The DIFFERENCE is truly in the details

How about real window glass in N-Scale that approaches proper thickness? Our picture is shown with Athern's new N-Scale Ford C-Series Tractor for size and clarity. Imagine being able to bond a thin, clear material using any type of glue, epoxy, or adhesive without worrying about it being attacked (softened or crazed). If you accidentally get adhesive where it doesn't belong, wipe away the excess and wait until the remaining film is dry, then (gently) scrape it off! Try that with acetate or styrene. It can also be painted with virtually any type paint.

Unlike some microscopic cover-glass products, this is manufactured from clear, borosilicate glass which is very superior in strength. This glass has super clarity and is perfectly flat. Each sheet is uniform in size and thickness. It can easily be "scribed and snapped" to required size (see How to... above for details).

.005" Thick Plate Glass

Aluminum Lampshades

&  Escutcheons

.004" Straightened Stainless Wire

Detailed modeling requires precision components. We believe our ultra-fine, super-straight stainless steel wire (shown above with a dime and ordinary straight-pin for comparison) will help move model detailing to a level that was previously unavailable. This wire is custom fabricated to our  specifications to ensure modelers get the highest degree of accuracy and product consistency. Straight to within .002" over its entire 9" length and diametrically consistent to within ± 0.0001", this spring-temper 304 stainless wire has a break-load strength of more than 4 lbs! It can be easily bent and formed without annealing and can be quickly annealed for special wrapping or forming situations. See the How to... link above for details. Prior to straightening, this wire is sized by being drawn through precision diamond coated dies making the surface very smooth and shiny. It may be tiny, but it's easy to see.

Whether creating realistic appearing wiring between telephone poles (a natural appearing "droop" can easily be achieved); antennae for trucks, cars or locomotives, fence wiring, crane cables (with no fuzz and can support weight), model ship rigging, structural support/cabling, or 100's of other possibilities; we think this wire will fit the bill.

Z-Scale enthusiasts: This wire is scale 1" in diameter. Perfect for more prototypical looking railing.

DETAILING AT A WHOLE NEW LEVEL!

Our goal here was to produce a product that would look as prototypical as possible and be able to conform to a wide variety of lighting needs. Unlike others on the market which are either white metal or resin castings, we chose stamped sheet metal like the full-scale original. The distinct advantage (in our opinion) is a very thin cross-section (.005" material), smooth finish, approximate scale diameter and concave shape which will accept lighting products. Our escutcheons (cover plates) create a nice finished appearance for lights mounted on walls or ceilings. (Check out some of the photos above and judge for yourself. The "how to" link above covers the basics on working with these products. Our How to... link above includes a new quick and easy method for putting mounting holes for the tubing in both lampshades and escutcheons. You can view it directly by clicking here.

Z-scale, O-scale & S-scale enthusiasts: Although our shades and escutcheons are identified above as N-scale and HO-scale, many are perfectly suited for your scales as well. Please check-out our scale cross reference guide by clicking on the Scale x-ref link in the More Info table above.

Copyright © 2002, 2003 Ngineering

Last modified: August 09, 2007

NEW - DIAMOND DRAWN & .010" STRAIGHTNESS

Our .012" diameter straightened stainless wire is ideal for using as a forming support for our .018" tubing (N2018). Slide it inside our tubing and it will fully support the tubing wall during the bending process. This is covered in detail in the Forming/annealing link for our tubing.

We have recently redefined the specifications for this wire to greatly improve smoothness and straightness. It is now drawn to size through diamond-coated dies for extra surface smoothness, roundness and diameter tolerance. Straightness is maintained to within 0.010" over the entire length. As a result, this wire is very useful for fabrication of handrails, stair railing, general piping and conduit or anything that requires a 2" diameter scale piping in N-scale. It's also equivalent to 1" in HO-Scale and 2-1/2" in Z-Scale. We supply it in 9-inch lengths, 10 pieces to a package.

.012" Straightened Stainless Wire