Bases for structures and small modules.

When I first started building some of my small modules and some structures that required some details that were separate but in close proximity to the structure I was using some large sheets of plain styrene about .060 to .080 thick. Overtime that did not work out to well with a lot of warping. For some of my larger modules I switched to a thin Masonite which has been great with the rough side up for holding landscaping materials and no warping issues. Lately I have been using a 1/16th inch thick cardstock as it is cheaper, easier and less messy to cut, and has a rough back that seems to take scenery materials well. My next up project is a livestock yard and some associated structures so needing to establish my ground cover and the stock pens plus loading chutes I am again looking at cardstock. So it has me wondering what some of the rest of you use for a base application?

 

I use thin, tempered Masonite. It's always worked well for me and since I'm putting a lot of effort into the scratch-built structures on my layout, I want to make sure I don't have any problems. The extra effort that it requires (not a lot) puts it waaaaay over cardstock in my book. Since my layout is portable, when I take portions of it to shows, I remove all of the structures before breaking the sections down. I appreciate the robust qualities of my Masonite structure bases both when they're on the layout and off of it.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

 

I believe the Masonite that you describe is probably what I have used for some of them. The stuff I have is used as a thin overlayment for very old rough floors giving a good surface for new floor goods. I probably will go back and retro my Chinatown module as it is on the plastic and I have some warpage with it. The cardstock I have is very rigid and unlike you my stuff will stay in place once mounted since the next layout will be permanent like the others prior to this one and not be used for shows. However I am not committed yet so I still am interested in what others have done and used.

 

Hi John,
I am thinking of using cardstock since my layout will be permanent also. Where do you buy your cardstock? Online I couldn't find any listed in inches, just numbers which I assume refers to thickness.

Thanks,
John

 

I bought some at Michaels Craft store and found a better selection at an art supply store that is local to me. If you have a store like Michaels or similar look back in the art supply section. The stuff in the scrapbooking area is too light weight. I have found some that had one side colored and have a sheet that is brown which gives me a start on ground cover base color. The stuff I have used is about 1/16th inch thick maybe a shade more and is made up like sheetrock and is sandable. The larger cuts like a 12 X 12 inch will tend to flex while the smaller cuts that stay in the 6 X 9 inch range seem to be more rigid. But as discussed nothing yet seems to beat the Masonite for rigidity when that is what you need.

 

I intend to use 1/2" foam for the top layer of the scenery and as bases. I can then swap out various scenes.

 

I use 3/4" plywood, no warping issues.


Kent in KC
nvrr49@yahoo.com
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

 

I would think that 3/4th inch plywood under a house that is 1.75 inches by 2.5 inches and a garage that is .75 inches by 1.0 inches would be a bit of an overkill.

 

I’ve used 1/8 inch plexiglass for a base. I use small flat head wood screws to attach to main bench work with holes being counter sunk. Then the screw heads are covered with scenery items such as a dumpster or vehicle.


Brad Myers
Peninsula Ntrak / AsiaNrail

My Blogs:
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I have been using a dense foam product called "Funky Foam" that I found at Hobby Lobby. It comes in approximately 9"x18" sheets that are marked as 3 mm thick. The thickness is sufficient to raise structures so that dock height is correct for boxcars on Kato unitrack.
I used this same material as the base for a stock yard at a free lance meat packing facility. It is paintable with acrylic paints. I applied under ground cover. It is flexible thus for fine detail will need a ridge sheet of plastic under it to transport the base from bench to layout.

 

Well as I suspected there are a variety of materials out there in use for structure bases. Some I haven't heard of and some I didn't even think about like Lexan. Looked at prices at the local home improvement store and found that comparing Masonite to Lexan that the Masonite wins out in the price war. Cardstock while more expensive based on square foot of material, is a readily available material that is easy to work with. Both do not contribute to the overall weight on the bench work by much. One thing I will not revisit is the use of plain styrene, both cost and the warping factor over time being the reasons. I have had warping occur in the styrene several years after the project was completed Some of these that I still have and plan to reuse on the next layout will get some thin Masonite laminated to the styrene base to cure the warping.

I think there is a limit to using cardstock based on the structure weight and size and I seem to have arrived at a happy size of about 6 by 9 inches for a lightweight wood structure. Anything larger would get the Masonite. I like to completely detail some items before mounting them because it is so much easier to sit at a workbench than to be leaning over a layout. Both the thinness of the cardstock and Masonite allow better blending of the edges to the layout and both can have the edges beveled to facilitate that while retaining their respective strengths. I also have in the past laminated foam to the Masonite base to enable small waterways to be carved as in the instances of a sawmill and a water powered gristmill, both done while setting at the workbench.

So it looks like I will stay with the two proven mediums that I have been using. But it is nice to know what other options I have just in case the EPA suddenly bans cardstock or Masonite because it causes Lymphagranulosis in the rare Artic Tsetse Fly. Thanks all for the replies.

 

I'm with fellow Peninsula NTRAK / AsiaNRail modeler, Brad Myers, (reply #10 to this thread). I get scrap acrylic sheet cutoffs from my local TAP Plastics shop. I use 1/8" thickness because it's the same thickness as standard N scale cork roadbed and because I've found that it's the thinnest that will not warp. Thicker sheers are even more rigid.
Just be aware that some of the liquid plastic adhesives can cause damage to the surface (though that's usually hidden). I also use E6000 adhesive which won't hurt most plastics (unless it's styrene) and will allow you to attach any other material (wood, metal, paper, most plastics) to the acrylic base without damaging any of them.
Also, my structures are all removable to make both structure construction and layout maintenance easier. And, by using a couple of standardized base sizes, I can also exchange structures to change prototype, era or type of structure for more diverse operations.

- Paul Ingraham, Peninsula NTRAK / AsiaNRail