SOLVED???!!! Screens on a house window

m,

Might be especially disturbing if Walt is the one who has to do the wearing to get that saggy look!

Looking forward to the finished photos, Walt......OF THE HOUSE.....not of the panty hose preparation.

Jim

UM, since I'm single.....

Jim, I told my son and his wife that this is going to be a 2-year project.  His house is a bit more complicated than the other 6 that I've done.  But that's part of why I enjoy scratch building - there's always new challenges that need new and imaginative solutions.

- walt

Walt,

That's why I've always been more of a builder than a buyer of ready-to-run in this hobby. And it's also why I have boxes and boxes of the strangest things stashed under the layout that might just come in handy for a future scratchbuild.

I've got to get back to some interesting building projects as soon as I can finish up my current "big" layout project.

Jim

Hmmm........I'm beginning to see a cause & effect relationship here,

Don't scrimp on the garters, you'll regret it it.

Took the material that I got at JoAnn's to my son's Sunday (yesterday).  Both he and he wife liked it a lot.  I also took the grey knee high and neither of them liked it - I displayed it in the stretched condition that it would need to be in to use as screening.

I'm sticking with the JoAnn fabric material unless by the time I'm ready to build the screening in there's a new find.

Thanks for all of your comments, suggestions, and much needed and appreciated HUMOR!

- walt

And, Walt, thank you for your sense of humor as well!

I have been reading this post and have tried the panty hose method. While preparing for a yard sale we came across some older panty hose from the 70's. They are a finer material than the new production type (according to my fiancee).

Here is a couple of shots of them after a dusting of silver paint. They are being installed on my "first ever" scratchbuilt structure.

Malcolm

Strange as it may seem, Lipton Bavarian Wild Berry Tea bags might have the fine mesh needed for scale window screen material. It is packaged in a tetrahedron, four sided pyramid bag that can be taken apart; before or after brewing is up to you.

PaPaT

I found organza gift bags in the bridal or cake section of Michaels craft store.  The material and color look like they will make good window screens.

Joe

PaPaT and Joe: thanks for the added suggestions.  I will surely check them out.

I've not heard the word 'organza' before.  Will ask the clerk for help.  I do know that veil material doesn't cut it - way too big holes.  I have used veil for a chain link fence and the hole size is spot on.

thanks - walt

Walt,

I  don't know if you have TJ Maxx or Marshall's stores where you live but if you do they have jewelry counters and in addition to a gift box they give you a little sivery shimmery see through bag as part of the gift wrapping that I thought would make good window screen.  I then saw similar bags in Michaels and the packaging said "organza" on it.  It wasn't the veil type material but I do beleive it was in the wedding section.

Joe

Walt, the "organza" material may be what I recommended in an earlier response in this thread. The material I bought was from Michaels and it was in the wedding area. It was not veil material since this mesh was quite small. When placed on the screen doors of the general store I made, it gave it a very believable illusion of screening. The material is white, but gives a silvery sheen when either backlit and front lit. I think I included pictures before, but here they are again.

Rick

Thanks for reposting those pics, Rick.  I had forgotten how great that general store is.  So much going on.

Thank you all for your continuing efforts to help me out.

I have the project on hold during the Christmas season but will be getting it back onto the work table in about a month - after I tear down and clean up this year's Christmas layout.

in the meantime I'll look in Michael's and JoAnn Fabric for that material. 

Rick: that material looks very similar to the images that I showed on page 1.

BTW: I got a less shiny version of the sheer material and am pretty happy with it, but I still won't rule out using that organza material.

I still have the issue of how I'm going to attach it, but that's a whole new ballgame!

As always, thanks - walt

How about a quick setting CA to the back of a wood frame that sits in the window frame or on top of the window frame depending on how the windows are constructed.

Joe, you've hit on why I'm struggling - the windows don't really show/have a visible frame!  Plus, the screens are on the OUTSIDE of everything.

My thoughts right now are to glue just one side of the sheer material to the back of the styrene wall - say the left side of a window.  Then from the back glue a very thin strip of styrene to hold the sheer tight against the inside opening of the window.  Repeat for the top, bottom and other side.  My hope is that the thin styrene won't be that visible and that it will bond with the styrene wall.

I tried building a frame outside of the window and then installing it but it was too fragile and it fell apart.  Fun, fun, fun!!!!!

And oh yeah, a few of these: ()*#%*()&*()^)  &*((&*%&^*()  &^&^^&*(

- walt

Hey Walt,

By now you should have one leg longer than the other with all of the pulling that's been going into this post. LOL. I can't imagine any screen material being suitable for O-scale.

Bobby, you are correct in that no real screening would suffice, but as in all modeling, one uses materials that gives the allusion of aluminum screening. The fine mesh fabric material that I used on the screen doors gives that appearance. If you look closely, you can see another customer on the inside of the door looking out. I wish I could take better pictures to show you what I mean.

Rick,

Is the general store scratch built or is it a kit(bash)?

Joe

Joe, it was scratch built. Most of my buildings on the layout are scratch built. They aren't perfect. Most that I see done from forum members leave me in awe. I did mine on weekends when I had no teaching or coaching duties. Here is its early beginnings. In the background you can see my mill and the oil rig tower I built for the layout.

Rick

I checked out the organza bags this morning.  I like the sheer material that I already bought a bit better.  I'll have to post a picture of the material - the stuff that I showed on page one is NOT what I will be using - it's too shiny.  My son's screens are a dull grey - no shine.

This is, I think, the hardest part of any project that I've ever had to devise some way to build it.  Not discouraged though.

Can't wait to get started on it again in a month or so.

- walt

Here's an image showing the original sheer material that I was planning on using and the newer, duller, more grey sheer material that I now prefer.  The material is actually way greyer than it looks here - this image makes it look whitish, which it is not.

I'll see if I can get a better representative image but with my less-than-top-quality point and shoot I don't know!

- walt

When I first read this post at its beginning, I was putting the smoke cupolas on

my kitbashed (into an engine house) Korber trolley barn. I was wondering how to

handle those and read about organza and wedding veil screening here.   I went out to JoAnn's and got organza and tulle (wedding veil material).  I am not sure which is which but I got the fine "organza"? in black and it makes fantastic screening!!  The other looks like an industrial chain link fence and will be so applied in the future.  I finished the structure yesterday and took photos with two locos and a gas electric poking their noses out.  Hope to get the photos on here in the near future.  Thanks for this great and timely tip!!

You may find that an acrylic clear coat finish lightly sprayed over your stretched out material may be enough to hold its shape.

The one main reason that I rejected the organza bags was because my Michael's only offered white and a cream color.  I wasn't going to get into dying it since I have material that I am OK with, short of how to glue it in place.  That said, I am open to all ideas though.

I'll go to JoAnn fabrics and see if they have black.  Thanks for mentioning it.

Yes, the veil material makes excellent chain link fence IMHO.

Shoal creek: that's an interesting suggestion that I will surely try.  I happen to have some clear coat spray on hand.  Thanks for the tip.

- walt

I picked up some material from Walmart called "Tulle" from the fabric department. Comes in several colors. I went with the brown color. Looks like dirty window screen from a distance. It has a fine diagonal mesh pattern which looks very close to window screen. One square yard cost me $1.27. Planning to use it on one of my upcoming desert shacks.

Isn't that veil material????  If it is, in my opinion the 'holes' are way too big if used as a screen.  I've used veil material for chain link fences.

If it's something different then I'll take a look-see!  thanks

- walt

I guess it might be considered veil material, and the mesh might be a bit out of scale, but I am happy with it for now. I'm planning to use it for a screen door, more than for windows.

Check some out if you get a chance.