Glazing 622’s windows

Somehow I’ve been convinced that true modellers glaze windows with real glass. I’m not sure if it’s really better; the passenger car has plastic windows, and they look fine to me. However, there is no doubting that when you tell anyone – even a non-modeller – that the windows are glazed with glass, they are duly impressed.

So, after a day of searching the house from top to bottom for my 25-year old box of microscope slide covers, I sat down to glaze some windows. Now, the fact that the box is 25 years old should tell you something about the frequency at which I cut glass windows. So, here are some pointers for future me, some of which I remembered, and others I didn’t.

• Use a diamond tipped scriber to score the glass, and break it with a sharp tap over an edge (I use the box the glass came in).
• Try to cut to the exact size you want, rather than trimming small slivers from a larger piece. Slivers are hard to make on purpose.
• Draw the outline of the glass on a piece of paper, rather than trying to make a mark on the glass itself.
• Score on a smooth, hard surface rather than a cutting mat. A flexible surface will allow the glass to bend and break unpredictably.
• You’re going to mess up a few times, so expect some waste.
• Glazing the frames saves on handling the glass. You don’t want to touch the glass and leave a big thumbprint on it.
• I use Weldbond to glue the glass. CA will apparently fog it, and we don’t need any strength in the bond anyway.

I feel that red window frames are a bit of a cliché, and on #10, I painted the window frames green. However, #622 is a passenger engine – you can tell by the lining on the cab and the tender – and so I’ve painted the window frames to match the passenger cars.

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