STAINED GLASS WINDOWS FOR MODEL CHURCHES

[rogerabbit]

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I thought I would share a discovery I made while lighting my buildings. I've always found it disappointing that proprietary brands of model churches are supplied with clear windows or no glazing at all - and that stained glass would look excellent if lit. And then I thought, "nail varnish" ! At the risk of raised eyebrows from my partner, I purchased a cheap set of nine varnishes in a variety of colours from an online auction site for a few pounds. No self-respecting no-talent celeb would sink so low - but fine for my purpose.

I set about experimenting using that clear plastic that so many foods are packaged in. I use it for glazing all my buildings. Packaging provides us with so many excellent and free modelling materials. I cut off a section and drew rough outlines of church windows onto the plastic with a felt tip. I decided to apply the varnish in dots with a pin - a sort of modelling pointillism! Soon discovered that it was necessary to give each dot two or three coats - no problem because I could switch to a different colour while one was drying. I completed several designs and tested them by shining a torch behind them. For an effective result it's important that the varnishes are applied thickly - and that you continually shake the bottles before using them. Have settled on a design, I copied it onto the glazing for my model. Should you wish to try this, I suggest that you too practice before committing to the final application.

The result? Well, you must be the judge of that. Photos follow. Bear in mind that these windows are tiny and that the photos enlarge them. Originally I hoped to copy a cathedral window, but at HO/OO scale this is nigh impossible. However an abstract design has the desired effect. It was painstaking - but fun: -

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[pointstaken]

Roger Rabbit,
What an excellent idea.
That packaging can also be used for ordinary windows.

Thank you.

Dennis

[Bufferstop]

If you want to reproduce a real stained glass window, start with a photo, you might have to do some perspective adjustments (unless you stood on top of a bus a few yards away), scale it to fit the model and print it out on an ink-jet printer and OHP transparency. If you don't run to a printer or the transparency sheet, take your file or a paper print out to a stationery shop and they will copy or print it out for you. If it's simply a case of lacking the transparency they may even sell them singly, our's does, mainly for kids doing project work.

[rogerabbit]

Love your layout, Buffer. Stunning - spent a happy age looking at it. Beautiful and idiosyncratic like all the best are. Real work of art.

Tried the transparency method a while back and sadly it doesn't work. After a lot of fiddling around the print looked fine but extremely small. I saw no reason why it shouldn't work. But in situ with the addition of light the effect was disappointing. Too much light and it washed out. At low light the result was a blur - no separation of colour. I reasoned that the transparency had too little intensity of colour. Also that the windows are so tiny in HO/OO scale that there could be no separation of colour - at least, not discernible to the human eye. York and Linka were the only model manufacturers who supply this kind of thing and they attempt nothing complex. The 'varnish' method gave the necessary intensity because I could layer the colour and produced a jewel like effect - as you get from the real thing and not noticeable in the photos. Also you could simplify the design and control separation of colour. But I think the transparency method could work in O gauge.

Thank you for the kind comment, Dennis. Much appreciated.

[Admin4]

print it out on an ink-jet printer and OHP transparency.

but that way you don't get a tin full of chocolates to eat

[End2end]

but that way you don't get a tin full of chocolates to eat

You've given me a post-Christmas idea
Thanks
End2end