How to make a good round tube?

[kbkline]

I am completely new (3 weeks) to the whole paper modeling deal. I've resisted for 20 years (been doing plastic models for 35+ years). My first attempt was the Space-X Falcon-9 Dragon. The capsule wet together great. The issue I had was with the rocket itself. The drawing had no tabs to glue under and the pattern for the outside did not look like it could piece together if I put any part of it overlapping. (The wife then suggested I make my own tab, Why didn't I think of that lol)

Having said all of that the issue now is what kind of things do you guys do/use to make the card stock curl? I use 110lb paper. It doesn't exactly want to curl to easily.

 

[zathros]

110 lb. stock is good for much of it, use 67 lb. pound for other stuff Thinner for even smaller parts that need be bent.. Nice thing about 110 lb. stock is you can laminate it and form substructures. Love to see some of your work. To make a round tube, decide if it need be hollow or not. If it must be hollow, get a smaller diameter and wrap around it slowly going around ,making sure you have applied glued to the inside so it speads thinly and gives strength to the tube as you build it up to the right diameter.. Love to see some of your work.

 

[mbauer]

Hi kbkline,

Here is something that might help.

I design/make several different rocket and airplane models.

The attached PDF shows some of the tools & techniques used to make different parts.

Hope you find it helpfull!

Mike

 

[Markus Schweizer]

Hello,

to curl paper I use a piece of foamed material like a camping mat or packaging material. Then I use a round wooden stick or a knitting needle. I have a collection with various diameters. With this You also can make rounded corners if You do not want to get the whole paper rounded.
Lay the paper on the mat and roll forth and back the wood or the needle. The paper will curl towards the needle. You can try it with a little piece of paper first before You take the real modelling parts. When I am at home I can make some pictures to show it or to make it clearer.

Kind regards

Markus Schweizer

 

[Markus Schweizer]

Hello,

here are some pictures with an example for using foamed material and a needle to curl paper. Another modeler explained it to me at an exhibition.

Kind regards

Markus Schweizer

 

[Slambot]

I usually try and find a dowel or piping that is the approximate diameter and then curl the stock around it. Where I always have an issue is at the join and making it appear seamless and as round as the rest of it.

 

[DEADMAN2012]

Just downloaded mbauer,s 2013-Technique-Tools.pdf, very handy. Cheers.

 

[Lighter]

This photo shows how tabs can be done for rings and tubes. Note that the joining edges as well as the tab are colored.

 

[maltedfalcon]

i set the piece on my leg (thigh, assuming I am in a sitting position) just above the knee.
then I just roll a wooden dowel on the piece it curls up around the dowel
the more you roll back and forth the more it curls.

 

[SonOfAGun2501]

If this is for large tubes I have found this to be quite effective. If you have a wooden dowel of about the same diameter or smaller, Take a piece of scrap paper and roll that around the dowel about one time you should still have a lot of unrolled paper at this point. Then place the piece you are trying to roll/curl on the scrap paper and roll the dowel and scrap together with the piece inside. This way really holds a good curve/tube shape.

 

[spaceagent-9]

I cut and leave a margine, tape it to a long steel thick dowel, and then slowly and gently roll it around and and around over and over until I get a smaller tube than needed, re-cut and then butt-joint the entire seam, going a little bit at a time until its all seamed. you will have flaws, but soon you can get around that, try all the techniques until you get the kind you like best.

 

[reddwarf]

Wow I use 200 GSM what ever that is in pounds