Source for .030 sheet plastic

036hir

Member since
March 2006
From: WA

Source for .030 sheet plastic

Posted by 036hir on Friday, September 8, 2006 8:28 PM

Here's a possible source for 11x14 inch sheets of .030 sheet plastic, and it may be free!!! Go to your local MRI/CT clinic and ask if they use a laser developer to print their films. If they do, chances are that the stiffening sheets that come with the film are .030 polystyrene, perfect for those large modelling projects. Everyone in my area just throws these sheets away. I picked up about 50 sheets from the clinic I work at!!!! Hope this helps someone.

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DrewH

Member since
May 2003
From: Abbotsford, B.C. Canada

Posted by DrewH on Friday, September 8, 2006 9:58 PM

Cool. Thanks for that. A friend is a doc and works in a hospital, guess who's getting an email?

Take this plastic and model it!

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Jamantmat

Member since
January 2005
From: Atlanta

Posted by Jamantmat on Wednesday, September 13, 2006 9:31 PM

I work in a sign shop and let me tell you, a typical sign shop throws away more styrene sheet in a week than a mob of industrious modellers could use in a year. It comes in 4 foot by 8 foot sheets from .020 to .060 and up. Look up a few places and ask questions, if they aren't just willing to give away scraps to get rid of them they'll probably charge a lot less than you'd pay at the hobby store.

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, September 17, 2006 10:09 AM

036hir wrote:
Here's a possible source for 11x14 inch sheets of .030 sheet plastic, and it may be free!!! Go to your local MRI/CT clinic and ask if they use a laser developer to print their films. If they do, chances are that the stiffening sheets that come with the film are .030 polystyrene, perfect for those large modelling projects. Everyone in my area just throws these sheets away. I picked up about 50 sheets from the clinic I work at!!!! Hope this helps someone.

Careful with those sheets from the Drystar systems. They are not Styrene......They are vinyl. I have a couple hundred sheets of the stuff(I had the same idea as you did) Nothing sticks to it very well and it is a pain to sand.

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036hir

Member since
March 2006
From: WA

Posted by 036hir on Sunday, September 17, 2006 5:57 PM

Whoa! Thanks for the info. When I wrote that, I hadn't had the chance to test it yet. Thanks for the heads-up! Guess I should've looked before I lept.

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KennyB

Member since
June 2006

Posted by KennyB on Tuesday, September 19, 2006 8:36 PM

I'm building a 1/24 scale tugboat using a fiberglass hull. I needed plastic sheets in a few different thicknesses to scratch build the decks and upper structures, cabins and details. I found that the best place to buy plastic sheet is www.estreetplastics.com. They have .030 12"X24" styrene sheets for $1.69 each. The more you buy the cheaper it is. They have all kinds of packages for reasonable prices, and very reasonable shipping.

Ken

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mfsob

Member since
March 2005
From: West Virginia, USA

Posted by mfsob on Thursday, September 21, 2006 9:49 AM

Wow, that is cheap for a sheet of .030! I think Evergreen wants $3.69, something like that. Is their quality up to Evergreen's, though? Because the one thing I really don't like with scratchbuilding is surprises with the materials themselves!

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KennyB

Member since
June 2006

Posted by KennyB on Thursday, September 21, 2006 12:44 PM

Their plastic is great. No problems at all. I've got a nice stockpile of it now. Go to the website and check them out. They're big on lexan and plexi also.

Ken

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, October 13, 2006 12:08 AM

I just got hired to work for a company that wholesales supplies to sign shops. I'm surprised I got through the interview when the manager took me into the warehouse. All I could think of was rocket building supplies HEAVEN!

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Shellback

Member since
March 2006
From: Right Side of a Left State

Posted by Shellback on Friday, October 20, 2006 1:28 AM

Those plastic "for sale , for rent , etc " signs work good , only problem is the printed side ,but i use the back .

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roosterfish

Member since
November 2003
From: Stockton CA USA

Posted by roosterfish on Sunday, December 31, 2006 1:10 PM

Don't forget to consider using temporary license plates. They measure around .016 and can be useful for small, corner or curved areas. Of course the blank back side works the best.

Winners never quit; quitters never win.