window frames

Fit the windows, sand smooth, and then use progressively finer grades of wet and dry

do a great set that goes up to 12000 grit) to achieve a clear finish. Any window framing will have to be reproduced using tape or paint.

You can also get very fine sanding sticks from a spouse/girlfriend/partner (?) - they use them on their fingernails and they go to about 6000 grit which is also pretty good.

(Not sure why they need smooth fingernails to do the washing up but there you go - women, can't live with them, can't live with them.)

Good luck.

G

Zack

I would superglue the window in place and fill in all gaps. It would help if you dipped the canopy in future to prevent the CA from fogging you canopy. Then block sand to blend it into the fuselage. Polish out the glass portions then give the glass a swipe with a cotton swap dipped in future! let cure for a few days and then mask with Tamiya tape and paint as normal

At that fine of grit, do I have to polish after using or will it leave the windows clear? Should I still cover with Future? Will the Future fill in some of the imperfections of the sanding?

Micro Mesh is the brand name of the product - I don't polish or use Future/Klear, as the plastic looks pretty clear after using the micro-mesh. Many recommend the stuff but I can't get it to dry very well for some reason.

G

Yeah....what Scott said.

The only thing I could add....is to make very sure that the cockpit interior is 150% sealed against *any* traces of sanding dust (or sanding "sludge", when wet-sanding) getting inside. Once such dust enters the cockpit, it has a nasty tendency to be attracted to the inside face of the clear plastic, and is next to impossible to get rid of.

Just an idea, possibly for a last ditch attempt: the windows on a B2 appear to be relatively small. Maybe you could simply ignore the windows initially, then, when everything is smooth, drill and file away all clear plastic that is window instead of window frame. Fill up the holes with a membrane of clearfix, micro kristal clear, or any other instant window material. I shouldn't need to say this, but if you choose this path test on a similar sized hole in some scrap plastic to see if the material will cover a hole this size..

Rob

Fit the windows and then cover them with masking tape to protect them. Then go ahead and fill, sand to your heart's content being careful not to sand through the masking tape. Remeve and replace the tape from time to time to check your progress.

Once you're close, you may want to switch to a thinner tape - like Scotch tape - to get a smoother transition. Just remember that if you're using Scotch tape you don't want to leave it on the clear parts much more than overnight - it's high tack tends to make it stick better the longer you leave it on. (I often use it to represent raised panels, if I can get it to follow the contour of the area.)

In addition to the others comments; Toothpaste makes a good inexpensive polish for clear parts, and Don't apply a lot of pressure when sanding or polishing. After a while you will get tiny little stress cracks in the clear parts. Just use some patience and your windscreen will look great. Curt

What I do is use baremetal foil as a super masking tape. I mask the actual transparency area with that. Then I add putty and sand. After painting, I remove the foil. You CAN sand it away so you need to be careful when sanding the puttied area. I sometimes use fine needle files for smoothing around window areas rather than sandpaper.

Make sure you use the "cream" type toothpaste. The "gel" type won't do you a lot of good.

Don McIntyre Clarksville, TN

Very important point this one...as I had to find out the hard way with my Hunting Percival Pembroke...(lots of filling & sanding on this one) I masked the outside with Tamiya masking tape, filled, sanded...but when I removed the tape the mess was on the inside....a nice coat of dried sanding dust... no f. way to get at it. May be in addition to sealing the cockpit from the inside it could be helpful to do all other sanding operations prior to the installation of the windows so that there is less dust to threaten the inside.

I used Microscale Clear to make the side windows; that worked well. Ingo

Ok Guys:

Here is where I stand now. (other than on my feet.. hah)

Sorry, any way, when I installed to windscreen the clear windsheild needed to be sanded down to be flat. I had to do this so other places would not be recessed. I dipped to clear windscreen in Future to protect it from the glue, and have used the lightest touch possible to sand/file the area. I raided my wife's bathroom and came up with some nail files that are rather usefull, but the clear part will still have to be poished back to clear. I have been fairly lucky and only have a few specs of dust on the inside of the screen. As for making new clear areas these windows will be too large for the liquid window ideas. How do I now go about polishing these areas? Do I use a motor tool like a Dremel? What compounds? Where do I get them?

Thanks for all the help. This thing is starting to look like a B-2. ( granted on that is stuck in a bodyshop)

Any one want to see some pics?

Zack

I tried to post some pics under B-2 construction, but its my first attempt at posting pics. So if you all don't find them let me know and I'll try again.

Zack

Believe it or not, this is the project I moved to when I got too frustrated with My B-52 D to H conversion. It's actually going better.

Zack

Would love to see the pics. You know that pics go over to alt.binaries.models.scale?

Bill Banaszak, MFE

Obviously, you do. That's quite a struggle you're waging with that kit. I recommend that anyone interested look in on Zack's accomplishments so far.

Bill Banaszak, MFE