Useful modelling stuff in The Works shop today

[Jim Hearnden 1]

Went into the Works today in Chatham Maritime. Had a wander around & came away with some useful modelling stuff. Some plastic trays, 3 in a pack around paperback boo size, plus a bigger one which is A4 size. £3 & £1. Some 6mm hardwood dowels Ideal for fuselage wing bands. £1.50. 

Also some clear PVA glue which is runnier than normal PVA that was £1.50 as well.

[Futura57]

I went looking in my local The Works the other day for some brown paper for covering a model. Unfortunately they didn't sell it. Neither did my local WH Smiths. I wandered next door to The Card Factory and bought a six metre roll for £1.49 and I'm very happy with it.

 

I'm frequently on the lookout for items I can utilize for modelling when I find myself in various shops. Common at the moment, in supermarkets I look for conveniently shaped clear plastic bottles or containers I can use to heat shrink over balsa or foam plugs to form canopies and cowls. I find Schweppes mixer plastic bottles to be very good. They are the perfect thickness for my needs and shrink very well. Most significantly they don't have moulded relief or pimples on their surface, which I can never eliminate with heating on other bottles. I'm a bit like the kid in the tv advertisement who's waiting for mum to use up the washing-up liquid so he can use the empty bottle to make a spaceship 😊

 

Anyone else obtain useful modelling materials from unlikely sources?

[Nigel R]

 

Note, pva, not all pva is created equal, in that topic much has been written by folk more knowledgeable than I. 

[Eric Robson]

1 hour ago, Futura57 said:

I went looking in my local The Works the other day for some brown paper for covering a model. Unfortunately they didn't sell it. Neither did my local WH Smiths. I wandered next door to The Card Factory and bought a six metre roll for £1.49 and I'm very happy with it.

 

I'm frequently on the lookout for items I can utilize for modelling when I find myself in various shops. Common at the moment, in supermarkets I look for conveniently shaped clear plastic bottles or containers I can use to heat shrink over balsa or foam plugs to form canopies and cowls. I find Schweppes mixer plastic bottles to be very good. They are the perfect thickness for my needs and shrink very well. Most significantly they don't have moulded relief or pimples on their surface, which I can never eliminate with heating on other bottles. I'm a bit like the kid in the tv advertisement who's waiting for mum to use up the washing-up liquid so he can use the empty bottle to make a spaceship 😊

 

Anyone else obtain useful modelling materials from unlikely sources?

Cowls and canopies made from 7 Tesco 2ltr lemonade bottles 25p each , the rest mainly depron and foamboard. 

[kc]

5 hours ago, Nigel R said:

Note, pva, not all pva is created equal,

 

It is very easy to test if any glue is of high standard -  glue together 2 pieces of scrap wood ( preferably a hardwood or good softwood )clamp together, leave to dry ( at least 24 hours at room temperature ) then try to rip them apart.   With Evostik Wood Glue ( Resin W ) or any good PVA the wood fibres will part before the glue fails.  If any other glue fails before the wood fibres part then it's not as good!   Not really good enough for model aircraft on a part where structural failure may be disastrous.

Try your cheap glue and see if it is any good before you use it on anything important.