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[Lash151]

I usually spend a day trying to find the knife 

[G2012]

Or days where progress is actually anti-progress (is that a word?)

[sean Half-pint works]

For my tenpeneth, Styrine and plasticard are both really nice to work with, for jointing I use MEK solvent, a good sharp knife to cut anything lass than 1MM, for thicker cuts a razor saw or fret saw are ideal... *railway modeling hat off* An example of styren work


Hope this helps

Sean

[Lash151]

Hi Sean....
Thanks for that, I have used styrene before, i was questioning whether you could build an entire boat hull using the plank on frame technique but with styrene rather than wood. I was interested in building a submarine with a material that was rather less buoyant than wood... thanks for the input though.
Lee

[sean Half-pint works]

My bad, 
I see no reason why it cant be done, after all it is a sturdy and light stuff...

I will be interested to see how you get along though!

Sean

[Lash151]

Yes... i am definately going to give it a go. I think I will use 2mm styrene for the frames and 1mm sheet for the skin... and maybe put more frames in, closer together.... it should be pretty strong I think.
Lee

[sean Half-pint works]

A friend of mine built a 1:32 scale barn (I know its a differnet thing all together) using 2.5MM plastic as the frame, and 1MM skin, frames centred at 25MM it was surprisingly sturdy when he knocked it off his table...

Sean

[wartsilaone]

Hi Lee,


Might be worth making a small practice piece from the thicknesses of styrene you plan to use. I would be worried that 1mm thick plastic might not want to bend enough, put too mush strain on the joints and may just keep pinging off.
Though you could try heating the strips over a kettle and bending them before gluing them to the frame.


Ali 

[G2012]

I fully agree with this.  I have had a few trys at heating styrene in boiling water with a view to "forming" it and it was tricky, however I was trying to do it with 2mm thick sheets. 

[wartsilaone]

My method for using styrene differs from the traditional plank on frame method.
I could not get or make plastic strips long enough for the whole of my model so I made it like they make modern ships (using thin plastic on the skin to simulate steel plating)
The skin can be made thicker and stronger by laying more styrene over the top.


Ali

[derekwarner]

Guys....I am not suggesting using styrene is crazy....but there are a few fundamental differences between synthetic styrene and natural wood with respect to planking which is usually considered a 3D process
1. styrene planks or sheet can be bent into a cylindrical shape without issue...however we must consider this as bending with the grain [as in traditional wood]
2. to bend a styrene plank in [2D format] to mimic the profile of a banana we must stretch the molecular structure of the material to a point approaching its yield/fracture or failure on the bottom of the gentle curve and also compress the material at the top of the curve which results in the styrene plank springing and taking in a 3D format
3. styrene sheet material has no elastic memory when bending [against the grain]..............
Having said this..it only relates to planking........I see no reason why styrene sheeting could not be used as was steel plate was used in older style hull expansion plans... a lost art of lofting? .Derek
 

[Lash151]

There are some really good points made here guys... thanks. I think because I am building a sub, I will be able to use sheet as opposed to planks but maybe 1mm is too thick. I shall, as you suggest, have to experiment with the thicknesses and perhaps make a sample section.
Lee

[NFMike]

There are some really good points made here guys... thanks. I think because I am building a sub, I will be able to use sheet as opposed to planks but maybe 1mm is too thick. I shall, as you suggest, have to experiment with the thicknesses and perhaps make a sample section.
Lee

I don't think it's a case of using one method or the other but both. Cylindrical or at least single curve sections will be easily done with sheet card, whereas compound curves such as bow and stern areas might be best done with thin/tapered 'planks'.

[Lash151]

I don't think it's a case of using one method or the other but both. Cylindrical or at least single curve sections will be easily done with sheet card, whereas compound curves such as bow and stern areas might be best done with thin/tapered 'planks'.

Yes, I think you're right.