Recommendation for Plasticard source?

[Argonor]

As it says on the tin:

I need to know where it is best (and maybe cheapest) to buy plastcard.

I also need to know which grade/thickness I shoudl buy for basing small(ish) terran pieces (like, for instance, hedges and fences; I want sturdy bases that do not warp, but at the same time thin enough to blend in with the tabletop in a not-too-obtrusive way.

Currently I plan to base some Renedra wattle fences for Dark Ages and Medieval purposes, and hope to be able to use fairly narrow strips of plasticard them.

Thoughts, advice, and recommendations are welcome! 

[Connectamabob]

Plastic "For Sale" signs are a common source of cheap sheet styrene. You can find them at most hardware stores, and occasionally if you're lucky at a 99 cent store.

Main trade-offs is you can't be picky about thicknesses (though they do usually come in 2-3 different thicknesses so there is some choice), and they have sign stuff printed on one side, of course, which may need sanding off for some purposes.

[Infovore]

I normally buy mine from Slaters, who are a manufacturer here in the UK: https://slatersplastikard.com/plastikard.php
I don't use it for basing so I can't help there. Also, since you're outside of the UK that link might not have been that helpful either.... 

[rumacara]

You kids in US and UK are spoiled by a lot of goodies that you can find easily but we at old Europe dont so a big help is needed.

Cheap plasticard and evergreen are welcome with the aditional link.
Also diferent roofs too for the suspected scales for wargames.

[Argonor]

Yeah, I should have been more precise; I live in Denmark, and the stuff is absolutely not common here. 

And, as I have never had plasticard in my hands, I still need to know what thickness I need for it to be sufficiently sturdy for basing purposes? I don't think I am going to let more than 5-10 mm protrude from under the terrain pieces I want to base.

[snitcythedog]

Yeah, I should have been more precise; I live in Denmark, and the stuff is absolutely not common here. 

More common than you might thin.  Cheapest that you can get is free so here is my suggestion.  Search your internets for sign manufactures.  They do Point Of Sale (POS) displays for different products.  Most also do lighted signs for shops.  The majority of these are made of thin sheet styreen.  The nice thing is many manufactures are willing to either give away their off cuts or to sell them very cheap.  You might not be able to get all of the sheets in the same thickness but hey it is free.  Last time I asked I was able to walk out with the equivalent of a couple of hundred US dollars worth of plastic for free.  Most shops are happy that they do not have to dispose of the stuff.  Similarly if you talk to some of the folks that work at major retailers they are usually willing to give away their out of date POS display boards.  These can be either foam core or sheet styreen.  Usually printed on one side but still usable.  Hope that gives you some more options that do not involves prohibitive shipping costs.
Here is one I found that may be local to you:
http://www.signs-marks.com/
I googled Sign Manufacturs Funen, Denmark. 
Hope that helps.
Snitchy sends.
Snitchy sends. 

[Argonor]

I don't think they do signs at all, but thanks for the sugggestion, anyway.

[Connectamabob]

Well, if you absolutely can't find styrene card in any form, one alternative for what you're doing would be paper solidified with liquid CA glue.

Don't laugh: the CA soaks into the paper and basically turns it into a laminate (like fiberglass) with plastic-like properties. Not as good as sheet styrene for box-type construction, but if you're looking to do layered relief-type construction or detailing, it's just as good.

[fred]

There are sellers on both Amazon and eBay - but I've only paid attention to UK based ones.

1mm is fairly thin - good for detailing, but quite flexible for larger basing.

1.5mm or 2mm is probably best for basing. Much thicker than this is quite chunky.

[Argonor]

Well, if you absolutely can't find styrene card in any form, one alternative for what you're doing would be paper solidified with liquid CA glue.

Don't laugh: the CA soaks into the paper and basically turns it into a laminate (like fiberglass) with plastic-like properties. Not as good as sheet styrene for box-type construction, but if you're looking to do layered relief-type construction or detailing, it's just as good.

Thanks, I could also laminate thick paper, but I think I'll order from a webstore. Hobby/DIY stores here do not carry the stuff.

There are sellers on both Amazon and eBay - but I've only paid attention to UK based ones.

1mm is fairly thin - good for detailing, but quite flexible for larger basing.

1.5mm or 2mm is probably best for basing. Much thicker than this is quite chunky.

Thanks, I think I shall get 1.5 mm, then - the plastic Renedra wattle fences probably provide sufficient rigidity for that thickness keep its shape.

[Billchuck]

The cheapest styrene sheet I found was at a place that sold vacuum formed covers for basement windows. They sold me a 4'x8' sheet for $15 or so.  This was over a decade ago.

[Daeothar]

Over here in the Low Countries, we have the same issue; those for sale signs are not available here at all. Also, POS materials are mostly cardboard, and in some cases acrylic. But no polystyrene anywhere...

What we do have though, in ever increasing numbers, are lasercutting (work)shops, where you can walk in with your design on a USB stick and have it cut out in a range of materials. most of these are even located in city centers too, often in the guise of creative collectives and/or outlets.

They tend to have a lot of cut offs, which they have to dispose of, so if you have such shops over there, it might be worth to check if they have polystyrene they have binned.

I'm lucky that there has always been a store in town that sells model railroad supplies. They have always carried plain white plasticard in several thicknesses, and I've bought several sheets years ago and still have to finish off the first one. They were all A3 sized.

I have sheets in  1/2 mm, 1 mm and 2 mm, and they're all I appear to need.

Granted; I've not used it to do large structures (yet), but for vehicle, building and miniature conversion and construction, it's ace.

That does not help you at all though, as you obviously don't have such a shop around. But I've also ordered A4 sized (black) plasticard online during the time said shop was closed. The only drawbacks are the postage costs and, if you're looking to go really big, the size.

However; for basing of buildings and terrain in general, I tend to use 2 mm or 3mm MDF. It does not warp noticably, and the edges are easily beveled with a craft knife to blend into the table. In general, I would say that MDf is sturdier than plasticard.

So if plasticard is hard to get, maybe go with the MDF instead?

[dampfpanzerwagon]

More common than you might thin.  Cheapest that you can get is free so here is my suggestion.  Search your internets for sign manufactures.  They do Point Of Sale (POS) displays for different products.  Most also do lighted signs for shops.  The majority of these are made of thin sheet styreen.  The nice thing is many manufactures are willing to either give away their off cuts or to sell them very cheap.  You might not be able to get all of the sheets in the same thickness but hey it is free.  Last time I asked I was able to walk out with the equivalent of a couple of hundred US dollars worth of plastic for free.  Most shops are happy that they do not have to dispose of the stuff.  Similarly if you talk to some of the folks that work at major retailers they are usually willing to give away their out of date POS display boards.  These can be either foam core or sheet styreen.  Usually printed on one side but still usable.  Hope that gives you some more options that do not involves prohibitive shipping costs.
Here is one I found that may be local to you:
http://www.signs-marks.com/
I googled Sign Manufacturs Funen, Denmark. 
Hope that helps.
Snitchy sends.
Snitchy sends. 

I do the same. My local DIY store used plastic card and Foamboard for short-term advertising displays and then, once done, throws i away. Now that they know I use it, they put it away for me. The only problem now is that I have too much, but don't know how to say NO.

Tony

[6milPhil]

I'd personally avoid plasticard for basing as it does like to warp.

Instead I use ply, MDF or even dinner place mats;


...and chop them up. Does depend on scale and size of what you're basing though. One material I use for all my 6mm is a hard acrylic sheet which a bloke on ebay cuts to order. That's about a mil thick and so long as I don't base anything bigger than 15-20cm on any one edge that's warp free. 

[Rich H]

No idea what postage is like but I always buy mine in packs of 10x A4 sheets form a ebay seller called Hurlbat.

For bases 1mm is perfectly fine, I use a lot of it and it matches the Rendera bases for thickness.  Thicker than 1mm and it starts getting harder to cut anything but straight lines.