Best products from r/papercraft

Hey there, these are the things I've acquired in my little papercrafting kit that have made it a lot easier and more enjoyable:

• 110 lb Cardstock like this is exactly what I use, yes it'll go through your printer with ease, and it'll take a while to go through all of it, I just look at my stack of paper and think of all the stuff I can make with it!
  
  
• A simple crafting knife will make a world of difference, also pick up some replacement heads, I never used to replace mine, but these things will dull over time and there will be an incredible difference when you pop a new one in!
  
  
• A small low temp glue gun (pretty sure mine was half this price at wal-mart, in fact I'm sure you can get everything there) and a package of glue sticks, I got a bag of 100, never looked back haha.
  
  
• Something to cut on, I bought a thin plastic cutting board from the dollar store at one point that I now use, but whatever works for you, I'm sure some things will dull your blades more or less depending on how hard you press but it's more so that you don't cut up your desk.
  
  If you're ever stuck or unsure how to make something, check youtube, TONS of video tutorials there, also a good place to look for builds people have done as they will usually have links to download what they've been making.
  
  A quick google search can bring up a ton of results if you just search for papercraft, there a lot of blogs that highlight awesome builds and designs people are sharing, like these:
  
  Minecraft!
  
  Some by Canon?
  
  Cool blog
  
  There was a ton of blogs I was looking at a couple weeks ago that I can't find a trace of today...odd, I'll keep looking though...
  
  more sites:
  
  http://global.yamaha-motor.com/yamahastyle/entertainment/papercraft/
  
  http://www.cubeecraft.com/
  
  Transformers!
  
  another blog
  
  Here's a really good blog! and a list of papercraft builds from this subreddit!
  
  
  It will be a bit tough and sloppy for the first couple times you build something, but don't worry, you'll get better, definitely making sure your cuts are straight can help with precision and getting everything to look perfect so using a straight edge to cut instead of freehanding it can help if it's tough.
  
  Definitely try a couple small simple builds to start, don't be put off if you get to a point in one that you can't figure out or mess up, you can always reprint that part/page, or put it down and print a different build out then come back to it later! Also if you print out a page and it's formatted wrong or the colours messed up (or whatever, my printer sucks sometimes) don't forget you can flip that piece of paper and print on the other side instead haha.
  
  
  Something to note is that when cutting a design out, there will be lines that need to creased so that they can be folded to make the model, the way you go about this is you flip over your knife and crease the lines with the back dull side of it (make sure you're not pressing super hard so you don't actually cut through with it or tear it).
  
  
  Once you're a pro look into pepakura and you can start building things like these!
  
  Halo armour!
  
  Halo guns!
  
  Skyrim!
  
  
  Hope some of this helps
  
  edit: some formatting and added a ton of stuff

As other people said, spraying on a coat or fifteen might work.


But I think the best option (at least in terms of quality) is gonna be to make a mold one way or another. That's pretty difficult to do with paper, since it's
A: Not totally sealed, so the mold material can get inside and completely ruin the mold.
2: It's not waterproof so it can get just ruined by the liquid in your mold material of choice.
III: Some molds get extremely hot when they're curing, which can damage the mold. And
four: paper doesn't hold up well under weight so you'd be hard pressed to make a two-sided mold that wasn't awful, meaning you could only have something with one totally flat side.


I think the best option would be to find some kind of spray layer that you can apply safely (or paper mache, I've heard that works pretty well at improving structural integrity) and beef up the object with that first, then make a mold of that. Another idea I've toyed with before but never tried was to reinforce the model from the inside. My plan was to go with foam crack sealant, but I haven't had a chance to try it yet.


Alternatively, get yourself some styrene sheets and make it out of those. They're really pretty excelent for model building if you have the patience and care to cut out the sections. I'd suggest cutting out all the external shapes (IE not the internal tabs or anything) from a papercraft model out of the styrene, just a bit oversized, then assembling the papercraft model.


You could then use the model as a reference for how to assemble the styrene (using this glue to seal them together. If you hold it in place for a good couple minutes or have an internal support of some kind, it'll hold its shape remarkably well.) Once it's assembled it'll be pretty damn sturdy, and you can clean up any rough edges with some sanding and fill any gaps with a bit more glue and some scrap styrene slivers. Then you have either a pretty decent hard plastic toy right there, or you can make a mold of it if you want a soft kinda toy of some kind.


Hope that helps!

During the summer I started papercraft as a hobby as well, and what I've noticed is that there isn't really one website that explains getting into the craft very well.

Here are some links I came across.

Essential items (also has links to models)

Zip Dry can be more useful than Elmer's for some projects

A Bone Folder is useful to have but not essential, can make scoring without leaving marks easier

More info on what to use for paper and some video guides


When I started I made a bunch of Cubees as they were quick and easy to build. As for tips on moving into models, I say once you feel comfortable and you don't mind wasting some ink, just go for it, grab a few models and just build.

When building a model it's important to understand how it's supposed to look in three dimensions as you're building it, download Pepakura Viewer, most if not all models come with a .PDO file, this way you can plan and build your model without having to guess what pieces go where and how.

I will post some links to websites with models, but if you just google papercraft models you should find tons. I'd say don't start out too difficult if you want to not get frustrated, find models that are between 1-3 pages.

Ultimate Papercraft posts a new model every Saturday, but also has a good backlog that is categorized by difficulty

Pokemon Papercraft is a good place to start as well, the creators also usually leave tips for the models that might not be obvious

That's all I can remember off the top of my head, I know there's some good stuff I'm forgetting, I'll post it if comes back to me.

Good luck!

A decent straightedge will not only be hardened to prevent cutting in, but will also use in insert that has a round or rectangular cross section, so it won't damage your blade either.
I have found that I have to be careful when pairing with a cutting mat - a light touch is called for or the mat can redirect the blade. For cutting jobs that need more force I like to use a glass surface and a DuroEdge Safety Ruler (the 25.5" is my favorite). They are harder to find these days, but similar products are easy to track down. Sign shops use them extensively.
For precise work, I like a good cutting mat and one of these acrylic rulers with a square steel edge. (I hope that formatting works for the link - I'm on a phone)

These would be super easy to make especially if you have the right machine - https://www.amazon.com/Binding-Machine-Manual-Operation-BUYOR/dp/B07GDXK1HB/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1541711463&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=binding+machine&psc=1 (Push down to create the hole punch and push back to open up the binding and slide on the paper.)

Based on your dimensions it looks like the previous person may have just been printing out 2 per page then cutting them in half. (8.5/11 page). Hole punching then sliding them on the binders.

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Now for the covers, they just look like clear binding covers: https://www.amazon.com/Fellowes-Binding-Presentation-Covers-52089/dp/B0015ZVXIW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1541711751&sr=8-3&keywords=clear+binding+cover

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And then if you want to be exact I recommend a steady hand or just a standard paper cutter. https://www.amazon.com/Firbon-Scrapbooking-Automatic-Safeguard-Cardstock/dp/B075NYWF5P/ref=sr_1_5?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1541711789&sr=1-5&keywords=paper+cutter

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You may have to recreate the file itself, but overall easy to do!

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Hopefully that helps!

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Edit: And binding combs, which could also just be cut in half with scissors

2nd Edit: The paper, I would personally use a cardstock for the covers, but that would generally be personal preference. The inside you could just use regular paper

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I have 3 I use for different applications. First being mentioned here a few times, because best.

Tacky glue. I use the gold bottle it's great, sicks nearly instantly, stays tacky for a few minutes in case of adjustments or removal. I use it for structural building. Most used glue. Applied with a toothpick. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002NHGYZI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_KCkVCb7WCDCNA

Gorilla glue gell. I use this super glue for small details. Places where I don't really have a tab. I use this glue to make the paper solid and stronger. Great glue, the gell makes a difference. I only buy gell now. Applied with a piece of wire. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MQTG9E8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_KEkVCbTVSCR3Y

Classic Elmer's glue. I use this for parts that dont matter. If I need to layer some pieces. I dont use this often but its nice to have when I dont wanna waste my nicer stuff. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B012XO26AW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_LFkVCbP7T0FX0

Wow, I wasn't even aware of the /po/ board, thanks!

It looks like the clock came from this book, https://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-Working-Paper-Clock/dp/0060910666 , but there's plenty of other good stuff available on that thread to work on :-)

Edit: I take it back, the clock came from http://guru2.karakasa.com/pendulum_clock/pcp_e.html , but the design is very similar to the book

You might already have these things, all basic stuff and it's just gonna be a rehash of what I previously mentioned :

Get an xacto knife, basic and you should be able to get it at the local hobby shop or at amazon, very straight forward.

You might need craft tweezers. I have this kit but haven't started on it, but the tweezers can be really help for in tight spots. I have a needle nose kind (not sure that's what you call them) and the curved kind.

Glue, any one glue (like elmers or scotch) will work. There are craft glues you can buy but it's not really necessary

Painting Kiki, brush pens should achieve what you see in the picture. I haven't gotten a set yet so I can't exactly give recs. I have just been utilizing my fine point sharpies and the Sakura brand micro pens

I'm also using long, bent-tip tweezers, a straightened paperclip, good for getting a good contact on the final bonds that enclose a piece, and much thinner than a toothpick and, Exacto knife, also this little guy keeps your blades like new.

Another idea that I use/have used, numbered ziplock bags for larger projects, page#=bag#.

I looked for a bit and the closest thing I have found so far was this. It's newer, but seems pretty cool. The author seems to have a few other papercraft books.

The sidebar has some great info on tools and what to do. Get an exacto knife and plenty of blades, get a self healing cutting mat, get some cardstock to print onto for a sturdy model, get some Aleenes tacky glue. Print the model onto the cardstock and then carefully and slowly cut it out. Fold the tabs, glue with the tacky glue (only takes 30 seconds to a minute to attach firmly) and continue! Take your time and cut as accurately as possible in order to get the best result..