Where to buy styrene, local and/or online?

myk3fury · Post by **myk3fury** » Mon Jan 02, 2017 8:40 pm

I'm looking to buy some styrene off of Amazon and I could use some suggestions for what to buy as a 1st time scratchbuilder/kitbasher. I am looking for a assorted bag of pieces.

Any suggestions?

kenlilly106 · Post by **kenlilly106** » Mon Jan 02, 2017 8:53 pm

I'd get 0.010", 0.020" ad 0.040" in sheets, you can get 0.005" but it is very thin, about the same as 2 sheets of standard copier paper.

Evergreen makes all kids of strips in various thicknesses and widths plus rods ad half rounds. They come in handy for detailing, plus its easier to use a strip than trying to cut a perfect square rod out of a sheet.

In a pinch you can get 0.020" and 0.040" in the for sale/yard sale sign section of most discount stores. I snagged some 8.5"x17" sheets of 0.040" like that at Wal-Mart in the clearance section for 85¢/ea.

If you know of anyone that works at a record/CD store, the dividers they use in the racks are 0.040" and just a little larger than a CD case. I got about 40lbs of them from a friend when his store closed, they were going to throw them out.

Ken

Richard Baker · Post by **Richard Baker** » Mon Jan 02, 2017 10:45 pm

Local sign shops can get sheets of styrene in large sizes (18"×24" and larger) . If they don't stock it they can order it from their suppliers.

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 10:56 pm

I go through US Plastics for 4x8 foot sheets. They also carry acrylic & styrene tubing and rod.

TazMan2000 · Post by **TazMan2000** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 11:06 am

I have no idea where you live, but before you try online sources where you will pay high prices for small cut up sheets, look up plastic suppliers stores locally. Granted, some may have a minimum amount that you have to purchase, but you can get several sheets in different thicknesses and, depending on how much scratch building you do, you may have enough for a lifetime. The plastic suppliers advertise the stuff as HIPS. High Impact Poly Polystyrene. There may be a charge for cutting it, because it probably comes in 4' x 8' sheets, so if you want to cut costs...cut it yourself.

TazMan2000

DaveVan · Post by **DaveVan** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 2:40 pm

For many years there was a place called Cadillac Plastics in Charlotte. They had a bin in the front office full of cut offs sold by the pound. I lived off that for years. I dropped by one day and it was closed with a sign to check the website.

Plasturuct direct is GREAT to deal with. Website is easy to use and folks there are nice. I ordered a BUNCH of sheet stock one day online and the called to make sure I had not entered something wrong. Good service.

Sluis Van Shipyards · Post by **Sluis Van Shipyards** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 8:18 pm

I've always gotten everything I couldn't get at a local hobby shop from Plastruct. I can't vouch for whether their prices are the best or not, but I've never had a problem.