Advice on windows please

quote:

Originally posted by RailGrandson:

3. Should I even consider scratch building the windows, or is this not worth the time?

Of *course* you should try scratchbuilding windows (and pretty much everything else).

There is a continuum in this hobby:

At one extreme you can hire somebody at vast expense who will design, fabricate and install the layout of your dreams without you ever laying a hand on it. Then you can watch the trains go around.

At the other end, you can start with your own vision and the simplest (and cheapest) of raw materials, developing your skills as you go along, having amazing fun every step of the way. Of course, this will take longer, and if you are in a hurry for some reason, this isn't for you. But don't think that this alternative is only for some special breed of super-talented artist. All it takes is a little patience and the will to throw away the occasional failed experiment.

You can find folks at every point of the spectrum. Which ones do you admire the most? (I *know* which ones have the most fun!).

Cheers,

Hi Phil...a very simple window can be reasonably scratchbuilt and if the expense of buying them is a concern one might benefit from doing so. Most complex windows will tax your skills more and take more time obviously and reach a point of questionable return for your investment of time and skill.

Having said that, I waste no time in making windows since high quality plastic castings are plentiful from the supplier you listed. Grandt Line and Tichy are excellent...I'm not a fan of micromark beyond the occasional odd tool.

As far as a sample pack goes...I'd say sure get some and design your structure around them. In time if your scratch building interest grows then you will likely want specific windows and then it will be time to order particular windows. Good luck!

Bob

Phil, IMO, if you have little or no experience with scratch building, you might consider buying the windows from Tichy or Grandtline. The creative satisfaction of building your own would be considerable but as a first-timer could be a bit frustrating. But, of course, if you're up for the challenge, then go for it. On the other hand, I'm sort of with Bob on this one. I don't really like building windows when so many choices and styles are so readily available. Tichy has a much more limited selection than Grandtline but they're very reasonably priced. I'd go on their website and order directly and you'll see you won't spend very much.

Also as a first-timer, you should consider a wood building, not brick. I say that because with a wood building you can buy the windows that have frames around them which are easier to install and more likely to hide any mistakes in the window opening. Brick and concrete buildings have windows without frames so the measurements have to be far more exact. You can get clapboard siding from Northeastern Models, Mt. Albert, Micro-mark, etc. Or, you can even get paper that looks like siding from Clever Models or other sources and mount them on a sub-material like foam, cardboard, etc.

Jerrman

Rail Grandson,

Nice to hear that you are starting to scratch build. We need more folks like you to grow the hobby.

I offer several resin cast windows and an assortment of castings not produced by other manufacturers that may fill your needs. Please take a look at my web site.

www.westportmodelworks.com

Call me aftr 3pm EST if you have any questions

Les Lewis

Don't neglect items in other scales. City Classics offers windows that can easily be modified for O scale:




Mass quantities of windows can be made quickly by drawing grids on clear Evergreen Scale Models plastic using an felt-tip pen and then framed with styrene. Gently roughing up the plastic with super-fine sandpaper might help. It might also be possible to print the grids using a computer printer.

Experiment.

Matt

quote:

OriginalDon't neglect items in other scales.

Very true! I use both S and HO windows as starting points to make odd sized windows in O scale.

quote:

It might also be possible to print the grids using a computer printer.

Not only possible but quite doable for those of us that remember and still have transparency film for either laser or ink jet printed, or even copyingg machines,

quote:

Experiment.

Scroung!

It's not just S or Ho scale that you can use windows from.

The windows in this mill are from a walthers locomotive backshop in N scale I kit bashed . I've used some other windows from this same kit for skylights for some of my Ameri-Towne buildings











David

One advantage of Tichy over Grandt Line is that they come packaged with the glazing.

quote:

Originally posted by LMS Lines:
One advantage of Tichy over Grandt Line is that they come packaged with the glazing.

When did Tichy start doing that? What is the glazing made from?

From the 8.11.2011 Tichy Newsletter:

In the good news dept we have added precut glazing to all windows and doors in all scales. Package price is now $3.50. We will begin mailing our new paper HO catalog next week. O & N scale catalogs will mail by the end of the month. Check out what’s new on the website to see our recently introduced products. We will be introducing new S & O scale windows and doors next week.

Thank you for your continued support

Don Tichy


Matt

Thanks for all the good suggestions. I was just trying to post some photos to the OGR site, but I have to downsize the photos first. I'll have to try again later - gotta actually work now!

Boy, the photos really show off the problems with the windows by enlarging every detail. They look much better from 2' away and at their normal size of 1" x 4" .

I will try again later.

BTW, don't forget Walt at rustystumps.com. Has has some great and unusual commercial window treatments, particularly large multi-paned factory windows (with an opening in the middle) that no one, to my knowledge carries. I think SIRT arranged with Walt to develop this part of the line and they look fantastic.

Jerrman

quote:

Originally posted by Old Goat:
From the 8.11.2011 Tichy Newsletter:

In the good news dept we have added precut glazing to all windows and doors in all scales. Package price is now $3.50. We will begin mailing our new paper HO catalog next week. O & N scale catalogs will mail by the end of the month. Check out what’s new on the website to see our recently introduced products. We will be introducing new S & O scale windows and doors next week.

Thank you for your continued support

Don Tichy


Matt

Well! Wish he'd mentioned it to me last we talked, I'm getting too lazy to be cutting real glass for all of the windows tha use anymore....

Thanks for the window links. I looked through them (and the castings too) and they are really nice products. I will definitely try some.

Old Goat - I thought of the laser transparency and just happen to have a box of it left over from the old days. Man, that stuff was expensive, which is why I couldn't bear to throw it away.

Jerman - I took what you said about installing to heart. So I left the wire stick out on two sides of some of the windows thinking this might make it easier to lay them in an opening.

OK, so there were a couple of comments that there were "how to's" out there. Any links? I am trying to figure out what parts of this I can do with scrounged or "repurposed" materials. There have been some good posts in this forum, but hey, I am always hungry for more.

Phil