- Use sharp blades, it should be obvious but it makes a huge difference in the quality of the finished model.
- Work slowly. Force yourself to work at a slower pace especially when gluing parts. Because of the flexible nature of paper, it can be difficult to line up and hold (with precision) more then one-glue seam at a time. You will be tempted to fold up a complete shape like a box and just drop glue into the inside seams. Don't do this. If you have a shape that is small or a bit more complex geometry, glue one seam and let it set. Put it aside and move on to another part. Once you have one good solid seam, the others will come together much easier and tighter. Its just good practice and you will enjoy a less frustration prone experience. You can't work too slowly. You will be surprised how fast a model comes together when you work slowly.
- When folding very thin pieces. Make the fold before you trim the piece to its final size. Pieces of less then a quarter of an inch need the extra support of the surrounding paper to make a crisp fold. So, cut out your part leaving an extra quarter to half inch of paper surrounding your finished part. Score and fold then unfold and cut out the part. The kits I make include some parts that fold that are 1/8th of an inch (6"in O scale) creating a 3"x3" scale part. That's the smallest detail that it makes sense to fold though I've seen smaller. The thickness of card stock is approximately ½ to 1" in O scale so in some instances it is best to laminate a couple of cards back to back in a kind of paper plywood.
- To get crisp folds, Use a steel straight edge as a kind of "press break" to support and apply even pressure along the score line. For tight spaces and small parts a long thin pair of needle nose pliers works great.
- Our kits use different paper thicknesses. After trial and error (my brothers trials and my errors) we have begun printing masonry parts on the lighter 80# card stock (kind of like a postcard) because it gives a tighter fold and 120# card stock (almost wood) for wood siding, interior braces, window frames and some roofs. If you feel that a wall fold crease is too visible you can cut off the tabs and but glue those joints and reinforce them from the back. The heavy 120# card is especially suited for this.
- When using CA glue, less is more
- Really handy glue I've found is the kind that has a roller applicator, where the glue is on a spool of tape inside the dispenser. As you apply it dispenses a very even and thin coating of glue that seems to be like rubber cement. This is great for tacking parts together. They advertise it as permanent but I wouldn't trust it to last too long, however it will hold very cleanly long enough for you to build parts that you can reinforce with stronger glue. Think of it as tack welding before you lay down the pretty welds. Take care, It's very aggressive. You cannot reposition it.
- Touching up the thin white line that appears when you cut or score paper is a crucial step. There are a lot of ways to approach it but this is what I'm currently doing. I use light gray, (cool and warm) pantone markers. Light colors will appear much darker on the card stock then you might think. These alcohol-based inks are very aggressive in how they soak into paper. Almost always going all the way through. What I recommend is that you apply the marker outside the cut line before you trim out the part. Apply the ink about 1/8th of an inch from the line and let it bleed towards the line. This may take a little practice on some scrap card to get the feel for the bleed. When you cut the part, you will find that the ink has saturated the paper and hidden your edge. For score lines I recommend using a partially dried out marker or apply the ink from the back of the printed surface.
- Clapboard siding can be easily dimensionalized by cutting the walls into individual boards and re gluing them to scrap stock with the addition of a thin strip of scrap to lift the bottom edge of each board. This is not as much work as it sounds and is very satisfying when finished.
- I find it best to finish each wall with all of its details first. Then attach the walls to each other and the foundation.
- The foundation or stiffener that I include in each kit is very critical to making a good model. Folded paper gets surprisingly stiff and strong. However interior bracing is a must. The stiffer the better. I recommend that you use my interior stiffener as a template to create a foundation from foam core or some similar material. This will help you stay plumb and add some mass to the model. The supplied stiffeners will do the job but feel free to improvise additional ones from the scrap card stock in the kit. These can be simple triangular gussets or even simpler "L" shapes glued into corners and along interior walls where needed.
- Chisel blades are a great help in cutting out molding and window details. Dulled blades (of which you will have many) can still be used for scoring. Consider having a separate, marked blade to use just for scoring.
- It's not unusual for a paper model to have some warping if it isn't built with care (an example might be walls that don't line up with a roof or base). Generally this is not a disaster. Because paper is flexible and has some ability to stretch it can often be forced into plumb. Take the warped part and using a CA adhesive, glue it to a solid and plumb base or support.
- Moisture, weather in the atmosphere or in glue and paint is bad for your card model. After finishing a model. Seal it with several light, thin coats of artist's matt medium or clear flat spray.
- Should a scored corner or fold "delaminate", fix it by working some matt medium or a small amount of CA into the separation. Gently rub the delaminated area with a burnishing tool until the glue sets. A spoon works well. Work with light pressure and slowly but keep it moving so you don't glue the spoon to the model.
- Don't worry, be happy. Even if a fold goes wrong or you cut a part incorrectly, keep building. Paper is very forgiving. Often the irregularities look completely natural on a finished model. We're happy to send you a replacement part if you really screw up.
- WARNING: Card models are FUN and addicting. Consult your physician, he's probably building them too.
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