked up four sheets of .125" (or so) sheet, approx. twenty square feet, for nothing.

[LDO]

Oh hey- a former employer gave me some signs when they expired. I didn't measure thickness, but I'm guessing .030"-:040". If you want a couple of them, I could go dig them out of the garage. I'd guess they are about 4 times the area of a garage sale sign. I'd have to cut them down to make postage practical. If you're interested, just let me know...and pay postage.

[Kaleb]

Casey ill check them out thank you.

Lee I will be checking on a caliper for sure, and yes I am interested the sheets.

[Belugawrx]

If your doing a bathroom reno...

Like this one I did for a client,..

this shower base comes with two 3' x 6' sheets of 1/16" thick white Styrene

which look cheap as shower walls,...

So set the base and tile the walls,...two free sheets of styrene !! and get paid while your doing it

I love doing these showers

Cheers

[Mark]

See if you have a plastics supply/fabrication company in your area. Some of these places build store displays and such in addition to selling material. The one in my area sells the cutoffs (scraps) by the pound: $1.50 per pound, buy five pounds, get five more free. I've come up empty on the last few trips, but have found sheets in the past ranging in thickness from .030" to 1/8". What they call "scrap" dwarfs the prepackaged sheets you can buy at the hobby shop. I buy precut Evergreen strips/rod/tubing/etc but not the sheet material.

Companies that do vacuum formed signs and packaging sometimes have thinner stuff that is often thrown away because it was on the margins of a job they did. With that type of scrap material, you'll have to do some cutting to get the good material, and the pieces won't be huge (but they're often pretty big for most of what we're doing).