Glazing Material

[David Marks 2Participant @davidmarks2]

Currently building a houseboat (1/24 scale) and would like to find some glazing material for the windows in the accommodation area. I do not wish to populate the interior but do wish to illuminate the various areas i.e lounge, bedrooms etc. for night sailing. Therefore the material needs to look like normal glazing, but prevent people looking in but at the same time allow cabin lights to show through to the outside world.

Any help suggestions very much appreciated.

[David Marks 2Participant @davidmarks2]

[BanjomanParticipant @banjoman]

David,

I wonder if it might not be rather difficult to get the effect you are looking for without also having too much of a mirror effect on the outside of the glazing?! At least, I have never come across any full size one-way window glazing that did not present either a smoked or a mirror effect when viewed from the outside.

One alternative might be to put a blind board on the inside of the structure, say, half an inch to an inch or so behind the windows, either just painted dark grey or black, or, if you want create a trompe l'oeil effect, even with a printed image of a cabin interior glued onto it. If you leave it open to the interior below the lower edge, a suitably placed light source should create a light-in-the-window effect without any of the true innards being visible.

/Mattias

Edited By Banjoman on 14/09/2015 09:45:07

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

David. How about just mocking up the interior, and possibly just having a faint smoke tint on the glazing. it would not take a great effort to populate the interior with some simple shapes and so on.

Unless someone looks very hard, the interior will be "suggested" and be seen to be an interior from the pond-side, allowing the windows to be lit up for for fog or night sailing (or woteva)

Ashley

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

What about fitting dummy blinds or curtains? I'm sure people in houseboats wouldn't sail at night without these closed. If you made them of sufficiently thin material then there would be light from inside showing through them.

DM

[ChrisBParticipant @chrisb29081]

If you make the curtains out of gauze, it would allow light through but obscure the inside. Theatre staging reveals are often done this way.

Chris

[Mark Jarvis 2Participant @markjarvis2]

What about window tint used on car windows, when they fit the stuff quite a bit is trimmed of so its scrap, have a word with a local fitting company

Mark

[David Marks 2Participant @davidmarks2]

Many thanks for the ideas detailed. I had already thought of fitting curtains or blinds with a gap to allow some light out. I had not thought of the window tint and as my son is in the garage trade I will get him to make some enquiries and if possible get some surplus material.

I was at the Headcorn show (in Kent) on Saturday. I noted in the model boat village, a model with very realistic looking windows where a mirror or mirror faced plastic had been utilized.

Regards – David Marks

[mike farrellParticipant @mikefarrell21522]

Hi Mark ,Pop into your local toy shop and get a can of Tamyia brown or grey tint spray .Job done as the more paint sprayed on the darker your windows will be .Grandson used it on his Seabring model car Michael

[David Marks 2Participant @davidmarks2]

Thanks Mike. Another option to try.

David Marks

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