Large Scale Central

Craig's 2024 MIK T-D Feeds Hay Storage Shed

The MIK - Annual Build Challenge
#81

More questions from the newb…

I can find styrene at hobby shops but as soon as expand my search I can’t find it. Is it just the nomenclature? Styrene the liquid is made into polystyrene the sheets? When I look it up I get sites that sell foam insulation as expanded polystyrene.

Should I be looking for PVC sheets, though the web says they are quite different to styrene?

ABS? Oh, and does Sintra go by any other name? I see it is expanded PVC.

@Bruce_Chandler says he uses acrylic as it saves him from glazing windows. Does it hold up well?

#82

High impact polystyrene is the official name.
ABS is similar but generally has a smooth side and a rough/textured side. Both ABS and styrene can be glued together. ABS is tougher and doesn’t score and snap as well ( if any) like styrene can. That’s one of the benefits of styrene construction. You can score a line and snap it in seconds.

PVC is another beast that’s usually used as substitute lumber.

Acrylic is clear. Most aquariums are made with acrylic. It’s tough and hard

#83

about fifty years or so.

but its hard to work with. when i tried to saw it off with an electric jigsaw or a manual hacksaw, it evolved shiny haircracks.
so i had to score it with a carpetknife and break it over the edge of a table. - not a very precise method.

#84

I think acrylic is mostly cut with a table saw blade. Plywood blade run backwards I’ve heard? Acrylic is really hard to cut and not crack.

#85

I don’t know, I’ve cut it just fine on my table saw using an 80 tooth carbide blade running forward, same blade I use on everything else.

#86

I’ve never cut acrylic before so just based it on what I’ve read before. Good to know.

#87

Craig, I think you are confusing things. Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is the thick foam board used for insulation and packing material. The stuff that scores and snaps well is Polystyrene sheet or “HIPS”
Learn About Your Plastic Sheet: 7 Facts About High Impact Polystyrene.

#88

Yes Dan, thanks for the correction.

I had my terms in my brain mixed up.

#89

This is what I buy and who I buy it from. if that helps.

As for sizes since I am newer to hording than Craig I’d say .125 (.118 was what I think I could get) is almost a must as the base for anything that needs size and strength. Then I would say .020, .040 to start.

#90

When I was modeling, I just had the acrylic cut to the size I wanted - I let THEM worry about the cracking - I never saw ANY. :innocent:

#91

Who was your agent? Do you have any videos or pictures of your runway work?

#92

One of the reasons I like .030 and .060 is they are roughly 1" and 2" scale thick in 1/29.

.0344" = 1"

I also discovered recently that anything under .030 starts to have issues long term outdoors even went painted, UV protected.
Starts to get brittle and deforms.

1 Like
#93

Slow but steady progress. Got the walls marked and started gluing down strips.

Last night I used the table saw to cut strips and the balsa stripper tool. Decided that I’m going to use the balsa stripper tool this round just to force myself to use hand tools. And honestly I think its going slightly faster than the table saw and I don’t have to worry about cutting my fingers off. I’ll take a knife stab over a table saw amputation… But I have noticed it breaks blade tips easy if I’m not paying attention.

Goal before Friday is to get the back wall cut and glued up. That gives me the weekend to do the front wall and the hope that I might actually finish on time this year.

#94

https://sibe-rplasticssupply.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=71&product_id=85

#95

Craig,
Apologies for continuing to pull your Mik off thread. But I thought I might ask a follow up question.

I am assuming polystyrene bonds to itself is with a solvent like MEK or acetone. Can wood shingles be glued to it and what have you used?

As an aside…I thought I had found some rigid PVC board today at Bunnings Hardware (kinda like Home Depot but not on as many steroids). The PVC had a smooth surface, not unlike a cutting board and was quite floppy. So I continue my search for the HIPS

#96

Bill,
Anytime I glue anything other than plastic to styrene I use silicon caulk. It has a strong bond that is flexible.

As for finding high impact styrene, you’d probably need to find a local sign shop. I bet they would have some.

1 Like
#97

Pictures later when I hopefully get the wall done, but I made it 3/4 of the wat across the back wall before this afternoon. Maybe I’ll have a quick chance to finish later. But making progress. Hopefully this weekend will also produce some 3d parts.

#98

Here’s a quick sketch of a wall pack light. It still needs some tweaks but it should work good for a test print. I want to try and print the gray part in Tenacious clear and see if I can’t get some defused light with some SMD warm white LED’s.

#99

Last nights print run was a semi success. Success in that the light parts printed just fine and the big roof vents but I learned a “costly” aka used up a bunch of resin mistake. it was only $4 worth of resin total but I was being stupid by not looking at a downloaded file. The file was for a oil tank and I assumed it was a hollowed part… Yah. It looks great but it ran out of resin 3/4 of the way done.

I kept thinking why was the volume of the resin estimated to be so high on the slicer program. :roll_eyes:

It was a good reminder that if you don’t design the part yourself, double check before you hit print.

Letting the parts cure at the moment before I try hooking up some SMD to the light to see what it looks like.

@Pete_Lassen do you still want some of those roof vents? How many? I’ll throw them on for you now that I know they will print okay.

#100

Yeah I will take whatever it needs to fill out your print space for most efficient use . Not sure how it actually works. So let me know what you need from me and I will messenger you the $$$