Which is better for backdrops, masonite or sytrene?

[bbussey]

I don't know if this is a possibility but I would think you could get a roll of styrene or another usable plastic through a good plastics company. Most locales have one. Hence getting the resilience and workability of plastic and the seamlessness of aluminum.

Yup, I've ordered .060" and .080" styrene rolls from U.S.Plastics in the past.  Gets delivered in a day.  Definitely better than trying to acquire it through the hobby manufacturer route.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

These are the guys, right?
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=22883&catid=715

I think I just found my backdrop solution.

[bbussey]

Yup, that's it.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Rad.

[rswinnerton]

These are the guys, right?
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=22883&catid=715

I think I just found my backdrop solution.

You should also use it as your benchwork. It would be superior to your current arrangement....
Russ

[eric220]

Rad.

*Ow  The 80's just assaulted my eyes.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

You should also use it as your benchwork. It would be superior to your current arrangement....
Russ

Actually, I was contemplating using it as a fascia material, which is as close to benchwork as I'm getting.

[pnolan48]

I believe styrene is better, having seen it used, but I use masonite because I don't want to devote a week or more to finding sheet size styrene.  I tried several suppliers, but the one we had used before closed up shop and no one in DFW seemed to know where those sheets could be found.

For that matter, in DFW, finding 2" foam and homosote are getting to be problematic.  Good thing that part of the layout is done for me.

You must be looking in the wrong places. Styrene sheets are available everywhere, and can be shipped to Circle, Alaska, which is my standard measure for unavailability. Circle is about the end of the road, but UPS still gets there. Look for plastics suppliers. They are everywhere! Or look for a sign shop that will order it for you.

Now, I found styrene sheets in:
Oxford, OH
Southboro, MA
Littleton, NH
Albuquerque, NM
Ellsworth, ME
Gakona, AK
Seward, AK
Valdez, AK
Berlin, NH

It's everywhere! It's like cardboard tubes. If you can't find it, send me a PM with what you want and I'll send you a source. It's just sheet styrene, which is available just about anywhere and can be shipped just about everywhere.

[CVSNE]

I've used styrene for backdrops for a while, and wrote an article about it almost a decade ago in MR.

The only negative(s) I can think of for styrene are:
1. The cost - it's pretty pricey compared to Masonite or other materials
2. Gluing large sheets together can mean slathering on large amounts of MEK or some similar solvent - you don't want to breath it, and you certainly don't want to risk splashing that stuff on your eyes or skin.
3. Styrene has little structural strength so, depending on how it's supported, it can "droop" over time.

These three limitations are easily addressed -

For #1 - Suck it up, or sell a few locomotives and put the money towards the backdrop . . . it's a "one-time" expense
For #2 - Use contact cement or some of the newer DAP shower liner adhesives to join the sheets together - use splice plates on the back instead of relying on placing a seam on a vertical support.
For #3 - Use a decent supporting structure - 2x3s down the center of a peninsula - and support the top of the sheet on a horizontal structural member. Use nails to hold the styrene in place along the top - you can "countersink" them with a large spade bit turned by hand. In areas where the backdrop will be hidden by scenery good ole's drywall screws will hold it in place.

Double-sided carpet tape works well to hold the styrene to the walls - but be forewarned - it's not coming down anytime soon - I bet there's still double-sided carpet tape on the walls of Jeff Wilson's and my old houses in Wisconsin!


On my current layout the backdrop is 3/16" Masonite, which has been remarkably stable. I ended up using it because I had it handy - although I wish I'd used styrene simply because I know the seams will open up and crack and some point.

As far as fascia is concerned, I used styrene for fascia on my first two Southern New England layouts - it works fine, takes paint well, and holds up to use. The only problem I ever found was it would be wobbly when you plugged and unplugged throttles into the jacks unless I added some 1x2 frames behind each throttle jack. Radio throttles make that a moot point of course,

Marty

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Thanks Marty!

[sirenwerks]

So, in other words Ed, give your backdrop more support than your layout.  ;D

[dwyaneward]

I believe styrene is better, having seen it used, but I use masonite because I don't want to devote a week or more to finding sheet size styrene.  I tried several suppliers, but the one we had used before closed up shop and no one in DFW seemed to know where those sheets could be found.

For that matter, in DFW, finding 2" foam and homosote are getting to be problematic.  Good thing that part of the layout is done for me.

Rossford,

For Styrene try regal plastic - http://www.regal-plastics.com/index.html

For 2" Foam try southwest vault builders - http://www.southwestvault.com/   Tell them your a MRR and they will sale you single 4x8 sheets.

[seusscaboose]

So, in other words Ed, give your backdrop more support than your layout.  ;D

ouch

tough room

[wm3798]

Edzo,
You'll recall that the temporary peninsula I built was fringed with styrene.  It was stabilized by being screwed into the plywood sub fascia, and being temporary, I simply used 2" masking tape to seal the seams before painting.



I'm thinking that it will probably be better for you to use a masonite fascia, riveted to a 16" steel beam to give your platform a little more stability.

Lee

[sirenwerks]

ouch

tough room

Actually, I should be kissing Ed's feet, and a few others on the RW, for the support they gave me on another (unnamed) list not long ago.