Novice question: bendin balsa or plastic

[Yevgeniy]

Hi, all!

First of all let me thank everyone for great "Online scratchbuilding" section which is the source for information for me.

Still one question escapes me either through a lot of material provided in articles or lack of attention.

How in the world do you bend balsa or plastic to plate hulls?

I already do several card-models. Now I think about making a scratchbuilt model from wood/plasting (depending on what is more suitable ?) for RC based on a card model since all drawings are there. I can do all those ribs and keel from cardboard (and accordingly wood/plastic) since they are straight and do not require bending. But how can I properly bend plastic/wood to plate the hull without overheating/burning/destroying? Paper takes shape easily by hand pressure but I can not find anywhere a technique of bending wood/plastic.

Thank you in advance for an answer - if I fail at scratchbuilding at least I want to solve a question which tortures me for years each time I see a scratchbuilt hull.

Yevgeniy

[ARH]

1. With balsa you can steam it over a kettle, but normally its so soft you can bend it between your fingers.

2. Plastic on hulls I never use, you can use thin card glued on with PVA water proof white glue, myself I use litho plate fixed on with contact adhesive.

[Yevgeniy]

Thank you, Admiral!

100% clear for static model from balsa.

But what about use of such scratchbuilt hull from balsa for R/C? Balsa hull will go wet and deteriorate with time. Do you cover balsa hull for R/C with some protective layer? Which one (probably not card or litho plate)? Or for R/C balsa shall not be used? Are your R/C models from balsa - can not believe it? How do you achieve 100% water-proof hull (if it is still balsa)?

By the way, what thickness of balsa sheet you take for hull?

Sorry for stupid questions and their number but I am sure all novices including myself will be very happy to hear.

And still will be much thankful for advices of scratchbuilders who work with plastic/steryne (just to have an option in case I do not find balsa in our modelling-unfriendly Ukraine - styrene sheets from Tamiya we do have).

Yevgeniy

[Greg W]

Depending on the size of the hull I generally use 3/32 and 1/8 inch thick balsa and coat it with either epoxy or fiberglass resin inside and out to harden the hull as well as waterproofing.I'm sure there are threads on this site that explain planking a hull better than I can. Greg

[ddp]

i use .040" sheet plastic to skin my 1/144 scale ships. my biggest model is hms warspite at about 52" long & the smallest at that scale is a tug at about 12-14" long. i use a light bulb to warm up the plastic or form it in my fingers.

[Yevgeniy]

Big Thank You Greg and Ddp for your suggestions. I am much fascinated with an idea to use plastic.

ARH, sorry for my stupidity with those question - later on I had a closer look at your Iron Duke thread where I found all answers to my questions as to balsa thickness, planking, etc. Thank you for the tips.

Yevgeniy

[ARH]

ARH, sorry for my stupidity with those question - later on I had a closer look at your Iron Duke thread where I found all answers to my questions as to balsa thickness, planking, etc. Thank you for the tips.

Yevgeniy




Your welcome.

[ModelMonkey]

Ron's USS North Carolina is another good example in working out some hull shape and planking problems.

[commodore4]

Hello- Well, I think you can use two methods.The one I use is an opticians saltbox. This is a controllable heat source that uses glass beads to do the job (The optician uses them to bend eyeglass frames to fit the lenses and earpieces) You cut out your plates,put them in the unit and set the heat that works best. If you can,t get one you can use a hair dryer just wear gloves when you do.I am currently doing MODELIK,s S.M.S.KRONPRINZE in 1/200 scale this way.When I get to the decks I,ll use .020 styrene sheet scribed in the strip pattern I need. The ship in paper intrigued me so much ,I just had to do her in plastic.I used .060 for the keel plate and .040 for ALL the frames. The gun barrels will be sections of telescoping brass tubing epoxied together that I tapered by chucking it in a drill and using emery cloth to get the taper rightThen I copied the turret parts in .040 for the gun bases and .020 for the top and bottom as well as .010 for the sides. She is looking rough as the sanding isn,t done yet. I hope this helps you. commodore4

[doog_k]

Most of my hulls are balsa. 2- 3mm thick and if the bend required is too tight I'll cut them into to planks. The beauty of Balsa is its "sand-ability", it can be smoothed and shaped and then filled as needed to get the shape you want. I use cellulose dope and old-fashioned model aircraft tissue layers to seal the balsa, it can be sanded to a plastic-like finish and if you start with a thinner mix, and build up the layers the strength is built up.

On the issue of durability, there are models of mine on this page that are over 15 years old, they aren't the oldest in my fleet.
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=34281&start=150

As for plating, I use old business cards fixed to the sealed hull with impact adhesive then covered with many (up to 20) coats of diluted cellulose dope. My Akitsushima (and others) shows the effect here.
viewtopic.php?f=60&t=36419

The decks are finished with a layer of thin styrene sheet so the rest of the detailing is easy to build up from that base.

It's been my preferred medium for over 25 years