[torealis]

I'm trying to find good budget plasticard for Bromley, and was wondering if a) any of you knew where to get it in bulk, or in good quantities at least, and b) is plasticard PVC sheeting?

 

[Ordog]

It´s Polysterene, like the stuff "Styrojack" is made from.

 

[humakt]

Plasticard is PVC sheets, yes. Its called something else in the US I think (Styrene possible). I dont know of anywhere you can buy in bulk, but I usually get mine from hobby. There may be cheaper places around though.

 

[The Son of Horus]

Here, it's called sheet styrene. Most of it comes in construction type thicknesses, though...nothing you'd be able to use for modelling. I went to Home Depot and found 1'' thick sheets to be the thinnest they had. I know nothing about construction though, so I have no idea what it's actually used for. The 1'' thick one might be good for making a bunker or something out of though. It's thick enough that you could cut into it and make sloped armour.

The best place to get it in bulk is a model train store. Apparently, you need a huge amount of it for laying tracks. I don't think it's any cheaper to buy it in bulk than one sheet at a time and use it as needed though.

 

[Ordog]

Polystyrene is not the same thing as PVC

PVC needs special Treatment before you can glue it. And it contains Chloride, which means that if you burn it, you will get some nasty Gas, that is more toxic like the gas from Polystyrene.

Polsterene needs only a solvent as glue. Allso PVC is more expensive then Sterene.

Most of the Models from Tamiya and Revell (allso the sprues from GW) are made from Polystyrene.

(Sorry, but i am working since 10 years now with Plastics in every shape and colour and there some things i just can´t stand)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyvinyl_chloride

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polystyrene

 

[torealis]

thank you all. very useful link humakt.

 

[Bloodhound]

Woah. Crazy.

You guys know the white foam stuff you get with your furniture and tv's? it's made of little foam balls. It is called POLYSTYRENE.

The blue or pink foam that's not made of balls, but is pretty much one huge piece of compressed ball is called STYRENE or STYROFOAM. (BlueTablePainting uses styrene for most of their modelling.)

The thin (or thick if you can get your hands on it) white sheets of plastic is called PLASTICARD (or plastic card in White Dwarf). It is PVC and it very durable. IT IS NOT FOAM.

I've used all 3. Please don't come back saying that the thin sheets are called styrene. They're not. The thinnest styrene is about 9mm thick. You can get Plasticard in .5mm.

 

[Ordog]

@Bloodhound:

*Sing*

The Foam is made from the same Plastic which they use to made the Sheds or the little Pipes from "Evergreen"

The difference between the Foam-Stuff and the white Sheds of Plasticcard are some kind of propellent (<---not shure about the right word)

If you don´t trust me, visit Evergreen on there Website:

http://www.evergreenscalemodels.com/ <-----and then read carefully

"Evergreen Scale Models is the world's largest producer of styrene plastic shapes, strips, and sheet materials in metric and inch sizes. You can build clean, accurate models using Evergreen Scale Models products. Available at hobby shops everywhere."

If you then say, that the Sheets are PVC, then look

http://www.evergreenscalemodels.com/Sheets.htm <----here, right on top say´s:

"White Sheets Opaque White Styrene " <----Hmmmm
And if you looooooooook veeeerrrrrryyyyyyyy close, you will see that there Sheets from Styrene in 0,13 mm. And thats a huge difference to 9mm, or not?

PVC is that thing, your Floor covering is made of.

So i must say, my Friend:

You maybe used all 3 types of materials to build your stuff, but I MADE all 3 types of materials. I WORKED over 10 Years with Plastics of all Kind, and i know what i am saying. I had professional training for 3 years to become an specialised Worker for Plastics.

Ok, i must say, i misspelled maybe the Styrene<---->Polystyrene-thing, but in Germany we use the words this way (Styrene (Styrol) is the basic Molecule which the Polystyrene (Polystyrol) is made off. The small word "Poly" means something like "more of the same kind").

I don´t want a apology about your posting, Bloodhound. But i must say that it is wrong from you to say i am so wrong, without even try to use google before you are posting.
I posted some links to Wiki above....i don´t believe you read them, or did you? Cos then you may have seen, that my posting was corectly.


***EDIT***

I just google a little and found this link:

http://us.games-workshop.com/games/warhammer/terrain/plasticard/default.htm

So you an see,against your words, even GW sayes "Styrene"

 

[Someguy]

Go to 4D

It's the best model shop in London.

 

[Pandawithissues...]

The packaging balls etc are made from EXPANDED polystyrene, or at least, thats my impression. I'm sure ordog will be able to confirm if this is the case.

 

[Ordog]

Jeah, the soft, fluffy white things are expanded PS, which means they inthe Factory they use Steam to heat up the Raw-Material. Then they expand about 5x the Time they had before. If you fill the Material in a closed Mold, and steam up then, you get that stuff your TV´s are packed in.

If you put the Raw-material intu an Extruder (don´t know the english word for) you get as result the harder foam, known as "Styrojack)

Wenn you use the Raw-Material without the special propellent, you can injection Mold the Material, and get Things like the sprues from GW.

So, it´s no big difference between your Army, your Gamingtable and Plasticard......it´s the same Material in different shapes.

 

[Djinn24]

Ordog, thanks for the knowledge. I wish I knew where to get it cheaper as well.