How do you do it? What tools do you use? I want to glue clear styrene in my locomotive cab. I was thinking about a suction tool I saw in the MicroMark catalog, but I'm sure I can come up with something that will do the job cheaper. Something with a 90 degree bend. Maybe some tape balled up on the end of some wire?
Chris
The tape idea will work, if you can't reach in. What you also need is somethign you'll find int eh airplane section of the hobby shop, called canopy cement. Or Microscale Krystal-klear. These adhesives will dry clear and will not fog the clear plastic. Do NOT use CA, the CA fumes will fog the clear and ruin all the hard work. In a pinch white glue, applied with a toothpick, will do the job as well. Trick with the tape is to stick it a few times to things to reduce some of the stickiness, the idea being the tiny bits of glue need to be stickier than the tape so when you place the window and pull the tool away, the window stays stuck. If it pulls partly away, use the point of tweezers or somethign to gently nudge it into palce, without tape ont he end.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Randy,
Thanks for the advice. I do have the proper cement so that's covered. I guess my other question is, should I try and cut a piece of styrene and place it in the window frame or cut it larger and place it from inside the cab, behind the frame? Not sure what might be possible.
Flush looks the best, but fabricating that, I don't know how I would attempt that. Commercial models with flush windows basically use a thick piece the the frame and mullion areas cut down so that it still installs from the rear but the individual panes stick out flush. If you have full access to the back side of the window (like building a structure from flat walls) then it's entirely possible to make flush fitting window pieces. If the actual openings are small, like typically found on steam locos, Krystal-clear itself can form individual panes that are inside the mullions and not just sitting on the back.
PRR_in_AZ Randy, Thanks for the advice. I do have the proper cement so that's covered. I guess my other question is, should I try and cut a piece of styrene and place it in the window frame or cut it larger and place it from inside the cab, behind the frame? Not sure what might be possible. Chris
This depends on the look you want, and how thick the cab wall is. If the cab walls are very thick, then placing a larger piece of glazing from behind will not come near to being flush fitting. It will look noticeably recessed into the cab. If the walls are thin, you can likely do this without it being that noticeable.
I'd suggest that you try to cut pieces of clear styrene to fit only if the walls are thick enough to make the other method look bad. In this case, you'll likely want to cut a piece that is roughly the right size (perhaps use tracing paper or something like that to plot out the size/shape), but keep it just a tiny bit bigger than you need. Then use a file to carefully reduce the size until the fit is nice and snug. In this case, you might not even need much by way of adhesive.
-Tim
Hi Chris,
Here's a method that's easy to do and always produces a clean-looking window with no adhesive smears.
Cut a piece of clear styrene to slightly overlap the window from behind. When you're satisfied with the fit and the glazing can lay flat against the back of the window frame and any mullions, brush a thin coat of Pledge with Future clear acrylic floor wax over the front of the glazing. Using tweezers to grab a corner that won't be exposed, put the glazing in place with the window oriented down, so gravity will hold it where you put it, and let it sit overnight. Once dry, the Pledge with Future will act as an adhesive and keep the glazing in place, but it will be perfectly clear on the surface of the glazing.
I've used this method for locomotive cab windows and for vestibule windows in passenger cars, and I'm happy with the results.
Good luck with your model,
Andy
Andy Sperandeo MODEL RAILROADER Magazine
Thanks to all for the responses. I'm finishing up at brass PRR L-1 Mikado and it has the typical PRR sliding window. I think I just want to place a piece of glazing on the front half so the engineer figure can have his elbow on the sill/armrest of the rear window. This is my first glazing attempt so I think I'll try for a flush fit with careful sanding of the edges to get a tight press fit. I think I'll use the technique Andy suggested wiith future if this proves too difficult. Anyhow, I may use future around the edges of the windows to hold it in.