Hello Folks,
Well thanks to the info. found on this forum I can now thermoform 20thou. wagon roofs. My next question is how do you secure them to wagon bodies? Is it as simple as solvent welding? Varied viewpoints encouraged and appreciated!
Thank you,
Lawrence
I add weight to my scratch built wagons then permanently glue the roofs on.
The solvent welding will only work i for the rest of the wagon is also plastic...
In all seriousness something to bear in mind is that the sealed box made once the roof is stuck in place can cause issues, both from a build-up of solvent fumes inside the van but also from changes in atmospheric air pressure being different from that trapped in the box. All this can lead to the van distorting so I then to drill a couple of holes (1 or 2 mm in diameter) through the floor of the van (generally between the chassis sides so it can't be seen when looking at the van on the track).
Another tip is that most (all?) van roofs has a canvas covering to make them waterproof. One way of recreating this is to use a single ply from some tissue (facial, toilet, as long as it isn't embossed). Lay this on the roof and apply a brush full of solvent to stick it down, brushing more solvent on and gently pulling the tissue to get it to lay flat. You can do this after the roof is stuck on, but if you do this before you can fold the tissue under the roof and stick it in place with more solvent to hide the tissue edges. Real rail vans also might have a wooden strip nailed along the sides of the roof on the top that are slightly curved to direct rain away from the doors (the top,of the curve lines up,with the middle of the doors, with the ends being just past the door to throw rain clear).
Hope that helps.
I like to leave them removable so I can add or change the figures, replace glass that has come lose etc.
I haven't tried it yet but plan to try an idea on RMWEB using magnets to hold them in place
https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/121058-niles-ng-modelling/page/9/&tab=comments#comment-3816819
Thanks again for sharing your hard-earned experience, very much appreciated. As well as the answers to the question, the asides add much to my scant knowledge of the 009 and scratch building world. The weight boxes, ventilation holes and magnet fastenings have all been written down in my notebook.
Best wishes,
Lawrence
I make wagon and coach roofs from tin; of the type used in biscuit tins etc. (So it is a free!)
This is very thin material that can easily be cut with scissors and easily curved into an arch.
I fix this in place with super-glue.
One advantage over plastic is that it will never start to warp with time as some plastic does.