Spare window sprues query

[Ian Jopson]

I'm getting fed up of the intricacies involved in making up window and door frames for scratchbuilt buildings and have been looking at the various makers spare sprues. Which one, in your opinion, gives the best selection of shapes, sizes and styles? Or would it be better to go somewhere like Sclescene and use their plastic printed ones? For my low relief backscene I'm going to need a considerable number, from Tudor to Victorian, covering ten different buildings.

[JulienW]

As an alternative suggestion you could try making one very good* window / door frame from scratch, and using it as a master to cast some in resin.

The materials - silicone rubber for the mould and 2-part resin for casting - are not too difficult to obtain (try the Hobby's catalogue), and I suspect that a 1-piece mould (with an open back) would do the job.

Making you own bespoke castings would have the advantage that your windows would be yours to fit your buildings (and not someone else's design), but given that this type of domestic architecture may well have windows made to fit the holes (especially the Tudor ones) rather than all the holes being a 'standard' size you may well have to resort to scratch building to get the right look.

It was a little different for the windows in the large industrial buildings that were on my Latham's Brewery, so I used the injection moulded examples that looked like the typical Victorian cast iron industrial windows that were sold under the C&L banner (with some larger examples from the Wills range). I doubt if these types of industrial windows will be of any use to you, but I have a feeling that Wills might do (or did) 'house windows' as a moulding in their range.

Hope that helps...


*the master will have to be near perfect, as any imperfections will be reproduced in each casting...

[Graeme Dunbar]

Casting is well worth considering. Given the tiny volumes of material and flat shape a small scale alternative to the more traditional Silicone moulds is to use a material like 'Blue Stuff". I've only tried the rigid equivalent 'Polymorph' but other than the flexibility is seems to be identical.

Also, moulding something like the epoxy putty shown in the video, the whole process is kitchen table, bedroom desk or perhaps even tray-on-lap in front of the telly friendly if need be.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVZLXLaidjQ

[Hobby]

Going back to the original request as many of us don't want to go down the casting route take a look at Wills stuff and see if there's anything there that takes your fancy. Alternatively Auhagen and Faller do similar packets and often more exotic versions in HO scale.

You need to look on their websites and it will show you which windows they produce, it's then up to you which you buy.

[Frank]

York Models are a possible alternative:

https://yorkmodelrail.com/product-category/00-scale-ho-scale/windows-louvers-00-scale-ho-scale/

I think they are basically laser cut items but not sure.

I have not tried them myself but I built one of their vertical boiler tram kits a few years ago and was pleased with the result, though the kit was a little basic.

Frank

[Steve Facknell]

Have a look at the LCut site- they do a range and very reasonable and fast delivery- very satisfied customer.
http://www.lcut.co.uk/index.php?page=pages/products&title=4mm%20scale