Model ship display cases

General Discussion General Modeling Discussion
1

I have two ships that require 20-22" acrylic display cases. They’re not easy to find. Any suggestions?

2

I make my own out of glass. It’s actually pretty easy once you get the glass cutting technique down. Then simply glue the glass sides and top together with clear caulk and let dry for 24 hours. Applying the caulk cleanly is the hard part but a razor blade does wonders in cleaning up the still wet caulking .

3

This guy does excellent work and is very reasonable considering each case is custom built: http://www.grandpascabinets.com/

4

Thank you.

5

I wonder if PlexiGlass would work for that? It would be much lighter than glass, and easier to work with.

6

I’ve been doing some research into this, because I’m converting an old bookshelf into a display case. Plexiglass would work, and it’s inexpensive. However, it develops a yellow tint over time. Acrylic does the same job, but without the yellow tint. However, clear acrylic sheet is a bit more expensive. I have found some youtube videos on building acrylic display cases. It doesn’t look very difficult, and we, as modellers, already have the required skills. Just type “acrylic display case” into youtube. There is a wealth of informative videos.

7

I thought Plexiglas was just a trade name (brand) of acrylic. I know that there are different mixes of acrylic, and it has improved over the years. Older acrylics suffered from UV damage from direct sunlight. I know some makers offer “UV stabilized” acrylic.

8

I found a good way by accident ;

One time I was doing some Plexi work . I had a sheet that was going to be a front for a sailing ship case . I laid it on a pipe that was clean stainless . Imagine my horror when I found it was a heating pipe with a stainless cover ! My piece had sagged perfectly over it making a six by twenty four inch gutter shaped “U” . It worked perfectly for a modern warship model after I evened the sides and cut the ends to fit .

I like Plexi for it’s workability and availability . Home Depot always has acrylic sheet for storm doors etc . T.B.

9

I really appreciate all the good ideas. I’m pretty handy, but I’m lazy about making a case. I’d rather spend my time on model making :smiley: Strangely, with all the ship models available, the options for cases are really limited. Most are too small (1/700 scale) or too large and very expensive. Thank you everyone.