Reinforcing cardboard based terrain questions

[GreenScorpion]

I have been working on making some terrain based on cardboard boxes and while I can reinforce the walls by adding more layers of cardboard, one issue that I am currently facing is the difficulty in ensuring that the walls remain with 90º angles between them.

 

Just for reference on some of the type of terrain I am trying to build, below are 2 tunnel entrances that I have been experimenting with (cardboard was only cut to size, nothing else was done to it at the moment).

 

I have some paper clips lying around and I have thought about using some of them to create supports on the corners, but I am not sure if that will be enough to keep the cardboard from moving sideways and losing the original shape.

 

Has anyone done something similar and has some recommendations on how to deal with this issue?

Edited November 13, 2021 by GreenScorpion

[Grotsmasha]

Perhaps modelling some clutter like boxes, crates, or barrels that you can secure against the walls and floors will provide the sturdiness you're after

[Cleon]

When I've done cardstock terrain (mostly for historicals and DZC so not so heavy models on top) I've had two levels or reinforcement - If you have a friendly local DIY or general modelling shop nearby you should be able to pick up square wooden doweling quite cheap, that attached by PVA or wood glue is great for enforcing 90 degree corners. If it's something more solid required, then cutting interior panels of plasticard, gluing them inside the card and then attaching the dowl inside that presents quite a rugged structure (I use that more for paper buildings than card ones to be honest). 

 

This is an example of the sort of dowel rods I'm talking about

https://www.amazon.co.uk/pack-30cm-Wooden-Craft-Sticks/dp/B00HNOIF4E

Edited November 13, 2021 by Cleon

[excelite]

You could use some sprue corners as reinforcing ribs

[GreenScorpion]

Thank you all for the input :)

 

I will try out some of the ideas that were provided and see what works better.

[Warhead01]

I've been thinking about this. Hope this helps. 

If you have more of the same cardboard you are working with, the box pre cut. you could cut that to size and then trim a little out of , maybe the bottom, and insert that into your "tunnels". 
Like an arch but the full length and width of the inner walls and ceiling . 
If you have a thicker gage of cardboard you could do the same but, just the inner walls would be as much as I would do. However I would add a thicker cardboard across the top as well. If you plan on standing models on top. 

Unfortunately there's only so much you can do with card stock of that thickness. 
well, there is maybe the oll' paper macchia? layered over the cardboard your already happy with. It's like news paper, water glue and..maybe flower. You'll have to look it up I have considered it or even thought about it since some time in the 80's, a friends mom made him a killer play set for his action figures.

[techsoldaten]

A few thoughts.

 

1) To keep angles at 90 degrees, you need a reference angle at each corner. If it were me, I'd glue some thin strips of wood to the inside. 1cm on each joint would do.

 

2) This cardboard is great for prototypes, but might not be durable enough to survive actual gaming. I'd get something thicker (even Amazon boxes would do) and assemble it with a hot glue gun. 

 

3) Again with WIWD - I'd invest in a bottle of wood glue. You can thin it with water and wipe it on carboard pieces to increase their durability. It also helps if you plan to prime / paint the pieces. Titebond is a good brand, the red and the blue bottles are worth having. 

[Jolemai]

As someone who still owns 2nd edition scenery  this is proving a very good read so far :tu:

[jaxom]

As someone who still owns 2nd edition scenery  this is proving a very good read so far

 

The trick that the 2nd ed scenery had (that can be employed by GreenScorpion or others) is that the bent cardboard angles were vertical and held in place by their attachment to the scenery's roof.

 

 

3) Again with WIWD - I'd invest in a bottle of wood glue. You can thin it with water and wipe it on carboard pieces to increase their durability. It also helps if you plan to prime / paint the pieces. Titebond is a good brand, the red and the blue bottles are worth having. 

 

PVA (white, Elmer's) glue also works a treat for doing this. 

[techsoldaten]

 

As someone who still owns 2nd edition scenery  this is proving a very good read so far

 

The trick that the 2nd ed scenery had (that can be employed by GreenScorpion or others) is that the bent cardboard angles were vertical and held in place by their attachment to the scenery's roof.

 

Nothing stopping OP from adding that feature to his design.

 

I think papercraft terrain pieces are still a thing. People print them on copy paper and glue them to a hard backing.

[GreenScorpion]

Thank you for the additional input :)

 

I have made some experiments with wooden matches as a replacement for wooden profiles, since that was something that I had available and it works nicely, although I did mess up one of the prototypes and it is not exactly 90º at the moment, but if I put some weight on it, it no longer starts to deform which is what I wanted.

 

I plan to add at least 1 or 2 layers of additional cardboard for the buildings. I have made a bridge with the same material and with 4 layers glued with white wood glue it is rather solid and strong. Since this is meant as a sort of large "basement" diorama and not something that needs to be packed for games, I think the layered cardboard should be enough for most use cases, as the weight I plan to put on it is a few infantry models or a couple of vehicles at best. I tried with 2 vehicles with metal chassis (just some 1/43 cars that I have for conversions) on top of both tunnel sections and I had no issues and those are heavier than a chimera or leman russ.

 

For bigger/longer buildings I will likely need bigger matches/wooden profiles, but I think the concept is good enough for my current experiments.

I will likely still add some decoration or features on the inside/outside of the buildings to help keep the building straight.

I have ticker cardboard in case I need to reinforce the walls or some sections of the buildings.

[techsoldaten]

 

 

3) Again with WIWD - I'd invest in a bottle of wood glue. You can thin it with water and wipe it on carboard pieces to increase their durability. It also helps if you plan to prime / paint the pieces. Titebond is a good brand, the red and the blue bottles are worth having. 

 

PVA (white, Elmer's) glue also works a treat for doing this. 

 

Yeah, very similar and can almost be used interchangeably.

 

However, the durability and viscosity of wood glue appeals to me more. It's not gap filling, which means you can wipe a thin layer on a piece and get a solid grip across a flat surface. It won't bulge as it dries.

 

The downside is the color, wood glue dries with a yellowish-brown tint. You can't see it when it's thin, but globs of the stuff have it. You need to be a little more cautious than with PVA.