Scale Modeling Question - - Making clear windows?

[Q2UnME]

Hello to all. I've got a model making question and I need the help/suggestions of the many fine model makers here on this BBS. I've finally dusted off my 22" TOS Enterprise build that's been sitting om my workbench for the last several months. The reason I "parked it" was due to a problem creating clear windows. I'm building this 22" cutaway model "whole", complete with accurizing parts AND internal lighting. I had to hand cut every single window and porthole. I had used clear casting resin to fill in the windows, but it did not fully cure out. So I unplugged the windows, removed all the problem material and tried it again, this time with more catalyst. Same result; the clear resin cured out but still was "tacky" or semi-sticky.

My question to the form: What do you use to create clear windows/portholes when you're lighting up your models? I've finally got my secondary hull to the point (third time) where I want to fill in the windows, do partial assembly and install the internal lights. I've tried clear casting resin (didn't work for me) , I bought a Testers product that was suppose to make clear windows (It didn't, they dried to a nice amber color) .

So what do you guys (and gals) recommend I try? I was half tempted to just fill them in with good 'ol Testers glue (orange tube) and sand down any excess. No matter how much one gobs that stuff on it always seems to set hard, clear with minimal clouding. Suggestions? Comments?

My modeling spirit has re-kindled and I want to move forward from this roadblock.

Thanks in advance...

Q2UnME

 

[biotech]

How about good old transparencies?

You know, the clear plastic paper you use for presentations and slides.

One single piece would probably give you enough plastic for all the windows on the enterprise.

 

[Q2UnME]

^ True, I had briefly considered that. The point I got hung up on is, if I put the clear film on the inside, I still have to contend with the thickness of the model body. The other problem (I would think) would be in trying to cut out the clear material to fit the really small openings and fitting them in flush to the outter surface. My eyes are not that good and these old hands do shake a bit these days... Thanks for the suggestion, Biotech, if all else fails I'll try it.

Q2

 

[aridas sofia]

Just off the top of my head -- get clear plastic sprue and shave it to the rectangular shape of the window opening. Then slice the sprue into each individual "pane". Secure it into place using something that won't craze the clear plastic.

Another thing to try if the sprue doesn't work is doing the same thing with large diameter fiber optic strands.

I know Squadron used to make a liquid product that would create small windows, but I can't recall what it was called.

 

[Rattrap]

I think what Aridas is talking about is Micro Crystal Clear. It's like a very thick white glue that dries much clearer than regular white glue. The only problem it may create is that since it does shrink as it dries, your windows will be a little concave. On the other hand, I actually, with a lot of patience, used it to put window panels in a Monogram Viper kit.

I've also heard about using epoxy, and then sanding it flat. If you try that, though, be sure to test it before you actually start on the model. Some clear epoxies darken and yellow after they set, and others don't sand well.

Good luck with it, and be sure to post lots of pictures when you finish.

 

[USS Jack Riley]

Q2UnME said:
I was half tempted to just fill them in with good 'ol Testers glue (orange tube) and sand down any excess. No matter how much one gobs that stuff on it always seems to set hard, clear with minimal clouding. Suggestions? Comments?
Q2UnME

q2UnME - I actually tried this on a WWII aircraft. Long story short, my mother-in-law tried to "clean" my work area when she came to visit. The clear windows disappeared as a result of this "cleaning" and I resorted to using model glue to make up for the missing windows. It worked pretty well. The one drawback was that I had to sand the area around the windows where the glue had set while I was trying to build up the layers for the windows. No big deal and it still looks good.

Just a thought.

 

[Rattrap]

It may look good now, but you might run into problems later. Large quanitities of glue will often "attack" the plastic, and as time goes by, soften and dissolve it. Use care.

 

[Kirkunit]

I've used 5 minute epoxy for windows. If I recall, what I used dried a little yellow -- which may be appropriate for the TOS E. Make sure you mask over your window holes from the outside & apply the epoxy from the inside. When you remove the mask, you might want to polish the windows with fine grit sandpaper and/or coat the entire model with clear gloss.

Good luck!

 

[biotech]

Mother in laws, cant live with them, cant kill them.

 

[USS Jack Riley]

biotech said:
Mother in laws, cant live with them, cant kill them.

If only you knew!!!!!

 

[Griffworks]

Rattrap said:
I think what Aridas is talking about is Micro Crystal Clear. It's like a very thick white glue that dries much clearer than regular white glue. The only problem it may create is that since it does shrink as it dries, your windows will be a little concave. On the other hand, I actually, with a lot of patience, used it to put window panels in a Monogram Viper kit.

I've also heard about using epoxy, and then sanding it flat. If you try that, though, be sure to test it before you actually start on the model. Some clear epoxies darken and yellow after they set, and others don't sand well.

Good luck with it, and be sure to post lots of pictures when you finish.

I've used both the Micro Crystal Clear and 5 minute epoxy to good effect in the past. The epoxy usually does indeed dry with a slight yellow tint, tho I've had at least one batch that dried clear and is still clear several years later (last time I saw it in July).

 

[Cary L. Brown]

For me, how I do this depends on whether I want the interior stuff to be visible or just want light to show through.

If you want the interior to be visible, I try to use a vacuum-formed piece (unless it can be made from flats, in which case unformed sheet can be used) and affix it with Crystal Clear as my adhesive (which actually works pretty well).

On the other hand, if I'm doing a Trek model where the majority of windows are just little circles or rectangle and you can't see anything inside... I buy stock clear plastic shapes (Plastruct, for instance, makes a nice assortment of these), cut holes in the model that they can slip inside of, glue them in, and then sand the whole thing flush. If you use the correct size, you don't even have to worry about light bleed. If you can't find stock of the right size, you can always sand the cross-section to the right shape. Or, if you're willing to use a lot of paint (with layers of black and silver to block excess light, under the "color" coats) you can use a larger stick of clear plastic and just use masking to make the window whatever size you want. This has the advantage of giving you a bit more of a 3-D effect, too... but it requires much thicker exterior painting which can lose you detail if your model surface isn't really smooth. (Fortunately, in Trek ships, the exterior tends to be quite smooth so this works nicely!)

Anyone interested... here's a nice place to start.

http://www.plastruct.com/Pages/OnlineCatalogDetail.lasso?GraphicKey=AR-2

The cool thing with doing it with clear plastic shapes, like this, is that you can shape it as you wish. For instance, on my Ertl 1701(r), I took a chunk of red acrylic and replaced the landing bay control room with that... sanded it to shape, polished it once it was in the right shape... then only had to mask the windows to get a nice 3D red interior area. It took a long time to get the shape quite perfect but it worked out pretty well.

(And no, I can't show you right now, this model's off in storage... limited space and all that...)