Sanding windows perfectly square.

[Chris333]

Wondering if there is any input on this. These are one pieces resin cars that came with thin flash over the window openings. A few years ago I tried to clean up the openings, but I'm not happy with it. For the clerestory windows I can make a etched brass strip that would glue in a "fix" all those.





But what about the big windows?

[davefoxx]

Sadly, the only suggestion that I have is to do it by hand with a small file, one window at a time.  Go easy and square each window up by eye.

DFF

[peteski]

If you are talking about squarely removing the flash in the back of the castings (and the window opening shape itself is square), then I would just sand the back of the casting until all the flash was gone.  Depending on how the kit is designed, you might have to build up the sanded resin where the sides join to the ends.

As for the clerestory windows, I would just get a knife with a new #11 blade and wearing my Optivisor would trim the flash.

[Maletrain]

Frankly, I don't notice the slightly rounded corners in what is already an enlarged picture of the passenger cars.  It does become apparent at even higher magnification.  Even if the window castings are made with microscopically square corners, won't painting them reintroduce some slightly round fillets in the corners at high magnification?

What I do notice is the clerestory windows not being really horizontal on the top and bottom edges so that they all line-up along the clerestory surface.  So, an etching might be worthwhile there. 

But, unless the goal of the model is an "is it real or is it N scale" macro photograph, I don't really see the problem, because I don't think I will be able to actually see the problem.

[basementcalling]

Put some of that Bachmann window glass with silhouetted figures on it in there and no one will notice the window frames aren't perfectly square?

 

[Chris333]

Well it is HO scale 

I cleaned it up a little more and then shot some primer to see how it looked:


Guess it isn't that bad...

[Chris333]

As for the scale or the photos. Well I'm just worried about what I see in person. 

[glakedylan]

might it be one of those
"i know it is there so i cannot see it without noticing"
while anyone who would see the car in actual size
would not notice or be any the wiser?


without expanding the size of the photo i was wondering
what you meant, or if you were showing cars that you had
acquired that were to your standards, with the hope that
the ones you wrote about could look as good as them.


just my own thought


sincerely
Gary

[Chris333]

I wasn't happy with my sloppy work a few years ago. Today I just hit them again with a file and guess they are OK now. Those small mail slot windows in the roof are too narrow to fit a file so I had to use a knife    It still wasn't fun.

[peteski]

Those small mail slot windows in the roof are too narrow to fit a file so I had to use a knife    It still wasn't fun.

Recently I picked up an awesome tip here, on TRW:  files can be modified by girding them down for a specific task. Sure, you will lose one or more filing surfaces, but you will end up with what you need for the job.    Cheap Chines files would be perfect candidates for this type of modification.

[Jim Starbuck]

You had mentioned an etched brass overlay strip for the upper windows. Could you make etched inserts (like a picture frame) for the large windows?
Cut the resin opening back so it only left a shoulder to glue the brass to so it wouldn’t show through the opening. You could half etch frame detail around the opening as well or even create double hung windows if that’s what the cars had.
Clear styrene could be tacked in from behind.
Just the thought that hit we when you mentioned the upper windows.
What you’ve done so far looks pretty good though.

[Doug G.]

I think you accidently painted your track.



Doug