Profil 1,0 x 4,0 mm

A cross-section that will already carry something

One millimeter by four millimeters is the size at which plastic stops behaving like decoration and starts working as a structural element. It suits the frames of shelters, the frames of gates, floor planks, railings, fence posts and the hidden beams under the board of a diorama, where the material has to hold the weight of the model and the base. Compared with wooden strips it has the advantage that the dimension is exact and you do not have to hunt through the box for a straight piece.

Wood out of styrene

The wide four-millimeter face is an open invitation to imitate timber. Longitudinal grooves are made by a saw blade drawn across the surface or by a wire brush, irregular dents come from a blunt needle, and cracks are suggested with the point of a knife led along the grain. After a brown base coat and an oil wash a texture appears that is hard to tell from a real beam in a photograph. The ends only need to be lightly frayed with abrasive paper. Choose a shade more toward gray than toward rust, because weathered timber on a model rarely looks like new furniture.

Cutting and building frames

This cross-section cannot be cut straight with a single stroke of a knife; either lead the cut gradually from both sides, or reach for a fine saw and then true the edge up with a file. A square, flat end face matters more on structures than on decorative strips, because an error adds up at every corner of a frame. Glue longer assemblies in stages, let each joint set and keep checking the right angle; once a frame has twisted, it cannot be straightened again. Do not throw away the longer offcuts, as there is always a use for braces and wedges.