model making: 4 construction materials

Sourcing and Choosing Materials

Saving 4me and money when buying

Sourcing Materials and Services

•  Time and cost can be saved by using a li:le ‘out the box’ thinking and planning ahead.

•  Thought needs to be applied to where materials are bought, what quan4ty they’re bought in, and if they’re suitable for the job.

•  Some4mes cuEng corners and trying to save money can be a false economy, so care is needed when making these decisions.

Areas to look at with procuring materials;

•  Sourcing materials and services •  CuEng the costs of building a model •  How to make contact with suppliers

Sourcing Materials and Services

•  Bought objects can be used to salvage materials from.

-‐  Bins and pencil pots for mesh -‐  Lights and ornaments for rods or vac formed shapes such as domes

-‐  Bathroom mirrors for mirrored glass and plas4c

-‐  Mechanical pencils for springs

Wilkinsons mesh bin £4

B&Q Mesh sheet £9.18

Wilkinsons Plas4c mirror £2.50

Trent Plas4cs Styrene mirror A4 £1.50



But what about delivery costs?



But what about delivery costs? £1.50 for 3-‐5 days £15.00 for 1-‐3 days

Popular sources of materials

•  Acrylic -‐ Trent Plas4cs and K&M Wholesale •  Styrene – B&H Models, Ruddocks •  Metals – Metals4U, Aluminium Warehouse, ASC, B&Q, Homebase

•  Woods – B&Q, Buildbase, Homebase, Knights •  Glass – Lincoln Glass Centre •  Cards – Ruddocks, Wilkinsons, Poundland, WHSmith, The Range

•  Paints – The Range, Wilkinsons, Ruddocks, Halfords, B&Q, Homebase, Poundland, Boyes, B&H Models

Popular Sources of Services

•  Laser cuEng – 4D Modelshop •  Waterjet cuEng – Polar Systems •  Photoetching – PPD Ltd •  Rub on tranfers – 4D Modelshop •  Laser cuEng metals – Micrometrics •  3D Prin4ng -‐ Shapeways

What to avoid with materials •  Not all plas4cs are suitable for your job. What do you intend to do with it?

•  Some reclaimed woods can have flaws, splits, knots, nails and staples in.

•  Waste acrylic is oben scratched and damaged. Do you need be:er quality?

•  Old paints, varnishes, resins and glues can perish, most have a shelf life.

•  Some paints and other solvent based products can react with each other.

•  Seek assistance BEFORE you buy to avoid disappointment, wasted money and delays.

Alterna4ves

Its always a good idea to have a backup plan or alterna4ve idea, material or supplier. Perhaps having an address book for suppliers might be an idea? •  Laser cuEng and waterjet cuEng, although not iden4cal, are similar processes.

•  Many shops sell the same products, paints, cards, papers, but be careful with ‘own brand’ products as they may not be compa4ble.

•  If an alterna4ve isn’t available, can you use your 4me doing something else while you wait for items to come back in stock?

CuEng build costs

•  Clubbing together •  Buying from Ebay and Amazon etc •  Using offcuts and upcycling •  Using free samples •  Visi4ng companies in person •  Reques4ng sponsorship •  Kit bashing

Clubbing together

•  Before ordering, ask your peers if they need the same material •  Material cost per m2 reduces as sheet size increases, why not buy a large sheet and have the workshop cut it up for you?

•  Ordering together can save on postage •  Bulk buy discounts may be available •  If someone has a car, why not have a road trip to the suppliers?

‘Many hands make light work’

Buying Online

•  Ebay and Amazon etc can be great sources of materials in small quan44es.

•  However, the quality of some sellers can be ques4onable •  Materials may appear cheap, but delivery costs need to be

included when weighing up the pro’s and con’s. •  Bare in mind some materials are cheap because they’re

offcuts or waste/rejects, consider what quality you need. •  Also consider where your materials are coming from, oben

cheap materials from China for instance take many weeks to arrive.

•  If there are any mistakes or damages, organising returning materials and nego4a4ng refunds can be problema4c and 4me consuming.

•  Check reviews and feedback BEFORE you buy

Using offcuts and upcycling

•  Offcuts can be cheap, but also damaged •  Offcuts can be found in the workshops, but

oben (especially acrylic) they are damaged or scratched. Some models will require higher quality materials.

•  Some waste materials might look suitable, but think about how your model will be constructed – is there an alterna4ve that will be easier to work with? For instance a glass mirror might look good, but we can’t cut it in our workshops, a plas4c one however we can.

•  Bare in mind that at some point you WILL have to buy materials, some4mes it’s a false economy to try and use offcuts constantly.

Free samples

•  Free samples can be requested from companies when you need an example to show.

•  Oben small sized pieces •  Some4mes have company logo on them,

which isn’t always acceptable. •  Can be a way of sourcing small pieces of

materials for free. •  Some companies will charge a fee, or at

least postage costs, others will offer them totally free of charge.

•  Don’t push your luck, reques4ng one sample is fine, asking for large sheets or mul4ple pieces might be ignored.

Reques4ng sponsorship

•  Some4mes, companies will agree to discounted prices if you adver4se their company.

•  Don’t offer too much for too li:le. •  Get the agreement in wri4ng. •  S4ck to your agreement. •  Don’t overdo it and become a billboard. Your exhibi4on is just that, YOURS. •  Sponsorship will usually only work when your work is put on public display, so

save sponsorship deals for your final show.

Kit bashing

•  Process involves using found objects and using them for details or some4mes influence.

•  Used in special effects for ‘greeblies’ ie nonsense details

•  Model kits, kids toys, sta4onary, household items, even clothing can be used.

•  Sources for the above include car boot sales, model shops, ebay, amazon, sta4onary shops, pound shops, charity shops, gumtree and many more.

Visi4ng companies in person •  If granted a site visit, be punctual •  Leave in good 4me, allow for delays in

travelling •  Research your journey before the visit •  If driving, make your host aware so they

can arrange parking etc. •  Dress approprietely •  Ask if you can take pictures/recordings

BEFORE you do •  Some sites will require you to watch a

Health and Safety film before entering •  Take notes or use a dictaphone to record

your comments/thoughts •  Don’t touch anything unless given

permission •  If you want to take a sample, ASK, don’t

just take things, even from bins •  Thank your host before leaving

Personal conduct when contac4ng suppliers

•  Emails •  Telephone •  Dealing with a ‘no’ •  Remembering you’re a rep

Emails -‐ bad

Emails -‐ good

Email help

•  Be concise, don’t waffle or confuse •  Be polite, request or ask, don’t order or

boss people around •  State what you need, when you need it

doing or when you need it to arrive •  Thank people for their 4me •  Don’t be too informal •  Be pa4ent while wai4ng for a reply •  Don’t pester people

Telephone calls •  Make a list of ques4ons or informa4on you need

BEFORE you make the call •  Have a pen and paper handy to write down

informa4on, names and numbers •  Explain who you are, why you’re calling and who

you’d like to talk to •  If you’re asked to call back, set a 4me and be

punctual, don’t forget to return calls! •  Be polite at all 4mes •  Be concise, the person you’re calling might not

need to know everything about your project •  If the person/company are unable to help they

might know someone who can, ask before ending the call

•  Thank the person for their 4me •  Some4mes it pays dividends to call back and give

feedback and apprecia4on

Dealing with a ‘no’. •  Some4mes companies or people are unable

or unwilling to help, this is normal. •  Don’t take things personally. •  Now is the 4me to use an alterna4ve. •  Rejec4on is normal, but if you don’t ask you

won’t get, so don’t give up straight away. •  If someone won’t or can’t assist you, try to

find out why, or if you can do anything to change things, i.e. buying larger quan44es.

•  Ask if they know someone who can help if you don’t have an alterna4ve.

•  Regardless of if they’ve been helpful or not, remain calm and polite, remember………

Remember you’re a representa4ve of the University •  Remember your manners •  Be professional •  Be consice with your requests •  Be reasonable, don’t expect lots

of free material to be delivered tomorrow by personal courier

•  Thank the person you’re dealing with

•  Prepare yourself before making contact with people

•  Explain who you are •  Be willing to compromise,

especially when reques4ng free samples etc, offer to pay postage

model making: 4 construction materials

Design