Dear all,

at the moment I am building a soft skin vehicle with the typical canvas cover over the cargo deck. Some newer (post WWII era) vehicles had sometimes clear plastic windows in that canvas, that are bendable for when the canvas is roled up (rear entrance for example). I want to depict the roled up canvas itself with a sheet of thin lead foil, the window opening cut into it. So far so easy. But now the as-if-clear-plastic-window would be still visible in an as-if rolled up state.

Following picture gives an example:



So now my question is: how could I reproduce that kind of clear plastic window? Clear fix etc. wouldn't really work because the window opening is too big and as I wrote: I want to depict it actually rolled up... Any hints and/or help would be much appreciated!

Here in Singapore, we have clear plastic bags.

Not sure if you have them there.

I would use those or alternatively i would use telt sheets.

Telt sheets are what we use to create overlays for maps during ops.

Hope this helps.

If it is visible when rolled up (someone else will have to answer that part):
I would make the correct opening (size & shape) in the lead foil and try to roll it up (after painting) in the same way as the prototype. When the time comes to roll up the part where the window is located I would slip in a piece of thin plastic.
My first choice in plastic film would be the cling film used to wrap food (Frischhaltefolie ??).
Since it would be rolled into the rest of the tarpaulin it doesn't matter if it is near impossible to glue in place, it stays in place anyway. Maybe make some folds and crinkles in it first, try to see which variant looks most realistic.

/ Robin

A ziplock bag? Sandwich not freezer, freezer bags are thicker.

Try the clear cellophane that shirts come in, make a sandwich of that & tissue paper

Thanks for the replys guys! I thought about the sandwich method (tissue soaked in thinned white glue) myself, but then I would have a problem with painting: As long as the tissue is soaked and wet with glue I can place the foil into the "sandwich" of two tissue layers and roll it up... but then the clear foil would cover parts of the canvas that need to be painted and/or would go blind itself when painting.

First painting the already shaped lead foil then slipping in the clear ("Frischhaltefolie" or part of a sandwich bag sounds like a good idea indeed) sounds like an idea I'm about to try... my only worries would be about the edges: they would really need to be neatly fixed to the canvas... that would be no problem with the sandwich method, but I'm reluctant there because of the reasons mentioned above. That was the point when I got stuck... Well, I guess I'll just try and see how this will turn out

You can find rolls of flexible clear plastic at hardware stores...ask for the stuff people use for covering table clothes...it's thin and flexible

You can use plastic film of envelopes transparent window.

Dario

http://www.cmtonline.it/cmtonline.it/VTR-DARIO_CARAGLIO/Pagine/Trattore_Artiglieria_TM_69.html#5

You might try using a piece of foil as a mold and then painting with several layers of clear canopy glue like Testors makes. It dries crystal clear and with care you should be able to peel it off your mold and glue it to the inside of your tarp.

I have used a plastic kit from hardware store to winterize certain windows in my house. You place this thin double side tape around the window frame and then attach this thin plastic sheet that you trim to the size of the window. When its attached you take a hair dryer or hot air gun and carefully shrink the plastic sheet until it is streched tight over tht window. The tape is half inch wide but yuo could cut it into strips, place it around the perimeter of your window cut out then place a piece of this plastic cut to the right size on the tape you wouldn't need to shrink it unless it was too loose and flapped around to much.

Dario, your work is amazing and the window effects are perfect!

Yes, small "isinglass" window panes (as in not optically smooth) can be made using this Testors product.



However for a large rolled up window like the truck tailgate, I would cut and roll the foil, then paint it the canvas color. After it had dried thoroughly only then would I carefully fill whatever window opening that still showed in the rolled foil with the Testors product to represent the flexible clear "glass".

Try clear resin, Roll up the tarp & in the opening pour the resin mix & let dry. I hope this helps, Danny.

Yes, go with an envelope that has a window in it.

What about clear plastic wrap (Saranwrap) for wrapping food?
That would give the proper wrinkly look of the window in the photo.

Thanks for the many replies again! I'll just try a bunch of things and the one that satisfies me the most will be my way to go!

Also thanks for the heads up with your nice pictures!

One more question: with Testors canopy glue do you mean the water soluable "Clear Parts Cement" which is supposedly similar to thinned down white glue?

thats what i was thinking !

Yes, although I don't know how similar it is to white glue--this stuff literally dries crystal clear.