Does anyone have any ideas how to make & attach awnings to HO store fronts? I’d like to have some down & some rolled up. Paper doesn’t really seem to be a good choice for the rolled up version. Thinking of a wire support. Thanks
Have you thought of using aluminum foil?
The problem with this is, as I’m sure you’ve discovered, is that the size of the threads in material look out of scale in HO. Jeff’s idea to use aluminum foil would work well, but if you want something that has a bit more texture to it I’d look at silk screening material. It has a very fine thread and a hight thread count with should help to keep it looking more in scale.
For this one, I downloaded a photo of an old Woolworths building. I copied the sign to one graphic, and the awning colors to another. I created a striped pattern in MS Paint and filled it with the awning colors. I printed both graphics on card stock, and glued them on to the building. I may have used a piece of styrene under the awning to stiffen it - but I don’t remember. I’ll check that later.
(Later) Yes, I did use a thin piece of styrene to support the underside of the awning.
It’s a small world Mr. Beasley!! Just completed the same building " Goodfellows Hall" I believe, & made a Woolworth sigh for it also. This is the building, along with a few others that I naeed awnings for. I’m not sure alum. foil is the answer. It would have to be sprayed a solid color, wouldn’t want to try to paint stripes on it & it probably isn’t printer friendly. Jerry
This is so funny I am still working on my Goodfellows hall. I am putting interior in it for a show been looking all over for wood paneling etc. I will let you know what is up when i find what i’m looking for.
OK, last night I was playing hockey, and during warmups it came to me. Why it hit me then, I don’t know, but that’s just the way my brain works sometimes.
Crepe paper. The stuff they use for party streamers. It comes in lots of colors, it’s cheap, you can cut it with scissors and I bet it will sag and stretch just like a real awning. I’m sure I’ve got some of this stuff at home. I think I’ll pull some out, make a bit of framework out of styrene rod, and see what happens.
Crepe paper! I never thought of that! I’ll pick some up today and see what I can do with it.
If you’re happy with a one-colour awning (or cn stand hand painting the stripes) try the very thin plastic sheet that they wrap around dry cleaning when they send it back.
This stuff is good for tarpaulins as well. If you make the metal frame you can stretch the plastic tight around it and the paint tends to lock it in one position.
(Might be worth testing the paint forst… long time since i did it… I think we used a housepaint undercoat or blackboard paint - for tarpaulin).
The stuff will set with a nice sharp line where the tarpulin is cinched tight over the load (most tarpulins are put tight over loads so as to shed water and not let puddles accumulate). The trick with the model as with the real thing is to not make holes on corners.
I reckon that it would no only work and be very light weight for awnings but you could probably encourage it to sag the way older awnings tend to… you might even add a puddle in it…
Which is of course something that loose or badly set tarpaulins will retain long after the rain stopped…
[8D]
I was thinking about this and I came to the conclusion that the covering they use for radio control airplanes might work. It comes in lots of colors and finishes, it’s plastic so you can use glue to secure it, it cuts with a pair of scissors, and you can make it as tight as you want with an old hairdryer or just drape it. Just a thought…
How about using thin card stock, let’s say, an index card. Cut to desired size, put a small bend in center, then cut apiece of single-ply toilet tissue just slightly larger. Mix some white glue 50/50 with water and brush on bottom, then top of card. Then place tissue over top piece, make sure it soaks up mix and does not tear. When dry, paint appropriate color, cut tissue to final size, add wire as brackets and glue to building. The glue mix should set up real hard and tissue should look like canvas.
You can also use linen handerchief material or similar fine-weave cloth. In the Narrow Gauge & Short Line Gazette, Lane Stewart used materials like these to make excellent awnings. And since you can transfer a pattern onto it with modern Xerographic(r) technology, you can get the stripes as well. This was also detailed by Lane Stewart in the same article.
-Ed
Mr. B that is very nice. Reminds me of the five and dime as we called it on Purchase Street in Rye, NY when I was a kid. The sign was black with raised gold lettering that read F.W. Woolworth & Co. Gone the way of the running board and buggy whips.
Hate to be a nit picker but most store front awnings that I have seen were made up of individual 6 to 10 feet wide awnings. Each one had a socket in the gear head at the top roller and the storekeep used a long handled crank to open and reel them back up. Might be a nice touch to add.
Most of them weren’t too fancy, with stripes, etc. Just plain green or black.
also if you can find them bachmann has awnings premolded offered in their split level house kit. these maybe offered seperately
tom