# Modeling Weathered Glass?



## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

I have a building, from a kit, that I have built and made a little weathered. i have some plastic sheet for the windows that came with the kit. I'm thinking if I keep the plastic, aka glass, very clean then it won't really look right with the building. 

Any ideas on how to at least lightly weather the glass (plastic sheet) so it doesn't look like brand new windows in a weathered building?

Thanks,
Jim


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Jim

The question is how far you want to go?

A while ago I had to re-glue a window in an Accucraft coach, the restroom. I used a plastic glue, probably Duco. The window now is a mix of clear, grey, and white, because I was a little (a lot) sloppy. At least the passengers now have a little privacy. 

If you have extra window material, experiment with various organic solvents; paint thinner, alcohol, Jack Daniels (not), or maybe even a little light rub of very fine sandpaper.

Chuck


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## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

Chuck, good ideas. I'm liking the light rub of sandpaper the best. I'll give that a test. Got to wondering about a matte finish sprayed on the plastic?


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Jim,
I weather windows the same way I weather coaches and engines. Black acrylic paint, diluted at least 50%, then 'washed' over the surface. Let it drain off if you want a light coat and let it dry.

For a coal-carrier, I use matt black spray paint from a distance - very lightly. Practise makes perfect.


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## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

Pete, any pics so I know what to shoot for?


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Jim, a matte finish might work, but do a test. It all depends on how the solvent in the spray reacts with your specific plastic.

Chuck


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## SD90WLMT (Feb 16, 2010)

What gets on a building....

....wind blown dirt. ....probably matching the color dirt in the vicinity of the building..
Bugs....
Rain n mud...

Light fine mist over sprays to that end will also help....

..show us your art Jim!!!

Dirk


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

laquer thinner and qtips works great and you can control it
Dennis


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## JackM (Jul 29, 2008)

Are the buildings/rolling stock meant to be out on a layout or only used indoors?

Not to be a wiseguy, but I'd expect the windows to weather pretty much the same as the rest of the model. My buildings are outdoors on the layout about six months of the year and they all seem to look a bit weatherbeaten after a year or two. No?

JackM


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Mask off a small portion -a couple of over lapping rubbed clean areas- and have a youngster peering inside..... after you've clouded the rest.
John


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## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

Some really good suggestions thus far - I appreciate the ideas. This is actually an O-scale building that will be inside that I'm making for a friend.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

My first suggestion would be to not use the plastic that came with the building's windows. In all likelihood, it's too "perfect." A lot of times, I'll use the clear plastic that products come packaged in--you know, the stuff that's darned near impossible to take off without a chainsaw? Because it's vacuum formed from a large plastic sheet at the outset, that introduces very small variations in the surface that give it a somewhat wavy appearance when cut up and used in small scale windows--very similar to what you'd find in glass panes produced c. 1800s - 1930s. (Note - don't use this stuff on live steam locos. Having a low melting temp, it doesn't really hold up well to hot cabs.)

To "weather" the glass, I use a technique similar to what's been described above--a wash of grimy acrylic paint. I'd hesitate to give a precise ratio because there's nothing precise about it, but probably on the order of 20% paint/water. I don't want it too pigmented unless I'm going for a very heavily-weathered, not-cleaned-in-years look. 

I brush this stuff on, usually with the side of the car or building at about a 45-degree angle from vertical. I want gravity to work with the water/paint in a natural fashion, but I don't want it pouring off the side, either. You'll get a feel for it when working with it. If I'm just after a light effect, I'll take a paper towel and wipe the sides of the car to get off the excess paint. I usually do not do the windows, though. I'll let the paint dry and get chalky and matte on the windows. Once it's dry, I'll go through and "scrub" the windows with the end of a Q-tip. Sometimes I'll wet it, sometimes not. It depends on how easily the paint rubs off, which is dependent on the amount of pigment that was in the wash when it was applied. Some examples of finished work:

*Locomotive Cab:* (Both the cab window and pressure gauge glass were "weathered")










*Caboose:* (Passenger cars similar, though usually cleaner.)











*Station windows:* 










In this case, I used a very light wash (high water : pigment ratio) and left it in place instead of wiping it off after it had dried. Because there's no interior in the station, I didn't want to give the viewer the ability to see clearly inside, so a light "fogging" was the ideal look. As the photo shows, you can see enough detail inside to tell that the windows aren't totally fogged as they'd be with an overspray of a matte finish, but unless you're right on top of them peering in, you can't tell there's no interior, either. It's also thin enough that when the outside light reflects just right, you can get a pretty glossy glass reflection similar to what you'd get off of dirty house windows. 

For an O scale factory building, the technique I used for this depot is probably what I'd work with to start. Presumably there will be no interior that you want to show off, so you want to give the appearance and reflectivity of glass, but also with enough distortion to hide the lack of interior. 


A few other options you might try--especially if you want to mimic window mullions for a large warehouse type building without the pain of having to build the darned things: 

_Newsprint and polyurethane resin _- When you paint newsprint with polyurethane resin (fiberglass resin used for auto repair), it soaks into the paper and the paper becomes translucent. Because the resin is a fairly thick material, it will develop some minor undulations on the surface which make the finished window look like old glass. I've done stained glass using this technique where I "colored" the paper with Sharpie colored markers first, then painted the resin over top. The result is a neat stained glass window effect. Because the resin soaks all the way through the paper, the end result is waterproof and can be used outdoors. Just cut to size with scissors and glue in place. 

You can adapt this technique for a large warehouse building by "drawing" the mullions on the paper with a black Sharpie, then painting the window with the resin. Similar to the stained glass, the mullion stripes become part of the window. This effect is rather 2D since they're just drawn on, so I'd probably use this for the building if it's going to be in the background. I might also suggest using thin vinyl tape to "tape" the mullions on afterwards if the building is going to be more in the foreground. 

_MEK wash -_ I've seen one model done where the window "glass" (acrylic sheet) was doused in MEK then set out to dry before being installed. This had a similar effect of "warping" the plastic to give it an aged glass look. It did not "fog" the glass at all, which was cool. You could still see very clearly inside, it just looked like you were looking through really old glass. I've also seen this technique used after the acrylic sheet was lightly sanded to "fog" the glass. The result was a somewhat frosted looking sheet of glass--not quite "clear," but not obviously fogged, either. I've not tried this technique myself, as I can usually get what I want using acrylic washes and cheap plastic containers. 

_Clear packing tape -_ I've seen buildings that were "glazed" simply by running a long strip of clear packing tape over the backside of the window openings. Over time, the sticky of the packing tape exposed to the air will attract dust, and the window will get "dirty" on its own. No extra weathering needed. I don't think this technique would hold up outdoors very well, but it might be worth a shot on an indoor structure. I would imagine it might work well with an acrylic wash technique, though I've not tried it myself.

Hopefully that gets you thinking in a few different directions on different possible techniques. Good luck!

Later,

K


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## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

Wow Kevin! Thanks so much for the tips and pics. Your weathering makes things looks so real! For this particular building I'm going for the look of your train depot. I'm going to grab your post and save it for when I weather my locos some day.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

When you're ready to weather your locos (or the building, for that matter) come on over! I'll show you my techniques and get you headed in the right direction. Warning, though, it's addictive. (Realize, however, that "But honey, they're _weathered_!" isn't really an advisable response when informed that the windows on the house need cleaning. I learned two truths that day: (a) the windows _did_ need cleaning, and (b) so did the doghouse. )

Later,

K


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## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

Oops on the doghouse ;-) Kevin, I definitely would like to get with you on weathering a loco and tender. I've been wanting to do that for years now. Would love to start with one of my B'mann K-27s. With the busy holiday season coming up I won't bug you until January. I believe I have your email stashed. THANK YOU!


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## d_sinsley (Mar 29, 2011)

East Broad Top said:


> When you're ready to weather your locos (or the building, for that matter) come on over! I'll show you my techniques and get you headed in the right direction. Warning, though, it's addictive. (Realize, however, that "But honey, they're _weathered_!" isn't really an advisable response when informed that the windows on the house need cleaning. I learned two truths that day: (a) the windows _did_ need cleaning, and (b) so did the doghouse. )
> 
> Later,
> 
> K


I wish I could come over. I have decided you are the king of weathered steamers.


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