MV Products lenses

[peteski]

I was always told MV lenses where epoxy with metal foil on the back. Tried to make my own with Bare Metal Foil, but wasn't as good.

Yes, that is how I understand these are made.  Looks like they probably made bunch of dimples in a heavy-duty aluminum foil, then they dropped a drop or resin in the dimple, with enough resin to actual create a dome over the dimple.  It looks like after hardening then reflector is die-cut out of a larger sheet.

As far as the clear ones yellowing, some of mine yellowed while others did not.  Maybe the company changed the type of resin they used.
Also not all epoxy resins yellow.  The 5-minute kind does, but long cure epoxies like Envirotex seems to remain clear.

When I first got into N scale I developed a way to make my own headlights of any diameter.  My goal was to have a realistic looking headlight when off, and also have it light up.  It somewhat worked.  From experience I knew that a very thin layer of silver paint was translucent.

I would chuck a piece of clear sprue in a Dremel (with about 1/4" sticking out), and at a slow speed I would use a small flat file to turn it it to the diameter I needed.   I would then took a very sharp PC board drill of the same diameter as the turned rod, and drill a dimple into the end.  That concave cone shape would be the reflector.  Then I dabbed (with a toothpick, IIRC) a small amount of chrome paint into the dimple and let it dry.  I put just enough paint int the dimple to make it look like a reflector. Next using a toothpick I would place a small dot of 5-minute epoxy into the dimple, enough to fill the "reflector", and create a small dome.  Once it hardened I would glue it into the headlight opening in the shell.  It looked like a headlight reflector when off, and when a light bulb illuminated it from the inside, some of the light would get past the silver paint, so the headlight would be lit.

Oh, I didn't use the infamous Testors chrome paint in tiny square bottles (which never fully dries). I bought a large spray of chrome paint at an auto parts store and I would spray some as needed out onto its lid.



Here is a photo of a an old Arnold GP9 (on the right) with those home-made headlights, As you can see the epoxy has turned amber. That photo was taken not long after I made the headlights. Now they are even ore intensely amber.  You can also see that I even made the smaller marker lights the same way.  Those were my beginnings of N scale modeling.

[freedj]

You might take a look for rhinestones. My wife has started making and stoning ice skate costumes and the good crystals sparkle like crazy and come in all sorts of colors. A quick search shows that they do come as small as 1mm, but her supplier (rhinestones unlimited) only goes down to 2mm.  You’ll likely have to buy a grosse per type, but they are designed to be glued onto fabric so onto a model should be no problem. E6000 is the recommended glue. 

[Spades]

Peteski

If only I could upvote +100.  Great post.  You even made an Arnold/Rapido GP9 easy to look at.

[nickelplate759]

@peteski - I see you also made a nifty brass bell, and couldn't resist leaving it brass, while the B&M painted theirs blue.  Well done!

[peteski]

@peteski - I see you also made a nifty brass bell, and couldn't resist leaving it brass, while the B&M painted theirs blue.  Well done!

LOL - yes.  Thanks George.  Seeing all the shiny brass bells on N scale steam locos, I just couldn't bring myself to paint that one blue.  You likely seen that loco in-person running on the NTRAK layouts at the train shows in the late '80's or early '90s.

And the photo of that 1:1 loco was taken by me at the Somerville, MA yard, back  when a railfan could easily roam around the RR property.

[nickelplate759]

LOL - yes.  Thanks George.  Seeing all the shiny brass bells on N scale steam locos, I just couldn't bring myself to paint that one blue.  You likely seen that loco in-person running on the NTRAK layouts at the train shows in the late '80's or early '90s.

And the photo of that 1:1 loco was taken by me at the Somerville, MA yard, back  when a railfan could easily roam around the RR property.

I grew up close to the (pre-Guilford) B&M mainline in New Hampshire, and watched a LOT of trains.  Never saw a brass bell on a B&M loco.

[peteski]

I grew up close to the (pre-Guilford) B&M mainline in New Hampshire, and watched a LOT of trains.  Never saw a brass bell on a B&M loco.

Only in peteski's world of that time.   
I was talking about the shiny bells on N scale steam engine models.  The real bells on B&M diesels could have been iron.

[woodone]

I have been making my own. Punch out a small disc (size of H/L) from An aluminum soda can. Then form a reflector from the disc. Put a small hole into the reflector and glue a 603 or 402 LED Over the hole and use BONDIC to glue into place. Use more than one coat . Insert into H/L opening and glue in with clear epoxy. This works well for me.
I polish the reflector first to a chrome like finish.

[peteski]

I have been making my own. Punch out a small disc (size of H/L) from An aluminum soda can. Then form a reflector from the disc. Put a small hole into the reflector and glue a 603 or 402 LED Over the hole and use BONDIC to glue into place. Use more than one coat . Insert into H/L opening and glue in with clear epoxy. This works well for me.
I polish the reflector first to a chrome like finish.

I would have thought that soda can aluminum would be a bit thick for N scale lenses.  A 7" headlight in N scale is 0.044" diameter. Little  over 1mm.  How do you dome such a small "dot" of soda can aluminum, and what diameter hole do you drill for the light to shine through.  I don't even know how I would hold such a small metal disk for drilling.

[oakcreekco]

I remember stopping at a very small model rr shop while on vacation one year.

They had a nice display of mounted and lit MV lenses in several locos.

They drilled into the back of the lense and glued in a grain of wheat or rice bulb. (Pre LED times)

Looked great, on or off.

Bought a variety of MV packs just because the owners were so darn nice and showed me how to do this.

Did numerous HO locos back then and really liked those MV lenses.

[peteski]

For possible alternate product see duplicate thread: https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=53165.msg765868#msg765868