The styrene cases of old computer disks are a good source of window glass in structures. It is a bit too thick for locos and passenger cars though.
I’ve been saving the clear deli packages like you get hoagies in at the grocery store. Any of those hard to open clear plastic packages from the store work good too.
I’ve saved up some of the clear plastic that comes as part of see through packaging, Barbie dolls, Bryer’s horses, any of that sort of pckaging. Only problem I forsee is it seems to scratch easily. Haven’t put any in place yet, so can’t recommend an adhesive.
Most plastic structure kits come with excess glazing so I save all of them and have filled a drawer with various sizes and shapes. So many items come packaged in clear plastic that has useable flat clear plastic material. Just keep an eye out and cut and save this material whenever you see it.
I was thinking of using the glass from microscope slides. Not the thick main piece but the thin square subject holder part.
For many of my structures I prefer that the glazing is transluscent, but not transparent. I apply adhesive to the entire interior of the walls and apply a preformed sheet of frosted notebook divider plastic, or just plain waxed paper. The light inside provides a more even illumination to the windows throughout the structure. I never use the clear plastic provided in the kits. Bob
Mentioned a couple of posts above is the use of microscope cover slides. I’ve used them a lot and think they’re great. I’ve used them mostly as windows in cabeese and passenger cars.
I measured some. They were .005" thick–this scales out to .5"–almost scale. Also, they visually act like glass. The slides are maybe about 3/4" by 1-1/2", so you can’t use them for a single big sheet of glass. You cut them by scribing them with a carbide or diamond scribe and then snapping them. Be careful about getting the glass from the snap in your eyes–little pieces fly–use safety glasses. I hold the finished pieces in with epoxy at the corners.
I don’t think I’d use them for large buildings, say a roundhouse; but for something small or special, you might consider this material.
Ed
The microscope slides are great for small windows. I also use the clear plastic bubble wrap that various products come in.
Clear Report Covers. I’m a humble public servant, and if there is one thing governments do well it is generate reports. I had a bankers box full of old reports to dispose of and all of the reports were bound with clear plastic covers. I ripped off about 20 or 30 of them and since I work in N scale I figured I had enough window glazing to build a few skyscrapers.
I’ve used these report covers and they cut nicely with scissors and glue with Gorilla Glue just fine. They can be scored if you want mullians (those bars in the windows).
For those who don’t work for the government I suppose you could buy them at any office supply store.
I’m quite fond of using transparency film (the type that used to be for overhead projectors at schools/universities). Of course, working at a copy center, I’ve had a plentiful supply of it for years. [:-^]
I thought of using Inkjet transparency film, because I could print things on it before gluing it in place. You could print names like “Dewey, Cheatham and Howe” for second-floor offices, or design your own curtains and “window treatments” for residential properties.
I did these using the piece of clear plastic that came with the DPM kit, and I made decals for the lettering. I cut the tissue paper that came in the kit to protect the glazing plastic, and used that for the window shades:
I’ve got a couple of large structures with multi-pane windows. I didn’t put interiors in these buildings, so I didn’t want anything I could really see through, but I wanted to illuminate the buildings anyway. I ended up using Canopy Cement, the stuff the airplane guys use to glue clear parts on without fogging it. This stuff filled the small panes well, and dried clear, but the thickness and curvature of the dried cement has a lens effect that’s impossible to focus through.