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[sailorboy61]

For those builders that go to the length of adding frames around their windows, which obviously greatly improves the appearance, I was wondering just how you go about this.
 
Thinking about doing it myself, I imagine that I would apply the likes of thin evergreen strip around the inside of the window cut out and then the 'glazing' inside this, however it seems a tricky idea to get it all fitting neatly. For it to appear neat on the inside too, I can't immediately think of an alternative method as glazing simple glued to the inside and framed externally probably wouldn't look right.
 
What's the best way you've found.
 
Thanks

[West Coast tug]

I use a cheap HO or N Gauge rail , The type that comes on the cheap plastic ready to lay out.
Yes It's time consuming but you get a real metal frame . As for the glass I just glue it to the inside walls of the cabin.
Lexan or Vivack, PETG are some of the window stuff you can use thickness varies from .010 to .060 .
Lexan is sun light safe the other will get hard and fail in about 10 years if your tug is in the hard sun everyday .
Some fellows have made individual vacuum forming molds for each window ,This is best if you want the bolted together look .
Lots of the newer modelers just look at this and then paint the windows black in stead.
Opening the windows up really adds to the look , I usually go after the house insides as well .
Spend 2 weeks inside the house in details .
Gary 

[Umi_Ryuzuki]

+1 on using rail to make your window frames.
I used HO guage rail in one of my boats.
I would recommend the base flange to the outside, it's wider.


 

[wicker]

that looks impressive -- good thinking

[sailorboy61]

Thanks - I have some of that laying around somewhere, will give it a go!

[RAAArtyGunner]

Umi,
 
As the through section is roughly 'T' shaped, can you please give us a run down, on how you made the 'corners'.

[BrianB6]

I made mine about 55 years ago from OO guage nickel silver rail.
The corners were bent with round nosed pliers (stretching the memory) but there is a limit to the radius.
Slight kinks can be filed down since there is a slight thickness.
Varnish before inserting glass and installing.

[Umi_Ryuzuki]

I did the same as Brian, just bent the rails around a needle nose plier.
I don't recall any splitting on the outside bend, but I did have to do a
couple of the frames twice, to get them sized correctly.
I then soldered the joint and pressed them into place.

 

[RAAArtyGunner]

 
Umi & Brian,
 
Thank you, then thats the way to go     

[colin-d]

i guess its a case of what scale you would like your window frames...!!
 
these are at a scale of 1:96
 
the Window Frames were made out of brass tubeing that what milled down a little to give a wall thinkness of 0.2mm and then cut off so i had a load of rings.

the rings were then drawn over a jig that reshaped the rings from round to rectangle

[Umi_Ryuzuki]

Very nice tip Colin, Thank you for posting.
The round to rectangle is totally unexpected.
I thought I was looking at round or square tubing sections.

 

[colin-d]

if you know roughly the size of window frame you would like....
 
for example the above windows are 4 x 6 mm
 
add all the sides together minus the wall thikness and divide by Pi this will give you the inside of the tube...
 
4 + 6 + 4 + 6 = 20 (all sides total)
0.2 + 0.2 + 0.2 + 0.2 = 0.8 (wall thinkness total)
20 - 0.8 = 19.2 (minus wall thinkness)
19.2 / 3.14159265 =  6,1115498217122452205889901098413
 
so your looking for a tube with a inside diameter of about 6mm
 

[deadwood]

Hi Colin.

because I'm into seagoing modern merchant ships too your method of producing window frames with least effort, which is especially applicable to scales from 1:50 to 1:100, is invaluable to me.
Thank you for sharing and also showing how to determine a proper tube diameter,
though I must say that I find a 32-bit significand in your division involving Pi a little bit exaggerated.

Regards,
Ralph

[colin-d]

sorry Ralph,
a agree that it is a little on the large side, i just copied the figure from the computer Calculator..          

[Tankerman]

You can obtain square and rectangular brass or plastic tube with a thin wall section from https://www.eileensemporium.com  and slice off a frame of any depth you require. In the smaller scales from 1/72nd. the frames can then be glazed with liquid products such as Deluxe Materials "Glue'n'Glaze or Microscale "Kristal Klear" which when dry is sealed with gloss varnish. Either work well.


Chris