BUILDING BOARD
Other than glue and a sharp knife, the most important tool a modeler can have is a good, true building board. The one described here can be built for little cost and, within reason, to any size. Fome-Cor in 1/4-in. thickness (for surfacing) is available at many picture-framing and art-supply shops.
Author
L.F. Randolph
Overview
A smooth, flat building board is needed if your models are to start off with only the warps or twists that you intended to put in. Add a surface of Fome-Cor, and you can push in hold-down pins with ease.
Materials
- Plywood base (size as desired; a 3 ft by 2 ft board is recommended)
- 1/4-in. Fome-Cor (for surfacing)
- Epoxy (recommended for stability)
- Rubber cement or spray adhesive (optional)
- Razor knife
- Sanding block
- Books or other flat weights
- Pins for holding parts
Construction
- Cut a piece of Fome-Cor slightly larger than the plywood base.
- Mix and spread epoxy on one side of the Fome-Cor. (Rubber cement or spray adhesive can be used, but epoxy is recommended for its stability.)
- Position the glue-coated side of the Fome-Cor over the plywood base.
- Place the assembly, Fome-Cor side down, on a flat surface and weight it with books until the glue cures.
- After the glue has cured, trim the Fome-Cor to size with a razor knife and smooth the edges with a sanding block.
Use and Maintenance
Pins are easy to push into the Fome-Cor surface and they hold well. When the surface becomes full of pin holes and cuts, glue a new piece of Fome-Cor right over the old one to create a fresh working surface.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
