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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 พ.ย. 2023
- What is the best paper to use when making card models? What printer settings should you use? Should you varnish the model? If so, with what? Do the colours run? Does the ink fade in time? Can I get the model wet? What happens if I smudge glue on the model?
All these questions and more are answered in this video with the help of the Chandwell Cube of Truth.
Whether you make your card building models from scratch or whether you build models from Scalescenes or Scale Model Scenery, then this video is for you.
I've made a model using three different types of paper, two different printer driver settings, and three different varnish treatments. I put it all to the test so you don't have to.
I splashed water and spilled glue. I put the whole thing in a bowl of water for ten minutes. Does the printed paper survive? Is there a best paper to use for models? What is the best way to protect the surface of the finished model? I can show you my approach and hopefully it will help you to find answers to these questions, or show you ways you can test your own equipment and materials.
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Thanks so much for this Michael, I’m going to watch it a couple of times more for everything to sink in properly. I watched the first time synced to the TV with my six year old daughter there as well. As she saw the view over Chandwell at the end she said “daddy is that a model, it looks like we’re really there!” - can’t be bad. Thanks for the time and ideas behind this, really appreciated here 👍🏼
That’s brilliant! Thank you to both of you!
@@Chandwell No probs Michael, telling it how it happened! I’ll link a very short video below but there’s a start:
th-cam.com/video/nhdfP-jucc0/w-d-xo.htmlsi=L9PwB0Fj0ih9cGik
I’m so pleased to have actually used the sticky label method after so long and yes, once you get the hang it’s great. You really have to get the knack of digging into the corner instead of picking at it, but once you’re there - you’re there.
Though I’ve seen N gauge layouts the bits I’ve cut out so far are so small! I’m sure I’ll get used to it in time but coming from starting out in OO it’s a real eye opener. I’ll make another link when my terrace is finished 👍🏼
I am so impressed by the quality of your scratch built models.
I had planned to only scratch build a few models on my layout, but after watching your channel I plan to scratch almost everything!
You have inspired me!
Thank you very much! Go for it!
This is an excellent demonstration Michael, thank you for taking the time to test this for us. I found it very helpful.
Glad it was helpful!
Dear Michael, very interesting comparison! Loved the ‘download’ of the sticky label being useful to make small details. Overall, the conclusions of your query come very close to my humble experience. Next to the 75 grams standard paper, a 110 grams version would have been interesting to interject. Especially where such paper feels almost as dense as photo paper. Same for standard PVA and water resistant PVA.
For the cheap ink argument, the same applies as for cheapo craft paints, their pigment levels are just much lower. UV protection from a can, or tube, in my humble opinion is a true bogus story. Especially in the transparency case. Even under glass these applications will not prevent this kind of color fade. In contrast a quality opaque paint is so much more durable under this part of the invisible light spectrum. Cheerio
Thanks for your input to the ongoing learning journey! The comments on this video have been fascinating and really educational for me.
Thanks! a brilliant piece of work and research. As one who had all the buildings on an exhibition layout shift to purple brick colours in storage, I can back up your message about using original inks. Yes they are expensive, stupidly so. However, if you have spent many hours making a building from several layers of car/paper and the building is fixed to the layout, the work needed to replace such a piece could mean the end of many months of work. I have used a LASER printer for some, the advantage is freedom from colour shift even after sitting under a Veelux window. How ever the penalty is the poorer colour definition in the first place.
Thanks again for your efforts with the "Cube of Truth"!
I'd love to do some comparisons between inkjets and lasers.
Great video, as someone who worked closely with the printer industry I know that alot of effort goes into the ink technology but even within one manufacturers ink there is differences and this probably answers why other viewers are seeing different results.
Thank you... That's interesting that there are variations within even a single manufacturer's inks.
"Chandwell Cube of Truth"........good name for a Doctor Who episode!
Oh yes! The Doctor would use Pro-Jet for sure.
Outstanding video- one of the most informative I've ever watched in over 50 years of RR modeling. Thank you Michael!
Wow, thanks!
more thanks!
proper weight printer paper arrived!
day and night differences!!
it will also make the structures more robust and easier to glue and cut, in a controlled manner,
i found "paper" to tear and become almost wet with glue.
Regards
Mark
Great to hear!
Very useful video and confirms my thoughts. Having used up my aged stock of inkjet paper recently I bought some more and was shocked to see how the quality has diminished in the intervening years. Have to opt for photo paper for modelling and given up trying to print two sided. So much for trying to save the planet.
I think it's always a case of getting what you pay for, and sadly, everything is more expensive.
This video was really interesting to watch. Gave us a lot to think about when it comes to printing downloadable texture sheets. We hope you do not mind but as we think it is so helpful we thought our weekly newsletter subscribers would really appreciate it, so we've added it to this week's edition. By the way, we enjoy watching all your scratch building videos - they're super inspiring and it is great to see how much detail and realism you put into your models.
Thank you very much indeed. Would you be so kind as to send me a copy to hello@chandwell.uk ?? Thanks.
A nice scientific approach to the issue. Interesting results all round. Some of these tips I could've used before applying a gravel effect to the flat roof of a building on my layout. I admit I rushed things a bit. The water from the thinned PVA glue soaked the brickwork and caused ink bleed in a matter of seconds. Oh well, thanks to your video example, now I know where I went wrong. Thanks for sharing.
Glad it was helpful!
Science! Thank you for the demonstration!
It was fun to do.
I had been looking to send you a note asking you what materials you use for your cardstock building. I have been impressed with your work and your presentations so far. Thank you for providing the information in this video as well as the other video on your tools and materials.
You're welcome!
Nice comparison! Glad you incorporated the EPSON printer ink comparison. It really is a game changer being able to pick out the material and procedure to use when creating your structures. I knew this was going to be a good presentation.
Thanks Michael!
Glad it was helpful! It took a heck of a lot more effort to make this video than I was expecting!
Hi Michael, thanks for this video (and the rest TBH) this was really really useful, thanks to you i have discovered Scalescenes (and rocket card glue!!)
keep up the good work.
Regards
Mark
Glad it was helpful!
I'm assuming you will eventually have street lighting. The architecture is already amazing. I can only imagine it will be stunning!
Yeah one day but that would involve having to spend actual money on the layout! 😂
@@Chandwell Heaven forbid 🤬🤬🤬lol
Michael,
Very informative. Lance Mindheim is a master modeler over here in the US. He builds his models using your techniques, but takes photos of actual buildings, uses Photoshop to scale them and then uses 3M spray adhesive over a plastic shell. His work is amazing!
Thanks for sharing this video!
I'll have to take a look!
Michael. Absolutely fascinating. Very informative. Thank you. Pete.
Glad you enjoyed it
Thanks Michael. I’ll have to try using some Matt varnish. Cheers Peter.
Good luck Peter!
I always find it's the varnish that makes the ink run when being applied. Best results i've had were spraying with a matt varnish before cutting out. Then if it does discolour i print another and try again.
Thankfully it doesn’t make my prints run. I avoid spray as I’m never convinced it works, but I know others get great results with it. Does it protect from spills and smudges? I’d like to do a crowd-sourced test of as many different combinations as possible.
@@Chandwell perhaps you can make your file available somewhere online so when we test it, we are testing the same thing; just using different printers and materials.
@@survivingworldsteamyeah I was thinking along those lines. Would you be up for it?
@@survivingworldsteamyeah I was thinking along those lines. Would you be up for it?
@@Chandwell sure. I have an HP printer, so that is different data point. I live in the states, so we have different brands of papers we find in hobby, craft, and big box stores, more data points. I have card on hand already, and some photo paper.
What is the base material you make your cube out of? I am curious if I can find it stateside; I would like to model buildings with parapets, but need to have 1/8" material to glue both sides on. That material may work for me.
I have some matt spray sealer and intended to spray it on all my buildings. But, I don't have a paint booth, so I have to spray outdoors, and it can turn milky when it is humid and cold. I did not consider the brush on products; will the varnish yellow or crack with age? Also need to see what products are available stateside.
Besides building buildings and other things out of card for my own layouts, I also build simple inexpensive buildings for my Etsy shop. I am always on the look out for techniques and products that can improve the finished product for minimum cost and time. There are videos on my TH-cam channel, and a link there to my Etsy shop as well as Facebook and Instagram if you want collaborate further.
Really useful info Michael. I’m looking to print out some brick paper for my station building as 3D printing bricks doesn’t work well despite what people try and say!
Yeah, I think that printed textures are good, especially at N scale.
Just watched this for the second time, a really great video.
I must applaud you for the amount of careful thought you took in building this video. The cinematography was excellent and the explanations clear, concise and easy to follow.
Well done Michael .
Thank you very much!
Thanks for the wonderful info, Fantastic work, Thank for sharing
Thanks for watching!
Fascinating to see the results of this kind of testing. It’s certainly answered most questions I have about card modelling with printed textures. It seems with good choice of materials, they are quite hardy. I get the impression that companies like Epson and Canon put quite a bit of research into their inks - especially those targeting photo printing - to give them good colour stability over time, even with UV.
Back when I started in IT when diagrams were sometimes literally 'cut and pasted' onto pages of documents, you used to see quite a lot of cases where glue came through the paper after (a long) time and discoloured the diagrams. I guess these days better glues remove this long term problem.
Glue pass-through is not something I've experienced yet, thankfully.
Thanks Michael for this extremely interesting video. One test might help with decisions. Many of us model in garages and sheds, so I would love to see a really good humidity test. My modelling space can and has varied from -9c to +134f (I have a clear plastic corrugated roof and both temperatures were recorded so my layout has to put up with dripping ice and snow to scorching heat. This is the main reason I model in plasticard, mainly because they do not warp, whereas Metcalfe type card buildings have warped and disintegrated.
Cheers, Bob
I stored a few Scalescenes buildings in a modern loft in the UK for a few weeks in the winter. They emerged warped, paper bubbling from card carcass in places and the inkjet printed windows had gone opace. They were rescuable but stopped my plans to use the loft as short term storage.
Oh no - that's a disaster when it's your hard work that's involved.
Hi Bob - yes, it would be good to see that in a test. I wonder how we could do it... Any ideas?
Not my forte I'm afraid Michael. Perhaps we have someone amongst us who can advise?
@@trainmanbob @chandwell my experience was based on photo paper glued to a 1mm or 2mm base layer with either Pritt Stick or an aerosol based mount type adhesive. Windows were an Amazon or eBay sourced acetate which were compatible with an inkjet printer. I think you could do a test piece similar to the paper/ printer cartridge/ varnish video but using different cards, papers, glues to bond the two together with different types of window construction (I bought 25 sheets of the inkjet acetate and am very happy to send you a few sheets FOC for the experiment). The test piece could be left in a dry but uninsulated space (to replicate a typical UK loft or shed)for a few weeks to see how the different types of construction bear up. Ideal time of year to try this. I am sure that your sticky paper window technique will bear far better than my inkjet acetate (and you can print whatever colour you like onto paper which you can't on acetate).
Thanks for conducting these tests. Michael. I found this video really interesting. It must have taken ages to put together. Roy.
Glad you enjoyed it! Yes - it took hours longer than I expected it to.
Very useful advice Michael. Well worth doing the video for those of us using card & paper for our buildings. Thank you for taking your (considerable) time for doing this video.
Glad it was helpful!
This was really helpful and interesting to watch. I really love all of your work.
I'm going to be starting on a large n gauge layout later this year, and I've had the question of weather to go the paper based or plastic models/ buildings. Seeing your work and experiments is giving me a lot more faith that the paper based models doe right will last.
Good luck!
Great work Michael. A fascinating study. I only use photo quality inkjet paper for anything that will be seen, and the highest quality printer settings. I've fallen foul of third party "compatible" inks and will be using original printer manufacturers one from now on. I've tried labels, even ones that claim to be photo quality, but can't get good enough quality prints so I only use them for marking out structure for cutting. After much discussion about UV protection the consensus seems to be that nothing helps. Just keep the models out of the sun. On your advice I've bought some AK Interactive varnish, mainly to protect the surfaces and hide all my sticky finger marks. Thanks for sharing your findings. As the saying goes, in this hobby "every day is a school day".
Thanks Martin. You're so right. We all have so much to learn every day.
Eh, been using clear matte rattle-can varnish since my first gigs doing miniature model making and art dept work in the film industry 30 years ago, and hasn't failed me since; from architecture school through to today.
Good stuff! I think many people do the same as you. I have a phobia of sprays and much prefer brushes. But each to his own!
An excellent demonstration Michael.
I was a Canon and Epson printer technician for many years and the results you showed regarding papers, print settings and inks are in line with my experiences over the years.
The non genuine inks can be very hit and miss although some are quite good.
Just to throw a spanner in the works, I use a colour laser printer with standard copy paper and spray with matte varnish to get rid of the laser shine. Cheers!
Thank you! I am keen to do a crowd-sourced version of this video too! Your laser approach would be good in that.
Thank you for spending the time, and taking the trouble to do this, so that we don't have to 👍
My pleasure!
Superb video, very well produced and very useful. I've never had much satisfaction in making card kit models, preferring instead to use plastic sheet. But this video has changed my opinion and I may well be 'converted' !
Awesome, thank you!
another great video
Thank you.
That was fascinating
Thank you
Glad you thought so!
Aye! Nice one.
Thanks.
Glad you like it!
Terrific video - really interesting.Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great content as usual, and really good video work.
Glad you enjoyed it. It was more of a labour of love than I was expecting!
thorough
Tried to be!
Thanks!
Wow. Thank you very much. That is really kind.
Thank you, Michael. This was a very interesting and informative test.
Glad you liked it!
Really useful video Michael👍
Thank you Andrew!
Thank you for doing this.
My pleasure! I hope it was of interest.
Very interesting. Thanks for putting this test together.
But I can't help but think that probably cost about half of Station Rd!
You are right! 😂😂😂
As always, a very profund video, which shares your advanced knowledge with us, Michael! Thanks a lot.
All the best
Valentin
Thank you Valentin!
Interesting result. When installing the window seals on sticky labels. maybe you should stick the horizontal part first as the two cuts out are an easy aid to align, the cuts out provide a positive stop. Maybe you should always use labels for the window seals.
Photo paper is almost twice as thick as your basic paper, no wonder it works better. Plus photo paper has a finishing of the surface that makes it more suitable to work with wet ink like ink jet.
Third party ink, there must be some many types, in so many price ranges... What would be great is to know the original manufacturer for the genuine ink and buy 3rd party/non brand from him: the genuine ink without the brand overhead price tag (my parents used to buy Cartier like leather good from the factory manufacturing genuine Cartier in Morocco: same leather quality, same fine workmanship, no garish logo and 10th of the price.)
Some very wise words. Great idea about the window sills. I think I will use label from now on.
Great research. By any chance did you put the info in a spreadsheet and would you be willing to share it?
No I didn’t make any spreadsheet of results: just what’s in the video.
Thanks for this. I'll never use cheap printer ink again for my interior detail textures, nor other paper than high quality papers (I'll try to find the one you use online). For varnish I already switched to the ultramat one from MiG so it's OK.
What is the MiG varnish like?
I use it on my own lasercut kits made of plywood , bristol card and woodpaste card and it works very well. I used the lucky varnish mat though, so I still have to try the extra mat one. All my models are painted with MiG and Vallejo acrylics and weathered also with oil brushers and pigments.
nice vid on channel thanks lee
Glad you enjoyed it
Hi Michael, excellent video as always. A few questions I always had was, where did you find your glue applicator? And do you thin our PVA? I've always found it far too thick to even imagine using something as thin as you use
I previously asked this question & was told Metcalfe Models by another viewer. There are also a number of listings on eBay.
@@chrissouthgate4554 wonderful, thank you Chris 😊
Be very wary of the Metcalfe one. They don’t treat the pins that go in the nozzle. I had one and the pin rusted and turned the glue orange. The nozzles I use are available from Smart Models -Google “Smart Models Finetip”. The bottles and nozzles were sold by a woman called Ann Peak but she went out of business. I don’t thin the PVA. The main one I use is really thick and goes through the nozzle fine. Watch the video I link to at the end of this one as it goes through exactly which glues I use.
Torture testing taken to the extreme, Michael, and most useful.
Thank you!
A comprehensive test and interesting how easily the unvarnished sections ran as soon as anything went near them! I'm not expecting you to run tests, but do you ever varnish the paper before applying it to the model carcass? Cheers
I did once. But the brushed-on varnish made the paper warp slightly even though I tried to keep it flat and stretched. In the end all the straight lines started to become slight curves. It wasn’t ideal.
Fair point. Thanks @@Chandwell
I'm gonna be impulse-buying a Brother colour laser printer in a couple of paycheck's time… hopefully has similar quality to inkjet without the pain of printer ink
Is it possible to plan an impulse purchase in advance?
The big question now is how does an N-scale cube of truth make its way to Chandwell?
Maybe it’s a modern art installation in the Market Precinct…?
@@Chandwell that would fit with the half-arsed attempts at gentrification the North endured in the early 90s.
Can I ask, do you varnish the paper sheets or do you varnish the completed building?
I varnish the completed building. Doing the sheets first (at least with brush varnish like I use) can cause them to warp or wrinkle.
@@Chandwell Thanks, Michael
What is the thing you used to apply the PVA so neatly
It’s a fine tip applicator. They don’t make the actual one I use any longer but you can get a similar one from Metcalfe. Its tip isn’t as good but you can buy a replacement from
Smart Models. More details on my tools and materials is here. Scratch building with card - tools and materials
th-cam.com/video/-QvdNFST7WU/w-d-xo.html
@@Chandwell thank you
I need to do this. My ink gets washed out under AK. Even worse under Testors Dullcote. All my bricks turn pink
I’d love to find out why. What kind of ink is it? Canon? Epson? Something else? What kind of paper? It would be great to do a crowd-sourced experiment. I could design a sheet and everyone could download it and try their own combinations and then send me the photo of the results. Then we could put it together into the ultimate printing video. Hmm… that sounds interesting. What do you think?