V-Groove Siding (1,0 x 1,0 x 0,28)

A spacing of a flat millimeter

The pattern consists of parallel grooves exactly a millimeter apart, cut to a depth of twenty-eight hundredths. The carrier sheet is likewise a millimeter thick, so there is plenty of material left under the grooves and the sheet can be drilled, sanded and heat-formed without worry. A round figure for the spacing has a practical advantage: the width of a part only has to be measured off with a ruler and it always comes out at a whole number of boards, with no half line at the edge.

Forming with heat

Polystyrene softens long before it starts to burn, and that property can be used for curved surfaces. A cut strip is warmed over a heat source, never in a flame, and pressed onto a round form, for instance a tube or a handle. It is warmed evenly and at a distance, because spot heat spreads the grooves and the grid stops being regular. After a few seconds the plastic gives under its own weight. It holds the shape only once fully cooled, so the part is left on the form until it has cooled down. A bend made across the grooves comes out smoother than a bend along them, where the material tends to crease in the groove.

What the pattern suits

A millimeter spacing corresponds in 1:48 scale to a board just under five centimeters wide, and in 1:35 scale it works out at a mere three and a half. It fits smaller scales best, where it is a matter of boarded cargo beds, truck platforms, body boarding and the walls of farm buildings. In micro scales it handles whole facades with board cladding and harbor piers. Anyone working in a large scale will use the sheet more as a fine scribing for door panels or as a base under ventilation grilles, where a small regular texture comes in useful.