Well, I started this build log in the old Forum, it was in an advanced stage of construction but I couldn’t upload furthermore pictures. Now, after I have finished this one, I just wanted to share the results with you.
You might remember, I first hollowed the lamps. Furthermore I painted the inside with Revell Aqua Color 99 Aluminum.
And for the “glass” I chose the following method:
I took a very thin, clear polystyrol plate (0,3mm) and scratched some small lines on one side. Then I punched out round discs and turned them around. On the side without the scratches, I dropped on some Revell Aqua Color 01 clear gloss and let it dry over night. Now the clear gloss is dryly bent and has the shape of a lens.
I also used a “punch and die” set, for bigger diameters (6mm) even a punching iron - whatever fixes the needed diameter.
Buy the way I forgot something:
The clossy drop is not working with brand new Revell Aqua Color 01 clear gloss. This one is too liquid and for that it will “flow away”, creating a mess on the table. I always use some older stuff of the gloss. It has to have a “creamy” consistent, then it will work properly.
Even more, I always lay the cutout disc on a small mirror in order to drop the gloss. So if any of the gloss goes over the disc, I can easily remove the disc from the mirror again.
And!!!: make more discs than you need, they have the inclination to disappear! In this case I made 6 of them.
I’m using a slightly different method:
Acetate sheet (like from the stiffeners you get in shirt packings) receives the described parallel lines inscribed. Plastic sheet of about 2 mm thickness gets a hole drilled that’s 0.5 mm larger than the needed lens. The acetate is held over a candle until it becomes floppy, the placed over the hole and pushed in with the dull end of a suitable drill bit, e.g. 3mm drill for a 3.5 mm hole. The “lens” can then be cut off and the edge sanded smooth as needed (by sticking it to a piece of tape). For the drilled out “reflector” I use very thin aluminum foil that I form over the drill’s end again.
The result can be seen on my Italeri Sahariana.
Hi Peter,
I just push it in by hand - that’s why I let it become floppy over the flame. Different sorts of acetate have different cooling (= hardening) times, however, so success strongly depends on the right material [or your reaction time ;-)].
Have a negative (test-wise, that is) Xmas,
Peter
