What I need to get going

[Cloud_Ratha]

Hello everyone!

So I'm realitively new to papercrafts.
Iv been doing Oragami for years and recently came across the Metal Gear Rex papercraft and had such a blast assembling it!

Now I want to get really into it.

I've downloaded the Bumbleebee template from http://paperinside.com/bumblebee/

Now I just want to know what tools I will need.

I've purchased an A3 Self Healing Cutting mat.
Iv got some precision cutting stanley knifes.

What adehsives are the best to get?

Also bare in mind that I am from South Africa so we don't have the huge shopping malls with everything in it

But will be able to go to specialised shops which should have what I need.

I see a few places say that I need to laminate parts, how is this achieved?

Thanks for helping the noob out

Great site and forum :thumb:

 

[cgutzmer]

hello and welcome to the forums!

Jumping right into bumblebee for your second model? You got guts my friend! Cant wait to see it come to life for ya

Now to answer your questions...

I am not familiar with the stanley knives - is that like an xacto? If so then cool if not then you will want to get an xacto TYPE knife. I personally use surgical scalpels as they are sharpened on both sides of the blade and they are MUCH harder and sharper than xacto or any other blade I have tried. But for getting going anything works - some people only use scissors.


You will need a pair of really sharp scissors - smaller ones work better, I like the little sewing ones that have a blade a couple inches long.

You will need glue of course - I like aileens tacky glue in the gold bottle but most any white glue will work - stay away from the elmers school glue - too high of moisture content.

A good steel straight edge for cuttting ling straight lines will do wonders for your build too - get one WITHOUT a cork backing as you will want the straightedge right against the paper to get your line straight.

Also some markers or something to color your white edges BEFORE assembly. if you can get a big multipack of sharpies or something is what I use. if you cant find colors use black - even the best built model will benefit from hiding those glaring white edges. I cant say how many models I passed up for my book just because the edges werent colored.

lamination - this is best done with something like 3m adhesive spray or something similar. You can use ceral boxes for the lamination material. Basically you spray the cardboard with the spray then stick the parts that have to be thickend to it. Try to stick to scissors or a HEAVY cutting blade when cutting out your formers because a typical xacto will bend a smidge making your edges not quite square. make multiple passes with the blade to cut through laminated parts rather than one really hard cut. Your results WILL be better.
Anyways, I hope that helps!
Chris

 

[Elliott]

Band-Aids. Don't forget the Band-Aids. Every model must include a few drops of blood.

 

[cgutzmer]

more drops if you get a knife that rolls

 

[Cloud_Ratha]

Thanks cgutzmer for the tips!!

Well guys, I got myself the electronic components for it the project, and iv printed the first sheet.

Those stanley knives are useless, so got myself a set of scalpels.

So hopefully I've got what I need to start this bad boy up.

Oh and i def see where the blood comes from, scalpels are too sharp

 

[lehcyfer]

Good knifes are OLFA - AK-3, AK-4 (more 'pointy'), also OLFA cutting circle if you plan to make a lot of wheels or other round objects.

Also buy a metal ruler to guide the knife while cutting.

It's good to seal printed sheets with some lacquer - like nitro dope (primer for painting wooden floors) - it's smelly but works great for inkjet printouts. Simply paint the whole sheets with it - when dry, the paper is tougher, and the paint is resistant to scrubbing off when fitting. Also if you happen to get some dirt on the model it is possible to clean it without a trace.

As for glues there is a whole arsenal - try some wood or binding glues for gluing parts together, cyanoacrylic glue for small parts or wire attachments (also to stiffen some parts), and non-water glues for laminating formers - there's a glue in spray that's just fantastic for this.

 

[Sgt.Backer]

haha yea my knife rolled off my table and sunk into my leg, out of surprise i jolted my hand snapping the blade off in my leg, yea 13 stitches!

 

[cgutzmer]

OUCH!

Usually it consists of knife (or really delicate complex part) rolling off the table between your legs and typical reaction? Close your legs to catch the part - result= stab/crush!

 

[aflec]

haha yea my knife rolled off my table and sunk into my leg, out of surprise i jolted my hand snapping the blade off in my leg, yea 13 stitches!

....and I'm officially not hungry anymore.