Window mullion finish on molded clear windows

[Lemosteam]

I am completing a kitbashed Walthers Brach's candy building.

Unlike all of the other Walthers structures, this one has the window mullions cast into the clear plastic, as opposed to a separate mullion casting. The windows are installed from the outside of the building.

For those who may have built this kit, how did you paint them?  I refuse to attempt masking, taping or hand brushing.  These are a guaranteed failure for me.

Was thinking of making a pseudo ink stamp surface using paint (just a piece of styrene sheet laid flat with a thin film of paint to dip the casting onto.  Maybe several dips?

Keeping that thin film of paint from drying too quickly will be a challenge.

I may test this:.  I have been using black mylar behind the glass to make them appear black in daylight.  maybe that will be enough to make the mullions appear black as well.

Has anybody tried a liquid peel-off mask? This worries me as well as picking that off the glass may create bad scratches on the panes.

Any other techniques or ideas out there? 

[C855B]

Was thinking of making a pseudo ink stamp surface using paint (just a piece of styrene sheet laid flat with a thin film of paint to dip the casting onto.  Maybe several dips?

Keeping that thin film of paint from drying too quickly will be a challenge.

I've done that. In my one sort-of-successful attempt (long, long time ago), I used thinned artist's tube acrylic for the pigment density. Biggest challenge I had was keeping the motion perpendicular to the "stamp" and getting paint where I didn't want it. Lots of rinsing off and retries.

[Angus Shops]

If the mullions are raised above the glass surface, try a Sharpie pen, maybe with a straightedge for guidance.

[jjb62556]

I also use Sharpe's, but do it after I seal everything..Sometimes the sealer will make the Sharpe ink run

[thomasjmdavis]

I haven't done that particular kit, yet (I think I have one in my boxes of unbuilt buildings), but I have 4 suggestions-
Testors, and some other companies, make paint "pens"- similar to a sharpie but in multiple colors, and the paint has better opacity than most "magic markers".

Second suggestion is tedious, but possible- use decal stripes.  Microscale has sets of stripes, from about 1 scale inch up, available in several colors. 

Third suggestion- replace the Walthers cast windows -  print a grid onto clear acetate with your printer (or use a drafting pen, one of the paint pens above, or a sharpie), or the Archer transfer version (using your own styrene). 
https://www.archertransfers.com/AR88112.html
https://www.archertransfers.com/AR88113.html

And this will sound crazy, but can work in N scale. Get some nylon window screen, attach to the back of the wall with Ailene's Tacky Glue or something similar, being careful to get everything squared up properly. Then attach a sheet of clear styrene behind. If the pane size does not work out exactly to the window size, add some extra "framing" of appropriate size styrene strip painted black.

[C855B]

I just realized I did the "stamp pad" idea recently.

Used the artist's tube acrylic undiluted on a small bit of plate glass and spread it with a brayer so it was very flat and very even. It stayed open long enough to do all the windows in the kit.

I stole the glass from a small photo frame, and put it back on, after cleaning it, of course. If I make it over to the studio today I might take a pic of the results.

[Lemosteam]

I just realized I did the "stamp pad" idea recently.

Used the artist's tube acrylic undiluted on a small bit of plate glass and spread it with a brayer so it was very flat and very even. It stayed open long enough to do all the windows in the kit.

I stole the glass from a small photo frame, and put it back on, after cleaning it, of course. If I make it over to the studio today I might take a pic of the results.

Not sure what a brayer is, but I am thinking something similar to a concrete screed, for a consistent thickness.

Like the glass idea.  I think I will take some 005" thick styrene strips and make a "form" for the paint to exist and use a scale as a screed on the strips to get an even thickness.  I'll let you know how it goes and document it here.

I have some wax pencils that are used to pick up jewels/beads for crafts.  It works well until the seal lets go and the part drops.  I fear the suction will prevent me from pulling the glass up and away if it does that.  Need a tiny suction cup!

Maybe I can put a streched glob of hot glue on the mylar to act as a handle.  Then the blob should peel right off after.

My hands are just too unsteady to try anything at the tip of a marker or brush.

I have used the acetate method before, but then I have to cut them to make them fit perfectly in the recess of the model.  Eeew.

[C855B]

[Lemosteam]

Does that thing lay down ink? If yes, I could just put all of the windows on my black sticky back Mylar and roll all of them in a few passes to build up the paint with each new pass.

[C855B]

Does that thing lay down ink? If yes, I could just put all of the windows on my black sticky back Mylar and roll all of them in a few passes to build up the paint with each new pass.

 

Yes it does. You know, that's pretty close to what I actually did, 'cept using upside-down masking tape stretched out on the bench to hold everything down. Only needed one pass.

[peteski]

I used same technique as Mike on the Brach's Candy kit I was building.

I used the same roller that Mike used, and I used the old school Floquil paint.  I poured the paint on a piece of glass and rolled it out with the roller to get a thin coating on the roller.

What I did was to lay the windows (on the sticky-side-up) on tape.  I also placed added strips of styrene of the same thickness as the windows pieces on both sides of the row of windows to be painted.  The strips were spaced so the edges of the roller would be rolling over the strips. That assured even contact of the roller with the places to be painted on the windows. Worked like a charm.

BTW, those thin dividers between window panes are called muntins, not mullions.  Some modeler long time ago started calling them "mullions" and this error has spread throughout the modeling community.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muntin

Quoting one of those articles:
Mullions are vertical elements and are often confused with transoms, which lie horizontally. In US parlance, the word is also confused with the "muntin" ("glazing bar" in the UK) which is the precise word for the very small strips of wood or metal that divide a sash into smaller glass "panes" or "lights".

[Lemosteam]

I used same technique as Mike on the Brach's Candy kit I was building.

I used the same roller that Mike used, and I used the old school Floquil paint.  I poured the paint on a piece of glass and rolled it out with the roller to get a thin coating on the roller.

What I did was to lay the windows (on the sticky-side-up) on tape.  I also placed added strips of styrene of the same thickness as the windows pieces on both sides of the row of windows to be painted.  The strips were spaced so the edges of the roller would be rolling over the strips. That assured even contact of the roller with the places to be painted on the windows. Worked like a charm.

BTW, those thin dividers between window panes are called muntins, not mullions.  Some modeler long time ago started calling them "mullions" and this error has spread throughout the modeling community.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muntin

Quoting one of those articles:
Mullions are vertical elements and are often confused with transoms, which lie horizontally. In US parlance, the word is also confused with the "muntin" ("glazing bar" in the UK) which is the precise word for the very small strips of wood or metal that divide a sash into smaller glass "panes" or "lights".

Good idea for the strips to support the "brayer", which is typically confused with "roller" by the uneducated.      Eyeroll.   

[C855B]

BTW, those thin dividers between window panes are called muntins, not mullions.  Some modeler long time ago started calling them "mullions" and this error has spread throughout the modeling community.

I was wondering when one of our friendly neighborhood pedants was going to pick up on that. (Oh... "Hi, Pete!")

It's not just modelers, that's sort of a universal misunderstanding I run into occasionally. Since it's easy to discern what they mean, I just smile and let it pass unless there is specific reason to correct, usually in construction-related conversations.

[Mark5]

I used the same roller that Mike used,

Thanks to Mike and Pete - this is a great approach.

For those that are wondering how big that roller is, the photo Mike posted looks to be the 4" version: https://www.dickblick.com/items/speedball-soft-rubber-brayer-4/

They also make them (Speedball Soft Rubber Brayer) in other sizes, including this 1.5" version: https://www.dickblick.com/items/speedball-soft-rubber-brayer-1-12/

Mark

[Spades]

I used a pencil eraser cut neatly in half as a dry brush, dry stamp?  I got the idea and the actual build of two combined kits from a Railroad Model Craftsman article.  The eraser is square, and from the article, you fill an occasional pane, it's just like the prototype.