Danger Danger
Acetone (The primary ingrediant in nail polish remover) is a strong solvent. While it eats CA glue nicely, it also eats a number of plastics!
Well, you guys really helped me out. I’m gonna buy some canopy cement.
But first I tried some floor polish on the windows I popped out and I was amazed to see all the fogging and scratches gone. Now I have to reglue them in.
But, one of the windows wouldn’t pop out so I decided to use a small paintbrush and brush on some floor polish and perfect. Now I wish I hadn’t popped out all those windows. I could have just painted on the floor polish. Works great!
Thanks.
Paul
Paul now that you have the Future Floor “Finish” there are other uses, you can also use this product to spot “gloss” any areas that you will need to decal if surface isn’t glossed already.
I too prefer Canopy cement, however, I still have never had issues w/ gluing clear styrene w/ Testor’s liquid. Cut and fit, handle piece w/ tweezers to place and add drops of cement to corners w/ a small paintbrush. The capillary action “wicks” the very liquid cement under the clear but I have never had it show past the frame.
Thanks. No wonder it fogged. I was using a gel CA glue I bought at Hobby Lobby. I have the Testors liquid in the bottle. I cut off the brush and use the little brushes you can buy to glue things.
Question, now that the windows are out and “floor waxed” I will most likely have to scrape some of the wax off for the Testors to adhere right?
I gotta tell ya, windows are the worst. I even had my wife buy me some plastic binder stuff at Office Depot but she bought the cloudy stuff, not the crystal clear stuff. I’ll have to go later and look to see what they have because I want to find an easier way.
I do like that product that makes windows by Micro-Mark though. Might give that a try too.
Thanks again.
Paul
Most if not all of the products mentioned, not including white glue, are “Gloss medium”. I use the ModPodge brand from craft stores. It is a little thicker & will do whatever the “specialized” products will do. I also use it to make windows in HO scale vehicle kits
I bought some scale glass sheets from Sierra Scale Models and have successfully used them in several models now, both paper & plastic.
One key trick to working with scale glass is that you DON’T ‘snap’ it - you’ll be discovering little bits of glass all over your workshop for weeks. Instead, get yourself a carbide tip glass cutter. No pressure - just draw the cutter over your line, using only the weight of the tool. Do this a few times & you’ll find that the glass has separated, as if by magic.
One other thing - the plastic box the glass sheets come in has a sponge in the top, both for packaging & to absorb moisture. However, I went back to it after about a month for another project & found that several sheets had seemingly glued themselves together. Remembering a tip I’d read somewhere in the last century, I put some warm tap water into an old margarine container along with a drop or two of dish soap & put the stuck sheets into it & left it for a few minutes. I then stood the piece up, on the long side & very gently drew a blade (again, only using the weight of the blade) along the length. I then flipped it over & did it to the opposite edge, & the sheets parted. A quick rinse & allowed to air-dry on paper towels, & I’m good to go.
And a safety tip - you can’t use any quick-dry cement like crazy glue, on scale glass, as the glue will shatter the glass.
Paul, Future Floor “Finish” is an acrylic finish not a wax, quite similar to Last and Last. The Testor’s is aggressive enough to bond/ melt the plastic w/o trouble. Agreed, raw clean styrene will provide the best bond, but windows don’t need much and they will not see any stress/ abuse, so a serious penetrating bond isn’t needed like on other parts. The Testor’s will work, but in your shopping, pic
[quote user=“bogp40”]
Paul, Future Floor “Finish” is an acrylic finish not a wax, quite similar to Last and Last. The Testor’s is aggressive enough to bond/ melt the plastic w/o trouble. Agreed, raw clean styrene will provide the best bond, but windows don’t need much and they will not see any stress/ abuse, so a serious penetrating bond isn’t needed like on other parts. The Testor’
Paul,
I have not read the previous replies so this may be “old news”… Testors has “Clear Parts cement & Window Maker”, which comes in a white squeeze bottle - the same size as their plastic cement.
It is a major improvement over anything else I’ve ever tried!
I found that Loctite liquid superglue works great for securing clear glazing. It doesn’t seem to fog up like Jet Dry or whatever the store band is “Hobbytown USA”, “Trains and Lanes”, etc. Alternatively, use Micro Scale Crystal Clear.
So far, the only method for installing “glass” in models that I haven’t seen mentioned here yet is one I use from time to time: Magic Tape. Note: not ordinary clear celephane tape, but 3M brand “Magic Tape”.
Believe it or not, it works. I only use it when I’m using 0.005" clear plastic in strips to put glass in brass passenger cars or cabooses (and some engines). I take small pieces of Magic Tape and use tweasers to stick it where it’s got to be stuck. Magic Tape is also useful for holding lightbulb wires in place in brass engines.
The thing about Magic Tape is that it doesn’t dry out and disintegrate like normal celephane tape does. I have cars & locos that I’ve used this method on over 15 years ago, and the tape is still holding just fine. The guy I got the idea from has been using it for over 25 years, so I’m not sure how long it’ll last…but it seems to be holding on so far.
Paul A. Cutler III
Thanks Paul. I like this idea. So you tape OVER the window? You install the window with the tape correct? Sounds like a great idea.