Plastics

[joe31hat]

Hi everyone,

I have been looking into the products called CELTEK and SINTRA. Any comments one way or another. I got a couple of pieces of Sintra from a place in Canada. I liked the way it cut and glued but what is the real world comment.

Joe

[Shaun Hendricks]

There are lots of comments and threads about Sintra, I don't know about Celtek, haven't heard of it.

Sintra is basically an air injected PVC and supposedly works better than wood for a lot of modelling applications. It's moldable, bendable, waterproof and cuts easily.

I don't know why it hasn't taken off more, but you should be able to use it anywhere you'd use plywood but don't need grain.

[CaptLee]

Joe I gave the Sintra a try for Cabin sides, it seemed to work OK but does dent when somthing hits it. But a tug cabin should have a bit of damage to be realistic anyway. So if you use it where it is working out for you it works out. took a long time for me to start using Styrene, now there is another material to consider during a build.

[charlie eaton]

Joe, Some of the Dumas kits now come with sintra decks and cabins such as the USS Whitehall and the Rangeley steamer. I used 3mm sintra for the cabin and the decks of my 'Novi'' (cape islander) it cuts and sands well and loves CA glues. You put 2 pieces of sintra together with medium ca and the sintra will break near but not at the joint. It is flexable and I did use 2 pieces of wood as braces and some 6mm sintra under the decks. I personally like working with it. I'm not positive but I think celtex is another name for sintra.

[patmat2350]

Sintra is just one brand name for expanded (foamed) core PVC board.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=624388

[capt. spauldin]

I haven't tried using Sintra yet, but I've been doing a little research. Here's a link that may be useful: http://www.solarbotics.net/starting/200207_sintra/200207_sintra.html

Cheers,
Capt. Spaulding

[charlie eaton]

Go to www.Charrette.com. That gives you the ''home'' page. They are a large art supply company with stores on both coasts. They have a mail order catalog along with the shops. They have sintra in several thicknesses and up to 4'x8' sheets I got a 4'x8' 3mm and have just about used it up. Gave some to graphixman too. If you get their discount card it is only 45 bucks for that sheet and you get allot of decks and cabins out of it. In the catalog they have a number of different size sheets that you can by and the cost isn't all that high.

[Willj]

I like sintra quite a bit . I`ve worked with it for years in my prop making. It`s cheap and is easy to form. It cuts easily and heat it up with a hot air gun and in in about 30 seconds you can press it into a negative mold. I use it primarily to make large scale eyes for the Mascot costumes that my company produces. I use primarily 1/4 inch thickness. I`m sure it would be ideal for use in model boat building.I have never yet used it in my model boat building because I prefer to work in wood, but I`m sure you can find many uses for it. Sintra is not the highest in density but likely because of this it`s easy to thermo form. Another amzing product that I use to construct my costumes and use to make props is called Plastizote. You`ll probly be familiar with evazote. Evazote is family to plastizote and use to make those thin,light -weight camping matts/rolls. Plaztizote is also used to make those puzzle Matts that you may be using in your shop,shoe insoles, childrens soft toy cut outs, hats, and a zillion other things. the zote products are amazing and their uses are limitless. They are heat formable, closed cell, light-weight, tough as nails and relitively cheap. you could make an Rc boat out of plaztizote quite easily, you would likely have to weigh it down with a fair amount of ballast because it floats like a feather on the water. I could go on about this product cause it`s so amazing. Look for more info on the net to it`s properties and uses. Order some, use it and you will be amazed!! Sintra in my opinion is an amazing product too. It`s cheap and super easy to cut and glue. If your not using sintra get some and try it. You will be amazed at what it can do as well.

[keith S]

Made several houses for my boats out of Sintra. Works really well for warship tops with the light weight, ready to finish, liking supper glues, and minimal bracing keeps those tops managable.

[Dr. Ron]

I wouldn't recommend sintra for constructing polo boat superstructure as it is very brittle and won't withstand the punishment

[Dr. Ron]

Styrene is a great product when modeling as you never need fillers or worry about grain, chipping ,slivers, dust, cracking, etc. It's also waterproof which led me to construct the fireboat entirely of styrene except for the hull and deck beams.

[charlie eaton]

Styrene is a very good product,having built many styrene model airplanes. However I have not seen any brittle sintra and have in fact seen it as a more resiliant product. Styrene can and will dry out and be very brittle with age. 1 OR 1.5mm sintra will shatter if hit hard enough. So will styrene. The 3mm I have used will bend and dent but not come apart. And sintra is easier to work with.

[PT Sideshow]

Sintra was and is a big product in the sign and point of purchase advertising biz. Look at the grocery store at the display panels and signs.As it has been said, popular in the prop biz also. I think the biggest problem with Sintra and the other brands out there, is they are sold in larger sheets and if you don't know what it is. A rigid expanded PVC foam. Most don't want to sink the money into it to try it.

You can do just about anything to it that you can do to wood. It does have cold temp drawbacks, a lot of the signs that are flat and with the stickers are now done on Sintra or the generic brands rather than metal panels like in the old days.

If you do use the generic brand make sure it does have the UV stabilizers in it I have seen some that do not.
Most large well stocked art supply houses as Dick Blick and and plastic supply,sign supply sell it. It comes in about 8 basic colors, and a bunch of thicknesses.

Once you try it, you will like it. I have used it for over 20 years and it has never failed to deliver yet.
:D

[jshander]

Dr. Ron,
You have done a really beautiful model of the LA fireboat. Is there any place commercially available to purchase a hull for it or plans?

Jim Shander

[Olscuzbut]

Dr Ron,
Fantastic job on you fireboat. Very impressive. Did you make all the plumbing fixtures, and does the water monitors work? Would like to see a video of it performing. Once again, great job!!

Norm

[joe31hat]

Thanks everyone for the input!

Is it possible to create another 'sticky' in Scale Boats titled ' New building materials ... pro/con'? That way us 'newbies' could go to one source, instead of using the search engine and hoping we search on the right words to find what we are looking for? Just a thought!

Joe

[Dr. Ron]

Jim,
I bought the hull and plans from Burchett Marine Inc. ronburchett@shaw.ca. The hull is fiberglass and very nicely done.

Norm,
The model has six BMW windshield washer motor pumps and operate ten monitors which all work. I haven't had the fortitude to turn them all on at the same time yet. They are fed from a large sea chest and sometimes they need to be manually primed. Since the model has just been finished and since the weather has degenerated I haven't had the opportunity to test it further. The water pumps on deck were cast in plastic afer carving an original which was used to create a rubber rtv mold.

[charlie eaton]

Doc, You've got 10 monitors? WOW!!!! I only have 2 on my fireboat. Light off all 6 pumps and show us pictures!!!