Who collects stuff for scratch building?

Warped Speedster · Post by **Warped Speedster** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 6:52 am

Interesting indeed. Good find. I wonder how ridgid the plastic is?

Sparky · Post by **Sparky** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 5:22 pm

bigh827 wrote:
Scratchawan Learner wrote:Sparky... those engine greeblies of yours... are AWESOME. I'd love to have a few myself! I'd love to know the original part's origin. (Bet there's a cool story behind that one!)
Many thanks, Scratch
They are the end holders for big rolls of paper. The three foot long rolls they have at work, the the teachers use to cover bulliten boards have those in the ends. A long metal rod goes through the hole and the stand that the paper goes on to hold the rolls in place.

And the story is that, my mom got them for me knowing that I'm always looking for a neat gribbly to cast (she was a substitute teacher).

Chacal · Post by **Chacal** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 8:14 am

Warped Speedster wrote:Interesting indeed. Good find. I wonder how ridgid the plastic is?

It's polycarbonate: sturdy, rigid, very gluable, bullet-proof

artic316 · Post by **artic316** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 10:00 pm

Scratchawan Learner wrote:A word on Merriman's views on scratchbuilding... Dave is a very capable scratchbuilder. Dave is a very skillful scratchbuilder. However. Dave is an enormously opinionated and narrowminded scratchbuilder as well.
I've learned an enormous amount about the "art" of scratchbuilding, from David Merriman. Dave is very generous about sharing his knowledge of building this or that... from the most basic materials. For his knowledge...and his ability to communicate the said same... I admire Dave. HOWEVER. I also pity Dave Merriman, because he can't see the same things that the rest of us see. Dave lacks the artistic capacity for "imagineering" that so many on here have. I can look at a model part that is a round ring, in just such a size, and SEE that it's a Lifepod ejection port... but Dave? Nope. David Merriman suffers from a condition that I'll refer to as ALOI syndrome. Acute Lack Of Imagination. Did I also mention that David rather lacks certain social skills? I'm wondering at how Dave manages to build models with only one arm... he crippled the other one long ago, whilst patting himself on the back a tad too hard and repetitively... Love Dave, or hate Dave... the man DOES build good models. He researches his subjects in the most anal retentive fashion you could imagine, and then makes accurate patterns, and builds an accurate model of a real subject. However, I can't condone ANYone looking down their nose, at anyone else's "idea" of what a model is or isn't. I'm a kit assembler AND a scratcher. A good replica of a ship, is a good replica... whether I paid good cash for it, or whether I scratched it. Dave, if you read this forum... (and I doubt that you do) respect is not a given, to anyone. I generally tend to give my respect to everyone, the first rattle out of the box... and then let them hang themselves, or prove themselves afterwards. Dave thinks himself worthy of our respect, based on his perceived prowess as a "professional" in the model building industry. My problem is... that professionalism alone isn't enough, to garner respect. Not with me. If you want MY respect... first treat OTHERS with respect.
I can't countenence someone's behavior, when they try to enhance their own reputation, by treading upon someone else's. Shame on you Dave.

"I am good therefore I am a god ye all shall worship me. I decide what is and what is not the context of a true craftsman model."( The professional dementia complex of certain builders)

Unfortunately some people have opinions that are not part of the status quo and are narrow minded by only accepting 1 form of art as the pedestal that all building levels should strive for. This does help those who are at the top of the game but, discourages the part timer. SSM allows for all age groups and various achievement levels. This board is more like a family with the pros willing to help the novices without the attitude. What we create from scraps is a true art form and should be treated as such. I want to thank John and Linda as well as all the moderators for allowing us to be ourselves.

Chacal · Post by **Chacal** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 3:50 pm

artic316 wrote:...thank John and Linda as well as all the moderators for allowing us to be ourselves.

I would also thank for when you guys kinda DON'T let us be ourselves (particularly Linda). Sometimes we need a swift kick in the retronether region to play nice.

Now, who has found any pretty shape to play with?

Well, I did. And it's a doozy: you guys know how lately more and more products, in an effort to 'greenify' their packaging are using a paper-maché like shell? Apple Mice now come resting in a little cardboard tub, some other products as well.

Insta-1:72-moisture-farm-diorama-base!

Pic

Pic with quarter for scale

Paint it a 'sandy' color, add some whitewash here and there, some technical-looking greeblies, some steps (maybe a spiral staircase in one of the 'niches'), build a box around it and extend the 'top surface' to make it look like there's more underground and this pit is just the 'front porch'... There's even an oval opening dying to have a door plopped in it. Just add some calcinated preiser figures with some white bone showing through and voilà, uncle Owen and aunt Beru...

The roughness of the fabrication method, combined to the rounded nature of the molds is a perfect match for the necessarily rough finish and naturally rounded-for-strength-appearance of a dug-out-of-the-ground 'structure'. Some such paper shells are even dirt-y colored (tan, brown etc.). Apple's are gray, but a coat of paint and it's a-go.

Chacal · Post by **Chacal** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 5:24 pm

Four years ago this day, on Sat Mar 12, 2005 2:54 pm, GoFlight posted: Who collects stuff for scratch building?

bigh827 · Post by **bigh827** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 11:42 pm

And it became one of the threads that would not die. And it's got many good ideas in it.

incrediblefruit · Post by **incrediblefruit** » Tue May 19, 2009 2:54 pm

It's taken me 20 minutes to read through the posts on here phew!

Guess i'm not the only one who see's an object and immediately know's what it can be used for. This is a skill that helps but also hinders me as I work at a recycling facility (basically a big dump) and you can imagine the kind of stuff we get in there and my eyes are always wandering over the 20 foot high piles of putrifying mess in search of an interesting object which I always find every day and after a quick wash take home to be with it's new friends in my boxes of "Long interesting bit's, engine burner bits, cockpit type bits, various smallarms type bits" etc etc and henceforth my small 1 bedroom house is starting to look like the place I work...albeit a lot cleaner but with a million unused ideas in boxes waiting to be born.

Chacal · Post by **Chacal** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 10:02 pm

A nice thing to do with 'found' stuff is to 'de-identify' it: breaking the shape down into smaller, less recognizable chunks.

For example: a disposable razor. I've seen people use the whole thing, minus the actual head, as ship's landing gear. Too recognizable. The suspension of disbelief stops right there when you see a razor. Suddenly it ain't a cool ship anymore: it's a jumble of things: "Hey, that's a ball point pen cap! And there, an inkjet printer cartridge!"

Misdirect (use the back side or the inside of something), disguise (cut the overall shape up into less recognizable sections), repurpose (take an interesting bit off the original shape and use that instead of the whole thing).

chrisjon65 · Post by **chrisjon65** » Sun Jun 28, 2009 2:54 am

I have just started scratchbuilding and have found that old video recorders,stereos and portable tape decks are full of good bits,even the circuit boards have great bits

incrediblefruit · Post by **incrediblefruit** » Sun Jun 28, 2009 10:05 am

Yea, all you got to do is look at an object and see it as something else and then use it but either hide it a bit or use it in a way that will make it hard to identify what it was originally

chrisjon65 · Post by **chrisjon65** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 4:06 am

I have been scratchbuilding my own designs rather than copy an existing one so it allows me to be totally freestyle with selecting materials.
Is there any topics on the forum dedicated to ones own designs?

Lt. Z0mBe · Post by **Lt. Z0mBe** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 5:44 am

chrisjon65 wrote:I have been scratchbuilding my own designs rather than copy an existing one so it allows me to be totally freestyle with selecting materials.
Is there any topics on the forum dedicated to ones own designs?

Just read the descriptions for a better understanding, but "General Sci-Fi Modeling" should be fine" along with "On the Bench"

Kenny

publiusr · Post by **publiusr** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 5:23 pm

Nice thing to kitbash
http://www.mindwalking.com/html/scubasubs.html There is the typical detachable rounded battery-prop unit beneath.

Some nice pens and a new liquid paper pen-dispenser that has a nice look to it hitting shelves

Car air fresheners in autozone type stores also have a nice domed look.
www.spyfu.com/Term.aspx?t=75237

Old Wombat · Post by **Old Wombat** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 8:51 am

chrisjon65 wrote:I have been scratchbuilding my own designs rather than copy an existing one so it allows me to be totally freestyle with selecting materials.
Is there any topics on the forum dedicated to ones own designs?

Yup, go with what the LT said!

And welcome aboard fellow Antipodean!

Only been back into modelling since September 2008 & I've already built up a big collection of... stuff.

Toys, plastic bottles, pens, white-out strip thingies, eraser cases, packaging bits, computer screens, DVD players, disc drives, a VCR unit, cooling fans and other... stuff.

publiusr · Post by **publiusr** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 4:14 pm

Nice cap to this.
www.yoropen.com

Chacal · Post by **Chacal** » Mon Dec 14, 2009 9:08 am

It's Christmas time! Time to open the boxes in the attic and find out which decorations are too old/banged up/broken to be used as decoration (and take a good, hard look at their remains to looking for parts and/or greeblies).

Joy to the world!

BTW, it is a great time to stock up on spherical fuel tanks, Aries 1-B would-be hulls, Potential Death Stars, assorted domes... Christmas balls are on sale! (Wait up until just before Christmas, though. They'll be cheaper).

zaphod · Post by **zaphod** » Fri Jan 15, 2010 6:09 pm

After trying several adhesives, I found that I get get Elmer's Polyurethane adhesive to stick to HDPE pill bottles.
I like this because HDPE bottles are rigid and plentiful (vitamins, aspirin, etc.). To my eye, the cylindrical symmetry opens up a lot of possibilities.

My next goal is to find something that works on PETE bottles. Has anyone had any luck?

Lt. Z0mBe · Post by **Lt. Z0mBe** » Fri Jan 15, 2010 7:58 pm

zaphod wrote:After trying several adhesives, I found that I get get Elmer's Polyurethane adhesive to stick to HDPE pill bottles.
I like this because HDPE bottles are rigid and plentiful (vitamins, aspirin, etc.). To my eye, the cylindrical symmetry opens up a lot of possibilities.

My next goal is to find something that works on PETE bottles. Has anyone had any luck?

PETE is polyethylene terephthalate or good, old polyester. I would imagine CA would work just fine for that. The bottles sometimes have mold release on them. You may have to scrub them or sand them just a bit if they're super glossy.

I hope that helps.

Kenny

Wug · Post by **Wug** » Sat Jan 16, 2010 12:26 am

So far, I have good luck using CA and epoxy on PETE. You can prime it with Mr. Surfacer.

So zaphod, how are you going to paint the HDPE?

Mike

zaphod · Post by **zaphod** » Sat Jan 16, 2010 1:05 am

Umm.......at no point did I claim to have this all figured out. I was merely sharing a discovery that certain persons may find useful.

bigh827 · Post by **bigh827** » Sat Jan 16, 2010 11:49 pm

zaphod wrote:Umm.......at no point did I claim to have this all figured out. I was merely sharing a discovery that certain persons may find useful.

Calm, he was only adding info, but the question is was valled, what type of paint are you going to use? A lot of those bottels, don't take paint.

zaphod · Post by **zaphod** » Sun Jan 17, 2010 1:02 am

Dang, you're right.
One thing I was going to try was a bit of rough-sanding, and some Krylon Fusion as a base coat. It is marketed as having a reaction with plastic so that the final coating is more durable than it otherwise would be.

At any rate, I hope I can find something that works, because it's such a plentiful material. If I do, I will post it here.

What got me about Wug's post was that, rather than play gotcha, he should have done his own experiments. I tried several different adhesives, and was really stoked about the Gorilla glue; hence my enthusiasm in posting it here.

Wug: I throw down the gauntlet. Try several different brands of paint and post your results here.

publiusr · Post by **publiusr** » Fri Jan 22, 2010 2:53 pm

Edge gel shaving cream cans have all kinds of possibilities. First, the cap reminds me of the (TMP) movie-era refit secondary hull. I have a Dawn Dish detergent cap with the flap cut away that is exactly as wide as the Edge gel cap. The dawn cap looks like the area behind TOS dish, so the two will have a PHASE II look.

Secondly, when you cut the EDGE can open, there is an inner white plastic fitting that helps push the gel up. It has a recessed dish like TMP sensor deflector. Put the two assemblies back to back and it is almost enough for an entire secondary hull.

On the pen front ROKWARE makes interesting highlighter pens. The current catalog from 4imprint has a clickable pen with the clicker in the shape of a ball on a stem. Great for the three ship set romulan look of the nacelle tips (even if inaccurate). Big Grip Rollerball caps have the nice vents. 1-877-446-7746

For nacelles:
http://www.4imprint.com/search/pens/pro ... ighted-Pen
http://www.4imprint.com/search/pens/pro ... er-Pen-Set
http://www.4imprint.com/search/pens/pro ... parent-Pen
http://www.4imprint.com/search/pens/pro ... Bubble-Pen
http://www.4imprint.com/search/pen%20highlighter
http://www.4imprint.com/search/pen%20hi ... ighter-Pen
http://www.4imprint.com/search/pens/pro ... ol-Pen-Kit
Other:
http://www.4imprint.com/product/5398-T/ ... ranslucent

Misc art and books:
http://www.alienufoart.com/
http://kencroswell.com/

And Ken Hollis pop-museum http://www.flickr.com/photos/8581581@N07/2621296302/

AbsoluteSciFi · Post by **AbsoluteSciFi** » Wed Mar 17, 2010 7:06 pm

Big ol' Box of Stuff?

Never has there been a bigger understatement. I have boxes and boxes of parts, trinkets, whosee-what-its, thing-a-ma-bobs, doo-dads, and dingle-hoppers. I have several boxes of old VCR's waiting to be taken apart, and several boxes of taken apart VCR's, seperated by material- plastic, metal and rubber. My garage is 30% full of these boxes, and I pull from every box to form one simple model- and well... you never know when and what you might need from the mountian of parts that you have stockpiled over the years... so the pile keeps growing. I have trinkets that come from dumpsters, construction sites, office trash, you name it I have found it; any part that I can pilfer for free is valuable to me.

Most recently I have found that automotive parts are very cool, and there are plenty of them outside the dumpsters of bodyshops... if you are so dedicated. I can only guess if I will ever realize the full potential of all that I have gathered in the name of modeling; my quest goes on!

kerick · Post by **kerick** » Wed Mar 31, 2010 10:32 am

Just started scrapping electronics laying around the basement. Greeblie heaven!! Opened up a harddrive yesterday and thought up uses for all the parts inside. I just have to get the disc out without breaking or scratching it. Any suggestions? I want to use the disc as a mirror under a spacecraft model with the mounting rod through the hole. Plus been collecting "found items" for some time now. I'll have to spread it all out on a table and start playing "building blocks" with it all and see what happens.....

publiusr · Post by **publiusr** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 4:59 pm

Printers and scanners have nice bits

For sets, Magnatas Graph Cabinets are interesting
1-800-624-4154 (Drawing boards and such)

The nozzles for the steamer gizmos--and of course this

www.ionatorHOM.com

A lot of powered nozzles those days.

publiusr · Post by **publiusr** » Mon May 17, 2010 7:13 pm

Older Con-AIR hair dryer diffusers were interesting

newer ones
http://www.conair.com/shine-1875-styler-p-856.html
http://www.conair.com/hair-dryers-hair- ... _7_72.html
http://www.folica.com/Diffusers__187_1.html
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/ ... nkCode=asm

http://www.amazon.com/Conair-Straighten ... B000HWW3Y2

The TRIO3 pens look to make great warp nacelles, they come four in a package
http://www.peachtreeplaythings.com/prod ... struments/

Black and Decker clip-on penslights look like stout Ambassador type nacelles with nice clear-red lenses.

wraith1701 · Post by **wraith1701** » Mon May 17, 2010 7:20 pm

Who collects stuff for scratch building?

After the first time I started a scratch-build & realized the perfect parts I needed had been long since thrown away, I've become a big fan of holding on to greeblies, etc. In fact, the majority of my Hobby-Related purchases are kit-bash/scratch-build supplies, rather than actual kits.

There are far, FAR more model projects floating around in my head than there are kits of what I'm interested in building.

Kolschey · Post by **Kolschey** » Mon May 17, 2010 8:11 pm

@Wraith

Completely OT, but love the Gurren Lagann avatar.

Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

Who collects stuff for scratch building?

Do you collect parts?

Happy anniversary, thread!