Styrene, whatcha know bout it?


N-gauged

Off The Rails
I an wanting to scratch build some buildings for my n-scale layout and I've never used styrene before.
I looked it up and found a few sites that sell it but it comes in different thicknesses.

This site here has a lot of different types of shapes (angle, tube, I-beam, ect..) that I would like to use.
http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/evg/evg291.htm

But I don't know what size of thickness I need for n-scale.
Can someone fill me in with some info about styrene?

Also I have never purchased styrene parts before so I don't know if this is good prices or not.
 
Styrene is simply a type of plastic. The three most commonly used plastics in the hobby are styrene, resin, and delrin.

I can't say anything about the thickness since I've never used it to build anything before.
 
as far as making buildings, i wouldnt go any thinner than .060. anything smaller seems to stay flimsy. as far as tubes and i-beams it would just depend on the size of the building you are doing.
 
I am wanting to build a three door engine house.
So .060 is good to use for the walls for n-scale?
I was wanting to use angle on the outside corners and some vertical strips on the sides so it wont just be all flat.
Is .060 good for the angles and strips too or should they be .040 or .020?
 
0.060-0.80 would be good for the thickness of sheet styrene. i think the 1.5mm would be might look ok on the corners. best thing to do is go to a local shop(if you have one)and compare the sizes to figures.
 
If you attempt to cut windows in .080 thick plastic especially in N scale, you will be at it a while. I am using .060 for HO scale structures and using a drywall knife to get through that.

While "L" angled strip plastic would look good for the corners, is a good idea, make sure that the size is relative for the scale you are modeling. Use a good metal straight edge at least 24 inches long. I am using a 36 inch for cutting my .060. Lastly, if you can find a company that sells high impact styrene in 4' x 8' sheets, it would be a cost savings to purchase a 4' x 4' piece. The price should be in the 15.00 to 16.00 doller range.

Larry
 
Evergreen plastic strips/sheets have equivalent sizes in scale marked on some of their stock. The parts are marked as to their prototype sizes, ie 2x4, 1x8 etc. I would get a catalog from them and see what they have.
 
Hello N-Guaged,

As a fellow N-Scale enthusiast; I can relate to your situation. I know .040 is a lot easier to work with but it is a little flimsy. However, it can be reinforced by gluing .040 strips on the inside of the building to give it the extra rigidity of .080 styrene.

All the best,

Sean C.
 
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If you look on the back of a package of Evergreen sheet styrene you will find a conversion chart showing the different sizes and what they equal in many different scales.

This info may also be on the Evergreen site.
 



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