"Plastic Parts Bins As Corrugated SF Buildings???" Topic

Has anyone tried using upside-down plastic parts bins as SF buildings?

Here is one source, though local home improvement and warehouse sources may prove just as useful:

picture

CC

I've tried in the past, but I think I threw that project away. The key is to reinforce the cookie bins, and that's what I didn't do.

"cookie bins"?

CC

I would guess Jakar means the trays that come in cookies. I've set aside a couple of these things, but I haven't tried making anything with them yet.

Ah. Those are usually a bit thin. Wouldn't coating the inside of those with several layers of PVA help?

CC

Or maybe epoxy glue. The ones I have are for cordial cherries, and I want to make a power-plant sort of thingy. I think if I added some tubing and grid cut from cross stitch stuff, it might work without too much extra. One of the "thousands" of projects yet to do. Sigh.

You could fill them with plaster or expanding foam as a reinforcing material. Plaster would probably require basing. I also set aside some cordial cherry trays for use as a power plant of some sort (the regular pattern of circular protrusions screams power turbines to me). I was considering trying them as a mold for plaster \, but I'd probaby destroy the tray when I tried to remove the plaster. Terragenesis had a good article on using trays as buildings and another for a plastic box as a bunker mold. Can't seem to locate the tray building article.

Bunker article: link

I doubt the ones you posted would be much different than the what I did

TMP link

picture

CC, I think that they would work fine. As with any modeling project, you need to use some common sense about construction techniques. It's not really all that difficult to determine if an item will be durable enough or not. You could reinforce the bins as stated above or attach the "buildings" to a base to protect against unwanted movement and/or stress. I think that you would be disappointed with how heavy a plaster filled model would be.

Looking at your linked photo, I would recommend lightly sanding the exterior of the model if you intend to paint it. Actually, I might even steal your idea CC!

The Highest Form of Compliment,
Herb

Herb: "Actually, I might even steal your idea CC!"

By all means, go for it. Really, since I'm sharing the concept, it wouldn't be stealing. :)

If you get it done before I do, could you post photos?

Thanks.

CC

Expanding foam, or Gator Glue, which is liquid expanding foam :)

Didn't someone make a bunker/building out of plastic electrical junction boxes from Home Depot? Or are my imaginary friends acting up again?

Dentatus, it might not be me, but I have indeed mentioned that I have a bag of plastic junction boxes waiting for the time to use them for structures. Something very close to what CC has offered at the top here is also waiting for me to 'attack' it. It's a bag of many different shapes of paint liner trays from Ace, Home Depot and a few other locales. They are very interesting vacu-formed shapes that just need a little TLC and paint.

As part of coming out of my professional "casting coma" entered into in the early '90's (I had Detailed Casting Products back then), I have called up my supplier-of-old and have several plastic and casting materials inbound. I'm going to start very small and see where this goes. I'll be using resin to back up the thin plastic walls of some of the paint liners, as I've done with a King Kong toy vac-pack.

For reinforcing the thinner parts, a layer of Elmer's
"Carpenter's Wood Filler" (used to be "Professional Wood Putty")..

It's comes in a tub as sort of a thick putty.. but can be thinned with water to a molasses consistency.. then add
bits of cardboard for stiffener..

Very useful stuff.. dries to a rock-hard paintable surface.. Normally a blah-beige color, can be mixed with any acrylics or inks to get whatever base color you want.

Hint: Since it will stick nicely, it's what contractors use as a glue for Dow blueboard (expanded styrofoam)..? Got any use for a styrofoam glue that doesn't eat styrofoam..?

Available at Lowes, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, etc..

Thanks for the tip, terrain sherlock. I've just always just used spray styro adhesive but I'll give the wood filler a try for some applications.

Check out what JRacel did with electrical junction boxes!

TMP link

Dan