This
list is a reference for finding materials and supplies for your current and
future projects.
Put this list in a safe place for your entire project needs.
Elmer’s: the basic essential for keeping stuff together. Good for paper, wood, and general porous surfaces. Don’t use too much glue because it will warp your paper. Use Elmer’s Wood Glue for better strength with wood models.
Tacky Glue: looks like Elmer’s but don’t be fooled it tastes much better. It also sets and dries faster. Performs well on cardboard, paper, and porous surfaces. Make sure to remove any excess glue with a damp cloth.
Hot Glue: In a hurry? This is great stuff and usually (if you have the right glue sticks) sticks to anything; wood, metal, sponges, and cardboard. Thought you found the answer to everything? Wrong, even though this stuff is convenient, it leaves tiny micro-glue strings that are a pain and eyesore to a well-crafted model. Recommended for Parti-models or study models but stay away from using on final models.
Super Glue: This product gets and average rating on the “sticks to stuff scale.” Generally, it is good with metal and plastics (i.e. aluminum sheets and Plexiglass) but it does not work well with cardboards and other porous surfaces.
Epoxy: You will get different opinions on this stuff. Use it on big jobs that need to stay together forever. Good for sticking anything together; glass, wood, metals, plastics, and rock. Caution, epoxy comes in different versions of dry time. Do not buy it if it won’t set in 2-6 minutes, time is very important.
Dual Components Glue: Yes, this is the answer.
“Worth more than gold at four in the morning and can stop bleeding in
seconds.” Not only will this stuff dry
in less than a minute, it also comes with an accelerator that brings dry time
to seconds. The glue is made for
airplane models and can only be purchased at “Wings and Things”. Get the kind in the
purple bottle and don’t forget the accelerator. Works well with everything made on earth, including you, so watch
your fingers!
Model making materials:
Chipboard: gray or brown
and comes in varying degrees of thickness.
Corrugated Cardboard:
the
brown box material, different levels of thickness.
Can usually be found free (behind furniture stores, bike shops…
Mat Board: comes in many colors, however, the color is only on one
side.
Also, the inner material is a
different color than the exterior so it is not the best choice to use for
building models.
Foam Board: Good for mounting drawings and model building. Some color choice
Museum Board: Very nice, soft, white cardboard (expensive too). Good for final Models.
Be cautious with this material because it
gets dirty easily.
Foam Shapes: Can be sliced and diced to represent the form you want. The green kind is found in the floral department. It can be very messy so watch your fingers when you are using glue.
Balsa and Bass Wood: Very
good structural representatives.
Brass, Copper, and Aluminum: Good to use for structure and details. Can also be found and hardware stores.
Steel Wire: Found in the floral department with the green foam.
Fabric: Good for tensile roof structures (panty hose too).
Beads: details and connections.
Paints: Acrylic paints are recommended for use at the College of
Architecture and can be applied and dry as fast as spray paint. If you must spray paint, do it in the
designated area by the shop courtyard entrance or at home in an open area.
Ingenuity is the key in representing your architectural concepts. Be creative and see beyond a material’s initial use to make it your own.
Supply Locations
Hours of Operation
Hobby Lobby: M-Sat 9-8 (closed Sunday)
Home Depot: M-Sat 6-9
Sun 9-7
Michaels: M-Sat
9-9 Sun 10-7
Varsity: MWF 8-6
TTh 8-8 Sat 9-5 (closed Sunday)
Wal-Mart: 24/7
Wings and Things: (4425 50th
Street and Quaker) M-Sat
10-6 (closed Sunday)
[prepared by E. Livingstone]