"Old age is a terrible thing" Topic

I dragged my son out two days ago to get some Grey card to make yet more buildings, like I have for over the past 25 years or more.

I made my buildings of self coloured card as even on a home printer printing colour on papar and card was very expensive in the UK. That meant you could just add dashes of colour without adding too much to the cost.

Today and only today, I realise the economics have changed drasticly. White card is cheaper and easier to get than self coloured card. It's cheaper to print the colour on basic white card than pay the price for self coloured card. Trouble is as we get old we don't always question the logic of yester year.

Fortunately I can avoid the worst of being a sad old git as I have at least embraced 3D printing, so despite some lapses I an still in the game.

I'm not sure if I really know what "grey card" is, but have you looked into the the backing (?) used in picture framing? You should be able to find it in craft shops – at least the ones offering picture framing services – in fairly large sheets. It's been a long time, but I seem to remember different weights, colors and textures. Not sure if they would suit your purposes or wallet, but may be something to look into next time you're out and about.

"Old age is a terrible thing" -- but, it beats the alternative.

I'm with dBerzerk! (and Mark Twain)

dBerzerk I have come far to close for comfort with the alternative recently. You are right it beats the alternative.

Old age is not for the weak!

I've been building PDF buildings for fantasy gaming, the past year. I started out printing the PDF pages on full-sheet label paper: cut, peel the backing, then apply and burnish to chipboard (for backing pictures/posters/paintings/etc., within a frame -- I pick it up at the local frame shop, in something like 2.5 feet by 3.5 feet sizes).

Unfortunately, the glue on the full-sheet label paper dries out, leading to the printed paper separating from the chipboard. I've switched to using an archival quality glue stick. You can also use archival quality, pH-neutral, PVA Glue (not School Glue, or Elmer's Glue: weak version of PVA Glue, acidic pH, which will damage paper over time, making it brittle, and very fragile to the touch).

Here are some photos of my recent constructs: octagon tower wall sections, warped, but with wooden dowels Hot Glue'd to their interior side to keep them straight; finished octagonal tower; interior of the octagon tower showing wooden dowels employed to keep the walls flat; a group of small houses, which were printed in B&W, then colored with pencils; another group of diverse buildings, including a tower, a barn, and some small houses.

I tried various glues for assembly. I found that for square corners on walls, a square wooden dowel is most effective for creating, and reinforcing the joints. I also learned that Low Temperature Hot Glue is the best method of gluing: it hardens within 1-2 minutes; it adheres to most surfaces, quite well, including HDPE/LDPE plastics, forming a strong bond; it is paintable; it makes a fantastic gap filler; it is easy to work with, and it is relatively inexpensive.

High Temperature Hot Glue has a much longer hardening time, but it is useful in certain situations. I recommend using variable temperature Hot Glue, as well as a High/Low Temperature Glue Gun, which gives you the option to use whichever suits your needs better.

There are colored Hot Glue Sticks available, if desired. Most are for the smaller, High Temperature Glue Guns. But, since clear Hot Glue will take paint well, I usually do not resort to colored Hot Glue Sticks.

The other advantage to using Hot Glue for assembling chipboard buildings, is that it adds weight to the models, such that it will take a pretty strong wind to make them lift off of the gaming table. When constructed with chipboard, and Hot Glue, the models will prove to be quite strong, while being considerably lighter weight than 3D printed models -- and MINIMAL PAINTING IS REQUIRED, typically! ;-) I paint the edges of the cut chipboard black, using an acrylic paint pen, as they work much faster, with far superior coverage, than marker pens. They are available in a wide variety of colors, so you can use them on virtually any terrain piece. Cheers!

There are three stages of aging. Youth, middle age, and "You're looking good!"

I also have two indicators that you're getting old.
1. Your favorite ball players are retiring, and they're younger than you.
2. When you gather with your friends, the discussion is about your symptoms and meds.