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Post by wolfv on Aug 26, 2014 5:50:42 GMT -9
Hi. I made a tab-in-slot model from E-flute corrugated fiberboard. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrugated_fiberboardI designed the model on CAD, printed the flat pattern on paper, glued the flat pattern to the fiberboard with contact cement, and cut out the flat pattern with a sharp Exacto knife. The blade cut real nice where there is no glue. But where there is glue, the glue sticks to the blade and half the time it's impossible to get a clean cut. This happens where the top surface is unsupported between the flutes, and the blade pulls the glue down. Dry contact cement is too sticky and flexible. Maybe a glue the dries to a hard and non-sticky consistency would be easier to cut. What glue on corrugated fiberboard is easy to cut with a blade? Thank you.
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Post by wyvern on Aug 26, 2014 8:01:06 GMT -9
Corrugated fiberboard (good idea for the link by the way; we'd call it corrugated card in Britain, and I wouldn't have guessed otherwise!) isn't the easiest thing to cut across the flute "grain" under any circumstances, needing much more care and patience than other types of solid cardstock to achieve a clean, straight cut without crushing the flutes.
Contact cement (sometimes called rubber-solution glue in the UK) is great for a lot of gluing operations, but isn't designed to be touched or cut with a knife afterwards, as you've now discovered! You may find it will cut with heavy scissors, but those will almost certainly crush the corrugations in the process.
If you're trying to glue a "Letter" or "A4"-sized printed paper sheet to any kind of flat card, you'd probably be better off with a low water-content glue stick, or an adhesive spray with similar properties. Higher water-content glues tend to wrinkle the paper surface, and give a poorer end-product overall for papercrafting. Adhesive sprays I'm not particularly familiar with, thus can't give a specific recommendation. For glue sticks, I tend to go for the European "Pritt" brand ones, because they adhere well when properly applied and firmly rubbed-down (= burnished), and don't damage the paper/card surface while drying. In America, I think the preferred brand for many papercraft modellers is UHU, based on what I've read elsewhere, but I'm sure someone can correct me if there are better options.
Unless it's absolutely essential you use corrugated fiberboard for the task you're engaged with, I'd also suggest considering using an alternative type of solid card board instead, primarily because it will give a better glue-bonding surface (plus it will also cut with a knife easier than the corrugated sheets). For best effects, getting a good bond across the whole page, the glued sheet really needs to be burnished very firmly, and that tends to crush the flutes in corrugated sheets. Burnishing less firmly won't give as good a bond, and you may need to re-glue, possibly in patches after you've cut out your pattern, which is not ideal.
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Post by Vermin King on Aug 26, 2014 8:01:45 GMT -9
I use this for theater props and the answer is that none cut easily.
I've had the best luck using Elmers Wood Glue. It is 'cut-able', but still not easy.
Cutting technique is the biggest thing you can do to improve things. Make a shallow cut through the outer layer of one side, then cut through the corrugation. Finally make the final cut through the other outer layer.
If a cut edge is too rough, a little wood glue along the edge can smooth that out. Sometimes I have to do a little sanding on the edge that I've used the glue to repair.
I hope that helps.
If anyone else has suggestions, I'd be glad to here them.
What are you building?
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Post by wolfv on Aug 27, 2014 13:36:17 GMT -9
I am making a prototype keyboard. There will be several prototype iterations before I make a working prototype. This is the first iteration: Not as artistic as the usual fare on cardboard-warriors. I tested white glue (a.k.a. PVA) and Balsa Cement (a.k.a. cellulose nitrate) Testors and SIG-MENT are both Balsa Cement Testor's Cement for Metal & Wood Models: https://shttp://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/cement-for-metal-and-wood-models-357731/oinc.org/sites/default/files/uploaded_files/glueweight.pdf SIG-MENT is in a much bigger tube: www.sigmfg.com/cgi-bin/dpsmart.exe/IndexText/FSIGSM001.html?E+Sigtest: Spread thin layer of glue on E-flute fiberboard, press paper firmly to fiberboard, let dry for 12 hours. A sharp hobby knife made clean cuts between the flutes on both glues (dry contact cement does not cut cleanly): The white glue warped the fiberboard; the Balsa Cement did not warp:
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Post by Vermin King on Aug 27, 2014 15:46:54 GMT -9
Elmer's School Glue has too high a water content for what you are doing. That's why it warped. Even with Elmer's Wood Glue, there will be some warpage. To avoid that, let it set on a flat surface under some books.
Looks like an interesting project.
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Post by wolfv on Aug 28, 2014 5:01:46 GMT -9
Thanks Vermin King.
I retested the white glue, and letting the glue dry overnight under books prevented warping.
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Post by Vermin King on Aug 28, 2014 5:58:33 GMT -9
I would really go with a lower water content glue, though. It will give you a better result
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Post by wolfv on Aug 28, 2014 8:46:42 GMT -9
I will be using the Balsa cement because it drys faster, and it contains no water.
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Post by wyvern on Aug 31, 2014 0:31:44 GMT -9
wolfv: Balsa cement should be fine for the kind of rough prototypes you're working on, though if they take much handling, you may find the cement will pull off the paper surface it's been glued to where there's a limited contact surface area (the keys, for example). I don't recall it being particularly easy to cut once dried, if that's still a concern for you, but it's been decades since I used it for papercraft, mostly because it doesn't give a very clean finish for model work.
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