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Corrugated Iron Press Tool

Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2014 9:29 pm
by Kos
Does anyone know where I can buy one of these? I'm looking for a metal forming tool to impress corrugations in 5 thou plasticard.

Thanks

Re: Corrugated Iron Press Tool

Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2014 9:44 pm
by dal-t
You can still get 5 thou plasticard? I thought my stock was the last on the planet ...
Have you thought of using a pastry cutter and a hairdryer? I'll explain that if necessary, but it's a fairly simple concept.

Re: Corrugated Iron Press Tool

Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2014 9:56 pm
by Natalie Graham
dal-t wrote:You can still get 5 thou plasticard?


Evergreen do .005" styrene.

Re: Corrugated Iron Press Tool

Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2014 10:30 pm
by David B
This from Brunel Modelsis the only one I know of and is designed to be used with foil, not plastic. Postage makes it prohibitive, but if anyone is going to Aus or knows someone . . . They also sell on eBay, but again, the postage!

Cookson Gold have jeweller's rolling mills with different rollers, but these are priced in the hundreds of pounds.

Re: Corrugated Iron Press Tool

Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2014 11:25 pm
by Kos
Should have explained further - the tool I have in mind is a two part device that acts as a clamp and hot water provides the means of softening the plasticard. I last used one in the 1990's, but not sure of its origin.

Re: Corrugated Iron Press Tool

Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 3:23 am
by Paul Townsend
Kos wrote:Should have explained further - the tool I have in mind is a two part device that acts as a clamp and hot water provides the means of softening the plasticard. I last used one in the 1990's, but not sure of its origin.


Buy your corrugations in metal shim.
A couple of suppliers have offered this is copper and aluminium in the past but I can't remember who.
Surely cheaper than tooling up?

Re: Corrugated Iron Press Tool

Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 5:05 am
by steamraiser
IIRC Ambis offer corrugated metal shim.

Gordon A
Bristol

Re: Corrugated Iron Press Tool

Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 8:15 am
by Paul Willis
steamraiser wrote:IIRC Ambis offer corrugated metal shim.

They still do, when I last saw their stand at a show. That was the East london Finescale Show, in November 2013, IIRC.

It's a bit convoluted but:

Click on http://www.ambisengineering.co.uk

Navigate to the "Scenery" area

A couple of paragraphs down there is a clickable link to download a pdf of the range. http://ambisengineering.co.uk/EIW.pdf

Then you have to download the pricelist http://ambisengineering.co.uk/productList.pdf to find out how much it costs.

But the end result is very worthwhile. I keep meaning to buy up a goodly stock every time that I pass Alan's stand, and never quite manage it.

HTH
Flymo

Re: Corrugated Iron Press Tool

Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 9:37 am
by David B
Like Stuart, I recall reading somewhere of a tool that pressed plasticard to make corrugations. Using hot water rings a bell - does it with anyone else?

Re: Corrugated Iron Press Tool

Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 10:17 am
by James Moorhouse
There was an article in Scalefour News 175 by Ian Carswell on forming asbestos sheets.

Re: Corrugated Iron Press Tool

Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 10:47 am
by dal-t
Natalie Graham wrote:Evergreen do .005" styrene.


Don't suppose you have a serial number for that, do you? I can't see it listed by the French distributor, but they have got one of the worst web sites yet constructed ...

Re: Corrugated Iron Press Tool

Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 11:03 am
by Noel
Plain white 0.005in sheet is 9009, clear sheet is 9005.

Their website gives a full list of their products: http://www.evergreenscalemodels.com/

Noel

Re: Corrugated Iron Press Tool

Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 11:17 am
by David Dornom
Over the years, I have demonstrated making corrugated iron at Scaleforum etc. Originally, I tried to squeeze the foil between two strong sheets of corrugated stainless steel, but found that the foil would not follow the corrugations. NOW, I am back to the traditional method of using thin card! Now, I cut the card into correct length strips, and soak it in water. Then I squeeze the card between the two formers. Once dry, I then shellac (remember that?) the card.This makes for a robust item which can be glued and painted at will. The one snag is the stainless steel sheet!!! It came from an in Line filter on a liquid gas line on a gas ship! I think that the easiest way to simulate something like that would be to solder strips of wire at the correct spacing and then make two sheets to "marry" together. Then mount them on to stout backing for setting into a vice. What fun we do have! Happy modelling.
David Dornom

Re: Corrugated Iron Press Tool

Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 11:23 am
by dal-t
Noel wrote:lain white 0.005in sheet is 9009, clear sheet is 9005.


Many thanks, found the white which seems to be S1379009, €5,90 for three sheets. Can't immediately see the clear (!) but it could be hiding somewhere, maybe under 'modélisme' rather than 'maquettism' (French logic, you can't beat it ...).

Re: Corrugated Iron Press Tool

Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 9:28 pm
by Kos
Hi Paul (Townsend),

This is for a project I have in mind which would need lots of corrugated iron, and thin plasticard is a nice material to work with.

Also, just to mention I have some buildings with rather nice corrugated iron produced by David Dornom (see earlier). But it's so much nicer to have your own tool, I always think.

Stuart

Re: Corrugated Iron Press Tool

Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 7:38 pm
by martin goodall
Slightly off-topic, but following up Natalie Graham's note about 5-thou styrene sheet, I have recently used the Evergreen version of this material to represent thin plating. It seems slightly more robust than the Slater's version, but you still need to be very sparing with the solvent, and in fact I used DL-Limone in preference to any stronger solvent.

As to using 5-thou styrene into which to press corrugations, I rather doubt whether this would work, at least with the Evrgreen version; it appears to me to be too rigid for this, unless you could devise some sort of method for hot-pressing.

A thin metal foil would seem to be a better bet if you are going to roll your own, although you might as well use the excellent product from Ambis Engineering (which I believe is thin aluminim foil) or use the Slater's Plastikard product.

Re: Corrugated Iron Press Tool

Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2014 7:36 am
by Terry Bendall
martin goodall wrote: use the excellent product from Ambis Engineering (which I believe is thin aluminim foil) or use the Slater's Plastikard product.


The Ambis produce is made of copper Martin. It works well but I find is best on smaller structures. You can see one application at http://www.scalefour.org/scaleforum/201 ... _7627.html On the shelter over the warehouse loading dock on Ravenscroft Sidings, see http://www.scalefour.org/shows/S4North2 ... venscroft/
Ravenscroft_4236.jpg I used the Ambis product initially but replaced the vertical front part, which is about 3 feet long, with the Slater's version which I found was easier to use on larger structures.

Terry Bendall

Re: Corrugated Iron Press Tool

Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2014 11:43 am
by Lindsay G
The Ambis corrugated sheets are lovely items, easy to work with, and can be curved lengthwise. For that reason, I used them on the rounded roof of the shelter/lock-ups on Burntisland's passenger pier. However, they are also quite fragile - easily dented - so think twice if it's an exposed area on an exhibition layout.

Lindsay

Re: Corrugated Iron Press Tool

Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2014 9:12 pm
by Andy W
I'm sure the Ambis sheets are fine, but the 4D shop has other options: http://modelshop.co.uk/Shop?searchText=Corrugated.

Re: Corrugated Iron Press Tool

Posted: Tue Jan 14, 2014 10:35 am
by martin goodall
Terry Bendall wrote:
martin goodall wrote: use the excellent product from Ambis Engineering (which I believe is thin aluminim foil) or use the Slater's Plastikard product.


The Ambis produce is made of copper Martin.


I defer to Terry's greater knowledge on such matters. The 'corrugated iron' sheets I have bought from Ambis are silver in colour. Maybe tinned cooper, then?

Whatever the material, this really is a first-class product, and I can't really see the point in trying to make one's own corrugated iron sheet when something as good as this is readily available.

Re: Corrugated Iron Press Tool

Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2014 9:05 am
by Phil O
The Ambis produce is made of copper Martin. [/quote]

I defer to Terry's greater knowledge on such matters. The 'corrugated iron' sheets I have bought from Ambis are silver in colour. Maybe tinned cooper, then?

Whatever the material, this really is a first-class product, and I can't really see the point in trying to make one's own corrugated iron sheet when something as good as this is readily available.[/quote]

Ambis use both aluminium and copper for their corrugated iron sheet, I have some of both.

Cheers

Phil

Re: Corrugated Iron Press Tool

Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2014 7:47 pm
by grovenor-2685

Re: Corrugated Iron Press Tool

Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2014 9:50 pm
by Kos
Thanks everyone for your responses. Ambis is clearly the way to go - I'll be ordering soon.

However, I still hope to find one of the original clamp type tools. I have a sneaky feeling the one I borrowed was made by John Hayes?

Stuart

Re: Corrugated Iron Press Tool

Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2014 10:44 pm
by grovenor-2685
Here's another possibility http://modeltextures.co.uk/about-us
Keith