hi all
what would be the best way to make cardboard look like wood?
i am using cereal boxas and soda boxes
thanks
Gene
what would be the best way to make cardboard look like wood?
i am using cereal boxas and soda boxes
thanks
Gene
cardboard
- Thread starter audiowizard1
- Start date
Gene,
Whats-his-name, ummm...... yeah.... **takes memory pill** umm...... oh...... what's his name again? **takes another pill**.....
Oh.... it'll come to me................
nup. Gone.
But yeah, "him" is cardboard king around here. And senior cereal packet sculptor.
Real good at it too. :thumb:
Whats-his-name, ummm...... yeah.... **takes memory pill** umm...... oh...... what's his name again? **takes another pill**.....
Oh.... it'll come to me................
nup. Gone.
But yeah, "him" is cardboard king around here. And senior cereal packet sculptor.
Real good at it too. :thumb:
F
Fred_M
Hi and welcome to the gauge. The master is Robin who's username is Matthyro. Look at some of threads he has started, but the easy answer is acrylic paint and lots of artistic skill. Fred
Hello Gene. Welcome to the Gauge. Yup I get kidded about using cardboard but I love it.
First I would scribe the cerealboard (as we know it) to represent lengths of wood. I just do it with a knife making light cuts. Next use some woodstain in the shade you want. It usually comes out a bit darker. If you go to the Academy here and look for the coal tower I modelled you will see how stained cardboard can look. I used a very dark stain on that model
First I would scribe the cerealboard (as we know it) to represent lengths of wood. I just do it with a knife making light cuts. Next use some woodstain in the shade you want. It usually comes out a bit darker. If you go to the Academy here and look for the coal tower I modelled you will see how stained cardboard can look. I used a very dark stain on that model
Robin thanks for the help.
looking at your modles is why im starting to build my own.
i will put up some pictures soon.
Gene
looking at your modles is why im starting to build my own.
i will put up some pictures soon.
Gene
Welcome on board!! 
Ah! Another fella that eats his Wheaties... and Rasin Bran... and Lucky Charms...
and Honeycombs... and....
Ah! Another fella that eats his Wheaties... and Rasin Bran... and Lucky Charms...
and Honeycombs... and....
Welcome to the-gauge, Gene!!! You have the ultimate mentor, then. Yup, The Cardboard King hisself!!!
Did I coin that term?
I would use mud if I could do half as good and fast as Robin does with cerial board!
I am thinking of making a hopper. I am cheap when it comes to spending money on the hobby. I thinks its from when I was a kid and broke. Anyway I am thinking of making the sides out of cardboard. It seems like it might be to flimsey for rolling stock. Should I just spend the $$$ on the plastic?
Believe it or not I've made boxcars out of thin white cardstock, thinner than the stuff business cards are made of. It's a little flimsy, but there are tricks that can help. Reinforce the corners with wood (basswood strips are cheap--get $2 worth and you can build several cars, especially if you model in a small scale. I model in O, and even then they last a while.) Fold over the edges and you'll get extra rigidity. Obviously, the more layers you have, the stiffer and stronger it will end up being, just like any other material. Finally, go to the hobby shop and buy a bottle of really thin CA glue. It'll probably cost you about $3 but will last a while. (Don't buy a tube of Krazy Glue at Wal-Mart; the hobby store stuff ends up being cheaper because it's a larger quantity.) Before you paint the body, apply a few drops of it here and there and let it soak. You'll be amazed how much it stiffens up. This is a trick model rocketers use to strengthen the bodies of their rockets. If it's good enough for them, I figure it ought to be good enough for us.
I prefer working in other materials, but I understand how cost can be a factor. If you're using thicker cardstock, especially stuff from food containers, it'll work even better. I say give it a shot. Even if you end up not being happy with the results, you'll learn a lot, and you'll be happier with the next project.
I'm not old enough to remember this (I'm 29) but I'm told that in the early days of HO model railroading, rolling stock made of paperboard was common, and railroad magazines would actually print car sides on thin cardboard and include them in the magazine. It was cheap, and there have been times in our history when it was the only thing available.
I prefer working in other materials, but I understand how cost can be a factor. If you're using thicker cardstock, especially stuff from food containers, it'll work even better. I say give it a shot. Even if you end up not being happy with the results, you'll learn a lot, and you'll be happier with the next project.
I'm not old enough to remember this (I'm 29) but I'm told that in the early days of HO model railroading, rolling stock made of paperboard was common, and railroad magazines would actually print car sides on thin cardboard and include them in the magazine. It was cheap, and there have been times in our history when it was the only thing available.
Dave Farquhar said:
OoooOoOOooOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOowwwwWWWwwww!! I'm only 44 and I do remember when the NMRA Bulletin would print out car sides in O, HO, and later in N scale as well. They would even hold contests for the best models built out of them. You're right Dave in that the early days of the hobby saw many cardboard kits during the Depression and again in WWII because of material shortages. The only real consideration is humidity. Paint all surfaces inside and out and use plenty of woodbracing. While I've never built cars, I have built plenty of buildings with cardboard and am quite content to keep doing it. BTW, as a fellow cheapie (I prefer calling it frugal
), I use both small and large wooden matches as my prefered bracing and lumber. Have at it... :thumb:
Joe,
I've built cardboard rollingstock with some success. Give it a try
This link shows a few O scale cars.
http://www.the-gauge.com/showthread.php?t=6486
This is an HO RPO built from cardboard.
I've built cardboard rollingstock with some success. Give it a try
This link shows a few O scale cars.
http://www.the-gauge.com/showthread.php?t=6486
This is an HO RPO built from cardboard.
Attachments
Just for encouragement - here are two more examples. They are far from perfect, but they show that cardboard can look as good as plastic or even metal.
At left there is an example of the 'NMRA Bulletin Car' in N scale, which I built 1973 for the NMRA contest. (I didn't win a prize, but at least a picture appeared in the NMRA Bulletin.)
At right you can compare cardboard and metal side by side: The tender of the scratchbuilt H0n30" engine is cardboard, the cab is made from brass sheet. (The loco is a model of the two-footer SR&RL #24, lettered for my Sandy River Nortern.)
Cardboard is great to get your feet wet in scratchbuilding!
Ron
At left there is an example of the 'NMRA Bulletin Car' in N scale, which I built 1973 for the NMRA contest. (I didn't win a prize, but at least a picture appeared in the NMRA Bulletin.
)At right you can compare cardboard and metal side by side: The tender of the scratchbuilt H0n30" engine is cardboard, the cab is made from brass sheet. (The loco is a model of the two-footer SR&RL #24, lettered for my Sandy River Nortern.)
Cardboard is great to get your feet wet in scratchbuilding!
Ron
Attachments
joepomp,
A modeler who, along with John Allen, insired me most, was Jack Work. He did much of his modeling with bristolboard!
Pete
A modeler who, along with John Allen, insired me most, was Jack Work. He did much of his modeling with bristolboard!
Pete
As a side note: A lot of the early HO cars was wood with paper sides..The best part is you got two cars for the price of one..You see each side was lettered for a different road name..
Guys,I got to say those cardboard cars looks pretty dang good... :thumb:
Guys,I got to say those cardboard cars looks pretty dang good... :thumb:
Ill give it a shot
Ok,
I've just started. First I sketched the hopper, then I transfered it to Auto Cad. The cardboard is thick stock, but it has a ruff surface. I am thinking of using dope on the cardboard to get a smooth surface. I also cut some of the side braces out of index cards. I have to play with the rivets to get the size and position accurate. I cut the Acad drawing and used it as pattern for the rivits, but I think I will just find some thick card stock that will fit in the printer so I can draw the rivets directly on the stock.
Ok,
I've just started. First I sketched the hopper, then I transfered it to Auto Cad. The cardboard is thick stock, but it has a ruff surface. I am thinking of using dope on the cardboard to get a smooth surface. I also cut some of the side braces out of index cards. I have to play with the rivets to get the size and position accurate. I cut the Acad drawing and used it as pattern for the rivits, but I think I will just find some thick card stock that will fit in the printer so I can draw the rivets directly on the stock.
Attachments
Looks like you're off to a good start.
Coupla suggestions. To get a smooth surface on rough cardboard, some people use a lacquer-based sanding sealer for wood. This also strengthens it and protects from warpage.
Another suggestion for getting rivets. There's a spiked wheel in sewing kits, called a dart maker. No idea why it has that name. But you can roll that over paper (or for that matter, thin sheet metal or plastic) to get indentations that look like rivets if you want a more dimensional model.
Can't wait to see the finished product.
Coupla suggestions. To get a smooth surface on rough cardboard, some people use a lacquer-based sanding sealer for wood. This also strengthens it and protects from warpage.
Another suggestion for getting rivets. There's a spiked wheel in sewing kits, called a dart maker. No idea why it has that name. But you can roll that over paper (or for that matter, thin sheet metal or plastic) to get indentations that look like rivets if you want a more dimensional model.
Can't wait to see the finished product.