This is going to be the most newbie of newbie question but;
Where is the best place to buy decent sized lumps of polystyrene from? Or where do you get expanded polystyrene?
I've built a layout already using polystyrene taken from various bits of packaging when I moved, but now I'm building part of a mountain, for a new layout, and it has to be portable so I want to use a big old chuck of something light as its basis and packaging just wont cut it this time.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
Polystyrene should be available in 50mm insulation sheets from DIY markets. The sheets can be glued together with white PVA glue.
Quote from: whitehorn on April 11, 2012, 15:21
This is going to be the most newbie of newbie question but;
Where is the best place to buy decent sized lumps of polystyrene from? Or where do you get expanded polystyrene?
I've built a layout already using polystyrene taken from various bits of packaging when I moved, but now I'm building part of a mountain, for a new layout, and it has to be portable so I want to use a big old chuck of something light as its basis and packaging just wont cut it this time.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
This is something you should never have to buy! Try and find an independant "white goods" retailer in your area. Near where I live is a small shop dealing in the larger electrical home equipment, including refrigerators and electric cookers, and in the yard behind their shop the rubbish bins are often overflowing with blocks of the white polystyrene packing material. No doubt a polite enquiry at such an establisment should yield sufficient for your purposes.
You're right - perhaps a piece of packaging foam for a washing machine or a fridge would be big enough to start a mountain from. I haven't done so though - I stuck with the styrofoam sheets but that was easy as I insulated the floor of the house 25 years ago and there were some left... ;D
Garry's SO right! Most of the expanded polystyrene on the L&TR is old test samples from a previous employment - some was even usefully ready-bonded to insulation board!!
Or if you don't think of things like that ( :-[ ) then B&Q sell individual sheets of pink extruded polystyrene loft insulation.
I've used this on Isle Ornsay (should be some photos of it in use in the layout's thread on here), it's light, can be carved with a hot knife and provides a solid, dense base to fix trees, buildings etc. into.
I guess it all comes down to knowing what you are looking for and not throwing it away. Like with Garry and David I use packaging, but I keep all the best bits that are of the most convenient shapes and thickness, so I have a couple of boxes of it stored away for future layout construction.
I also have a few rolls of wall paper insulation that is basicaly very thin polystyrene sheet, but I have no idea if this is made any more.
Brian Meldon
I find throwing things away is a very good predictor for knowing when they will be needed. Unfortunately not doing so is a symptom of Diogenes Syndrome. Can't win!
Placing a limit "a couple of boxes" on the retention sounds like a good compromise.
Thanks guys.
Got my plan for Sunday after the AGM now then