Soleil Royal by Hubac's Historian - Heller - An Extensive Modification and Partial Scratch-Build

[Kevin-the-lubber]

41 minutes ago, Bill97 said:

My nails and cuticles look like I have been working in a coal mine

Me and you both, Bill. Same with clothes. I can make a black suit look dirty within 5 minutes of putting it on.

 

Marc, I've used Birchwood and had the same result, it would rub off and become more grey than black. Extrapolating from my welding background, I think you need to clean the surface and blacken  before a new coat of oxidisation can form.  If the brass behaves like sheet, we are talking hours here, not minutes, but neither is it days. (And I could be wrong, it's 40 years since I brazed brass in earnest). This is also where I took to using acrylic pens, the blacks work a treat. I guess you (or I) could also try that old kids trick of letting them soak in brown sauce or anything acidic for a while until they go bright, rinse, then blacken.

 

How did you form the hooks? Whatever your technique, it warrants sharing because yours are so consistent they look machine made. Was it just winding around two pins and cutting to suit?

[Hubac's Historian]

Basically, yes - just two pins spaced just far enough for the wire to pass through.   I cut the wire into 5/8” segments, and I turn up each end with a pair of parallel pliers to form “handles”.  With the wire between the pins, I hand twist both ends in one direction.  Then I use the pliers to grab hold of one end, and I bring that end up, over and through the pins.  I pull hard past the pin and down, so that I get a tight loop.

 

The other end gets wrapped tight and crimped around the second pin.  It looks like a figure-8, when you take it off the pins.  The hook end is easy enough to gauge and nip.  The loop end takes a little practice to get that exact intersecting spot consistently.  Lastly, I press the hook flat between the parallel pliers.  If I needed 75, I made 100 to choose from.

 

So you’re saying that even with a properly cleaned surface, the Birchwood blackening solution has to sit for an hour or two?

 

I had stripped the wire coating with 99%  pure acetone.  The Jax started blackening instantly - so much so that it was creating debris in the solution.  I thought if I left it for any real amount of time, it would just dissolve the wire.

 

I’ll have to head over to BLICK and pick up one of those acrylic pens.  Is there a particular brand you recommend? 

Edited July 10 by Hubac's Historian

[Kevin-the-lubber]

No, don’t let it sit; blacken asap. I have no idea how long it ought to sit for. I first followed the instructions, which was just for a minute or two, then went longer and longer and think I kind of gave up on it after 6 or 7 minutes. I’m sure there must be expert ‘blackeners’ on here that can put both of us straight.

 

My pens of choice are Posca art pens https://www.posca.com/en/discover-posca/history-and-values/#:~:text=Its unrivalled ink%2C whose formulation,“magical” effect of POSCA., but only because that’s what they sell in my local crafts shop and they certainly do the job. But I imagine all acrylic art pens are much of a muchness. I just like how easy it is to get the very effect I expected, but didn’t get, l from the Birchwood blackened. As I may have mentioned elsewhere, I bought spare felt nibs and whittle these to a fine point and/or crush them to make them more like a brush. Just be sure to get art pens, not sharpie type black markers, as the latter go a bit bronze-ish after a little while.

 

You’re doing incredibly well to get those smooth curves with that method. If I understood it correctly, it would be common to get flat spots at the start and end.

Edited July 10 by Kevin-the-lubber

[druxey]

My method of cleaning brass or copper for chemical darkening is to put the pieces in a hot solution of Griffith/Grobet pickle for a few minutes, then rinse. Use tweezers to handle small parts so you don't contaminate them. Use safety precautions when handling pickle, please. I use a small glass jar to hold the solution and place it on a small heating pad that was actually intended to keep a mug of coffee hot!

[Hubac's Historian]

Good tips from all.  Kevin - I think I’ve managed to avoid flat spots because I’m wrapping and stretching around the pin beyond the ultimate cut point.  This way, there is no spring-back in the wire.

[No Idea]

Hi Marc I'm just catching up on your amazing build.  I have used Birchwood and I also had issues with it rubbing off when it was handled.  I did exactly as you using acetone to clean the parts before dipping them in the solution.

 

I then (after) read the instructions and they advise cleaning the part in alcohol (IPA) and then washing this away with water before dipping.  After doing it this way the results were excellent.

 

Keep the updates coming as this is such a fantastic build.

[Hubac's Historian]

Well, I’m happy to report that I finally found success with the JAX.  Across both forums, I’ve gotten a lot of really good advice.  One friend recommended rinsing with common white vinegar, then water.

 

I had that laying around, so I first used an old toothbrush to scale off any loose oxidation into a paper towel.  I water rinsed to get rid of debris.  Then, I let them sit in full-strength vinegar for about 10 minutes.  I swirled the container for good measure.  Then, a final water rinse X2.

 

According to one friend, the key to success whether it is Birchwood or JAX is to dilute the solution; Paul suggested a 1:10 solution of blackening agent to water.

 

With a medicine dropper, I measured out 10 drops of tap water, followed by 1, then 2, and finally 3 drops of the JAX.  The color change was gradual over a five minute period.  I left it for 10 minutes, and the color wasn’t seeming to get any darker, but it was plenty dark enough.

 

Unlike before, there was no accumulation of oxidative debris in the solution.  The parts didn’t look crusty.  I rinsed with water and left them out on a paper towel to dry.

 

Voila!  I can handle them.  The color doesn’t rub off.  It seems as though the key difference is that full-strength solution attacks the metal too aggressively, producing this loose, scaley oxidation.

[Kevin-the-lubber]

That's interesting, I wouldn't have thought to dilute the blackener, though I was going to try soaking some rod in ketchup or brown sauce as a de-oxidiser. I'm sure many on here used to do this with the old copper coins back in the day, to make them look new.

[Ian_Grant]

3 hours ago, Hubac's Historian said:

Well, I’m happy to report that I finally found success with the JAX.  Across both forums, I’ve gotten a lot of really good advice.  One friend recommended rinsing with common white vinegar, then water.

 

I had that laying around, so I first used an old toothbrush to scale off any loose oxidation into a paper towel.  I water rinsed to get rid of debris.  Then, I let them sit in full-strength vinegar for about 10 minutes.  I swirled the container for good measure.  Then, a final water rinse X2.

 

According to one friend, the key to success whether it is Birchwood or JAX is to dilute the solution; Paul suggested a 1:10 solution of blackening agent to water.

 

With a medicine dropper, I measured out 10 drops of tap water, followed by 1, then 2, and finally 3 drops of the JAX.  The color change was gradual over a five minute period.  I left it for 10 minutes, and the color wasn’t seeming to get any darker, but it was plenty dark enough.

 

Unlike before, there was no accumulation of oxidative debris in the solution.  The parts didn’t look crusty.  I rinsed with water and left them out on a paper towel to dry.

 

Voila!  I can handle them.  The color doesn’t rub off.  It seems as though the key difference is that full-strength solution attacks the metal too aggressively, producing this loose, scaley oxidation.

Excellent!  I am about to try it......

[Kevin-the-lubber]

My SR kit has arrived; contrary to expectations, the pressing looks at least as good as that of the Victory, no flash or distortion evident on a quick once over and the hull halves seem to fit together quite nicely. What am I missing? I've always been under the impression that the SR was of a lesser quality than the Victory, which was part of the reason I'd always planned to do this last, when I had more experience?

[Ian_Grant]

More a question of lesser accuracy than of quality, I think. Mine also has very impressive finish and fit.

Edited July 11 by Ian_Grant

[Hubac's Historian]

I generally agree with the accuracy assessment.  I think you will see, though, that when it comes to the lower transom and fully seating home the upper bulwarks, there is quite a bit of fiddling around that needs to happen, in order to get the best joint possible.

[Kevin-the-lubber]

1 hour ago, Hubac's Historian said:

lower transom and fully seating home the upper bulwarks, there is quite a bit of fiddling around that needs to happen, in order to get the best joint possible

Thanks - hopefully not so much that I feel compelled to remake the stern. The Victory has been hard enough!

[FriedClams]

Nice progress, Marc!  Terrific work as always.

 

Gary

[Hubac's Historian]

On 7/11/2024 at 4:44 PM, Kevin-the-lubber said:

Thanks - hopefully not so much that I feel compelled to remake the stern. The Victory has been hard enough!

No, it’s all manageable.  However, Kevin - I understand your compulsions 😁

[Hubac's Historian]

After quite a loooong time, I have finally completed the channel and backstay deadeye chains.  I still have a little black touch-up to do, but most of that is looking pretty ship-shape.  I’m quite relieved to be past that.

 

My sweet spot on this build has been modifying and manipulating the posture of the large figure carvings.  I wanted to get back to doing a little of the work that excites me, and the figures of The Americas and Africa are the final pieces of the ornamental program that I have yet to complete.

 

I have no choice, but to carve Africa from scratch, as Berain’s drawn figure is in such a radically different posture than the kit’s pose.  I’ve roughed-out a blank in cherry, which is quite hard, but will hold fine detail in a small scale.  Depending upon the quality of the finished carving, and whether or not I find it necessary to graft the plastic head onto the wooden body, I may simply apply Danish Oil to the carving as a call-out to the modification work that was done to the model.

 

On the port side, though, for quite a while I’ve been mulling over the potential for adapting The Americas figure.  After all, the kit sculpture is far superior to whatever I could muster from scratch.

 

The main problem is that the stock figure is far too tall to fit within my reduced stern height.  As a refresher: at the start of the project, I cut the top sheer-step away (1/4”), but replaced it by half with a low, long sheer cap-railing (1/8” +), and I lowered the side lantern boxes (1/4”), so that their tops were flush with the sheer-railing.  This nets out to about 3/8” overall height reduction of the stern.  That was how I could ensure that the field backdrop for the tafferal carving of Apollo more closely mirrored that of the Berain drawing.  This was my main priority.

 

The consequence of that choice, if I wanted to recycle the figure carvings, was that I would have to modify them in a way that brought them closer to scale.

 

When I made the quarter gallery drawing, I drew Africa without regard for the position of the quarter pieces (the bust carvings that support the side lantern boxes).  As for those busts, I merely reduced their length from the bottom.  I should, perhaps, have decapitated them to shorten their necks, but I hadn’t thought far enough ahead to see how the figure carvings would relate to them.

 

Here is the fit before modification.  She’s practically making out with the quarter piece:

My plan was to make a series of narrow-kerf cuts across the outside leg, the lower torso, upper torso and neck.

The neck cut followed the re-assembly after the first three cuts because I needed something more substantial to hold onto, while making the neck cut.

 

This worked far better than expected.

You can see what amounts to an overall reduction in height of 3/16”.  This may not seem like much, but it makes all the difference.

 

Post-cut fit:

Although her crown comes up and slightly obscures the face of the quarter bust, at least her face is now below that of the bust.

I didn’t like how the inboard foot is just dangling in the air.  A quick check of Berain indicates that the in-board foot should be swept out-board so that the pierced lattice of the archway is visible.

Considering how much time and effort went into making those archways, I would very much prefer that the lattice work remain visible.

 

With that in mind, I decided to section off the inboard leg, through the groin.

By positioning the leg the way I want it, I can get a sense of the angles at play, and the void that needs to be filled.

With 1/16” styrene fillers glued to each mating surface, I could then begin the process of fettling the joint, until I get that foot to rest where I want it to.

The resulting re-join is highly imperfect seeming, but all of that extra plastic will be carved away and detail added back to provide the visual continuity that is so lacking, at the moment.

 

After fairing:

Now, I can fair her seating position along her under-carriage.

 

There are only three tenuous connection points: the outboard ankle, her seat, and the inboard shoulder with the quarter piece.  I decided to add a few steel pins - one to the ankle and one to her seat.

 

I also want to pin through the inboard shoulder, into the quarter piece.  The pin locations drilled:

The one for her seat was really tedious to drill because the quarter piece and lantern box prevented me from using a pin vise.  I had to trap the top of the micro bit with the fore-fingernail of my off-hand, apply pressure, and turn the bit with my other thumb and fore-finger.  This was a real test of patience, and I managed to not break away the archway.

 

For the shoulder pin, I’m using .035 styrene rod:

You can see how I had to flatten the fore face of the shoulder and bicep, so that the figure would nestle-into the quarter piece.

 

And, so, the un-modified figure before (I have an extra):

And After:

This figure now is in proportion with Europe and Asia, above, and matches the height of my Africa figure (not pictured).

 

I will paint the figure and glue her ankle, seat, and shoulder.  The shoulder pin has to be inserted after the figure is in-place, which is why I chose styrene for that pin; I can easily trim it, fair it, fill with putty and re-paint after installation.

 

Thankfully, I realized that the angle of the arm needs to be modified a little, in order to wrap around the quarter piece.  I will position the arm after the carving is secured, to ensure exact placement.  You can’t, after all, maneuver the two steel pins into place, with the arm on because you need a little wiggle room to get around and up against the quarter piece.

 

The figure will be grey-washed white like Europe and Asia, and I will probably do Citadel green wash for her skirt, with highlights of bright gold.

 

I will soon get back to the rigging of the main deck guns.  Thank you all for your likes, comments and continued interest.

 

Best regards,

 

Marc

Edited August 28 by Hubac's Historian

[yancovitch]

creative detailing on an atomic level 😁......you tread where i would fear to tread......sheesh.....

[Bill97]

Absolutely incredible Marc!  Your attention to the small details makes following your build such a pleasure. One thing I find so impressive is how clean your work is. Even for the uneducated viewer, who does not know the Soleil Royal history and design, the precision of your work is awesome. I from time to time zoom in on parts of your photos in amazement. No uneven paint lines. No glue residue. Perfection at its highest level. That is an element I am really working to improve on my builds. Regardless of the nautical accuracy, I want to really perfect my builds sharpness and cleaness ( if that is a word). I press for that in my furniture building and want that in my model building. 

[yancovitch]

right on!!!.....ha...i spend half my time correcting my mistakes due to impatience, and cleaning messes i should nor have made in the first place.....😁

[Hubac's Historian]

Thank you, Bill.  It is all just time spent.  There is almost always some glue squeeze out.  I always carefully scrape it away.  Recently, in fact, a little CA crept under my masking tape and spoiled a bit of my ventre-de-biche color along the lower two decks of artillery.  This really sucks when this area becomes blemished because it is very difficult to match the color and tone of the repair to the surrounding area.  It came out okay.

 

As for wavy lines - I have a steady hand.  However, there have been countless rounds of re-touching, as my eye picks out various things that could be improved upon.  All of it is just time.  I have found that I literally get out of it what I put into it, effort-wise.

 

I appreciate the thought, though.

Edited August 29 by Hubac's Historian

[Kevin-the-lubber]

4 hours ago, Hubac's Historian said:

It is all just time spent

But it’s not, really, is it Marc. I think all of us are as one in recognising you have a talent that many of us don’t, and while we may attempt the same, there’s no guarantee that spending more time will yield the same result. You are an artist, it’s as simple as that, and it is always - absolutely always - a pleasure to watch an artist at work. As mentioned elsewhere, watching yours and John Ott’s work on this model is like doing the very best arts degree going. People pay to learn this stuff! 

 

Anyway, enough of the praise 😀, down to business. That is such a well observed change, the remodelled figure now flows with the rest of the decor in that area and just looks right. I’d love to see a side-on view as well, when you have time and inclination.

[shipmodel]

Hi Marc - 

 

Back in the city for a few days and had the time to catch up on your incredible build.  All of the figures are so lifelike and posed so naturally.  Your talents are so great, why aren't you making tons of money doing maritime paintings?  No one ever got rich making ship models.  LOL

 

Sorry you had trouble rigging small blocks.  If you intend to fully rig the ship you will be doing it again and again, and again, . . . and again . . . . .

I have found that the Helping Hands type of tool is, in fact, quite a help.

I add a light spring and a small alligator clamp to one side, which keeps the eye splice, block, stropping rope, and any hook or thimble together and under tension so they can be worked on.

Here are some photos, which are really self explanatory - - - 

You can use the same setup for a wide range of sizes.  The block in the last two photos is 2mm long.

I hope it makes sense and helps.

 

Dan 

 

 

[druxey]

Marc; by now you must be a qualified plastic surgeon. Well done on the figure modification!

[Hubac's Historian]

Gentlemen, thank you all for the likes and the kind comments.

 

Kevin, I will say that all of the yellow ocher applied to this model really improved my steadiness because I thinned the paint enough to ensure no brush strokes, so everything had to be gone over 4-5 times for color saturation.  After a while, you get really good at it.  Per your request:

Dan, if only I could make money on my talents.  I am far too slow to make that a reality, though.  I will be picking up a set of the alligator hands, though.  They seem indispensable for the hobby.

[No Idea]

Your attention to detail is simply mind blowing - wow

[Hubac's Historian]

Touch-ups on this figure still need to happen, but she’s securely pinned and cemented in-place.

 

Given that this figure represents The Americas, I thought her garb should be gold accented greens and earth tones.  She’s wearing a palm frond skirt and crown.

 

Weirdly, while the brown enamel wash that I use is still perfectly fine, the grey wash pigment seems to have cured in the jar, despite there being a generous amount of solvent present.  I mixed this for a long time, and it looked good after wiping off the excess.  However, long after it had dried, the surface film appears to be reactive with my finger oils, creating an ugly, dirty/crusty appearance.  Fortunately, this wiped off pretty easily with a Q-tip.

 

After touchups of the white, I’ll have to experiment with the Tamiya grey and solvent that I have in my stash.

And with the arm in-place:

On the whole, I’m very happy with how this all turned out.  I consider this surgery a success!

 

Thank you all for looking-in.

 

 

[FriedClams]

Marc - that is just so darned beautiful.  Wonderful detail and colors!

 

Gary

[md1400cs]

Marc,

Been away from fro a while - just catching up -- As Gary said just above --- INDEED....

 

Regards,

[Hubac's Historian]

Thank you all for your likes and kind comments.  As was the case with the chains, I’ve been experimenting and taking my first baby steps with rigging techniques.

 

Specifically, I’ve been learning to strop 2mm single blocks for my main deck haul-out tackles.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, I will not use scale rope for these, as the line gauge is fine enough to get away with much cheaper thread, of which I have an abundant supply.

 

Abundance is what I have needed, here, because I have tried a number of different approaches to both minimize any space between the hook and block, while also stropping the block in a neat and tidy fashion.

 

I was really struggling on that front.  And, that’s when I decided to consult with two of my favorite plastics builders: Michael D and Daniel Fischer.  Both are outstanding at creating very correct looking rig, using ingenious technique in relatively small scales.

 

I need 24 of these single block tackles for the visible guns that will be rigged.  I had made 9 that were variously unsatisfactory.  Dan’s Victory log is particularly illustrative of small things I could do to achieve better results.

 

Initially, I was using two overhand knots (alternating from one side to the other), with the finest linen thread I posses, in order to strop the hooks.  With a spot of CA, and the help of a simple pin jig to hold the block, I’d center the hook on the block and smooth the line into the groove until the CA set.  Then, I’d use the same linen thread and an alternating overhand knot technique to seize below the block.  A spot of CA seals the seizing and I nip the excess clean.  This was my best result using this technique:

It’s okay, but I wasn’t really happy with it.  From Daniel, I realized I could secure the hook with one overhand knot and then secure at the top of the block, as before.  Now, while Dan often employs the alternating knot technique for simple seizings, he often uses fly-tying thread which, I am given to understand, flattens out as you wrap it.  Dan’s simple seizings look great, and I think the flattening aspect of this type of line is the key.

 

So with those tips in mind, I tried again.  Using a binder clip to keep the strop ends taught, I found that I could do a single overhand knot close to the block, followed by six conventional wraps to get a seizing that looked proportional:

Now, I will be buying a set of alligator hands, as Dan Pariser previously suggested.  I will also pick up some fly-tying line to experiment with.  For the time being, though, this is both manageable and repeatable.  Here is a side by side comparison:

Now that I have an approach that I like, I dipped all of the previous tackles in acetone, so that I could salvage my blocks and hooks:

Any remaining glue residue brushes away with an old tooth brush.

 

Well, it isn’t much, but it is progress of a sort and I feel good about it.  Thank you all for looking in!

[Kevin-the-lubber]

Method 2 is much better, isn't it. One of the many reasons I parked the CS was that my knots were plain ugly and you've saved me some hours of research for when I try rigging again.