Hello!
I am really intrigued by the prospect of building structures with Clever textures. I can see that combining the textures with 3D details can really produce amazing buildings. Will save a lot of time and money as well. My only worry is how will they stand up to the ravages of time? In 10yrs will the textures be so faded that the building will no longer be appealing? Is there anything that can be done to ensure longevity? I assume that printing with laser inks and keeping the buildings out of sunlight is important??
Any feedback is much appreciated.
Don

I spray the sheets with a combination sealer & UV protector. Probably won't fade any more than anything else on your layout. I use either Krylon or Rust-oleum. Spraying first will keep the coloring you use on the cut edges from bleeding.

Thanks for the reply Jerry....do you use just clear gloss? Can you recommend a specific clear spray?
Best,
Don

Don
All of the buildings that I originally made when I started the company, 10 years ago, still look the same as test sheets that have been kept protected and out of the sun. As alredy mentioned, sealing with a good product, is probably all you will need. I personally use good old DullKote or Krylon Matt UV coating.

Fantastic news, thanks. I just bought a bunch of textures and cant wait to start building!
Best,
Don

This is one of those unfounded fears that a lot of folks have about card models, that they'll degrade over time. I don't think that's going to be a problem in the timeframe we're talking about. One of the most impressive paper models ever built, Langweil's model of Prague, was made in the 1830s and was exhibited out in the open air until the 1990s.

http://tinyurl.com/langweilpraguemodel

I'd steer you away from using laser printouts -- they tend to have a glossy finish that makes buildings look like it just finished raining. I've built a lot of buildings with laser printouts, but over the past couple years, I've moved away from it. Now I only use them when the thing I'm building is either somewhat cartoon-y or I need to enlarge a single piece so large that my home printer won't handle it.

I generally use whatever cheap UV resistant fixative I can find. There's an art supply thrift store in Portland that usually has two or three half-empty cans available for a buck or two, but even a new can from an art supply store is under ten dollars. Look for a matte fixative with UV resistance and the word "workable," which means you can paint or draw on top of it.

I often spray both sides of the printed sheet. I paint the edges of my models with gouache (watercolor from tubes), and having both sides fixed prevents paint from wicking in.

Dan thanks for taking the time to post this info. This is really helpful for a new builder!! One last question....is regular paper ok or do you like a thicker cardstock?
Best,
Don

I always use cardstock. I've been using Canon matte photo paper, because the printouts really look great -- much better than a more porous cardstock.

If I need it thicker (either for strength or appearance) I laminate it to another sheet of cardstock or cardboard. I usually laminate with either a glue stick or a somewhat fancier Zig glue pen. I'll be honest; the Zig glue pen is overkill.

Thanks Dan...one last question....I will be attaching these texture printouts to a large O scale foam board building I have constructed. Was thinking of just using elmers glue. Is that best?

Thanks again for helping a newbie. I am psyched to get into this and will post results on gallery page.

Thanks again to all!
Don

I've used Sobo white glue to mount textures to foam board. It's more forgiving than contact cement... just make sure you scrape in to a thin film.

I've been building Clever structures since the beginning and see no degradation of colors on the layout.

If you use a surface preservative test it first. In the early days I lost a small loading ramp after spraying... it turned milky white.

I just wanted to jump in on the coating turning white issue. It's primarily a humidity change during drying problem. The usual fix is to apply another coat. It USUALLY will reliquify the first coat and end up clear. Sometimes it doesn't work because the first coat has had time to REALLY dry, but you have nothing to loose. Try to keep the model in a fairly dry environment till dry.

I have bad luck with white glue for mounting to foam board -- it wrinkles if you do it wrong. As Jan says, keeping the layer of glue thin is key to doing it right.

Glue stick does pretty well, and a Zig 2-way glue pen with a wide nib works quite well.

I have a can of Aleene's Spray Adhesive, which works really well, but is stinky and gets all over the hairs on my arms whenever I use it. It does have the advantage of being the least expensive spray adhesive at the craft store.

When I laminate cardstock to anything else, I use the same gap-filling 5-15 second set CAA that I use to build with. I start by running a THIN bead all around the perimeter on the piece, about 1/16" in from the edge. You need to leave "squish" room. Then I start inside the perimeter and do another continuous bead (THIN) ziz-zagging back and forth at about 1/2" spacing. When you put the pieces together, just a little gentle squeegeeing to spread the glue and your done. I know a lot of you don't like CAA, for various reasons, but it bonds card like rivets and doesn't soak in till it is pressed together.

This is exactly what I needed to get going guys. Thanks so much to all who took the time to write. Will post results soon. You can see some of the buildings I have already completed on my website. Looking forward to adding cardstock to the list!
Best,
Don

Just looked at your web site: you know what you're doing! You'll be up to speed on cardstock modelling in no time.

Thanks Dan.....cant wait to get going with this....going to save a huge amount of money and time.

Mike. I have found that polyvinyl acetate, the material that Elmers ( white) glue is made from but without additives. is great for bonding your and other paper models to paper, cardstock. and wood. It is sold as an adhesive for archival book repair by library supply companies such as Brodart. Available on Ebay, It will not cause paper to pucker as white glue does. Its white, dries clear and doesn't stink. I put the paper part face down on news paper, add a bit of PVA to the surface and smooth it out with my finger. The excess glue gets wiped off on the back of my other hand. Then work it fast to put it in place. For little details such as over trim layers, I put a bit of PVA on the back of my left hand, take the small part in a tweezers and wipe it in the glue. and put it in place. I have become sensitized to super bonder, and can't use it. The PVA adheres very quick to paper and wood. Its superb for bonding scale earth and gravel, etc. to your scenery. Spread it around with an artist brush. It adheres fast and the access can be vacuumed up in a couple of minutes. Just steel one of wife's nylons to place in front of the vacuum so you don't loose any. Now guys, to stay in the good graces of your wife or girl friend when you spend so much time on your railroad, this adhesive is the only thing to repair bisque and porcelain collectors pieces . My neighbors granddaughter dropped a collector piece and I put it together with PVA. Tool ( nest) it into place with some modeling clay. Let it set up for 3 Days. Then if there is a fine crack, Fill it with Dap Crack Shot, A white spackle paste. ( Lowes, etc.) Tool it in place with a piece of 1/8 in. square balsa. The fine crack was gone. Sorry I went on so much. I Hope a lot of your model builders will find this helpful. Philip Entingh

Thanks Philip for the info....just ordered some. Here is what I have come up with so far. Really fun to work with.....had to purchase another kit to get the roof textures as the O scale rust textures were not as nice as what was in the steel mill kit. Would be great to have that roof available in 8.5x11 sheets on the texture pages.
Next thing I am going to do is add 45 plastic windows, gangways, lights, and a host of other industrial details to create more of a 3D structure. I was able to do this over a few hours Sat and Sunday....saved a huge amount of time and money. Gluing on those pieces of sheet metal one at a time would have taken me forever....plus the issue of paint and weather.....
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