Be12b conversion

[NigelR]

Lovely work Paul. You know I am a fan of using oils for weathering, they are much better IMO for representing the weathering effects on fabric areas compared to aggressive preshading. You've done this beautifully on this one. Couple of questions - I assume you apply the oils on the varnished surface, am I correct? And do you apply a final coat of varnish over the oil weathering after it has dried?

[DaddyO]

Hi Nigel

Thanks matey. 
Yes I apply the oils over the varnish coat (In my case I use W&N Galleria varnishes for gloss coat before decals and a thinned mix of satin/matt for coat after decals have been applied) I don't normally apply a coat over the top of the oils. I have occasionally done it over the top wing of a finished model if the finish still looks uneven after several weeks, but usually the oils settle 'into' the acrylic.

[NigelR]

Thanks, similar to how I approach things, I just wanted to check I wasn't missing any clever tricks....

[DaddyO]

Thanks for describing your (subtle) weathering techniques: that is a process which I never seem to get right so therefore I frequently do not bother. 

Progress on this one is excellent - looking forward to seeing it finished.

Stephen.

Apologies Stephen I missed your earlier reply 

Glad to hear that the method was of interest. Do give it a go I'm sure you'll be pleased with the effects.

NB - Rather than thin the paints with turps/white spirit which I've found can lift acrylic varnish if you are too vigorous with the scrubbing/blending action I mix a colour similar to the base tone and apply this first. This gives the effect of a 'thinned' colour which means the new oil paint doesn't stand out too starkly against the base colour and blends out easily. Doing this first gives a thin oil base so when adding more extreme colours they aren't absorbed straight away into the acrylic and can be shifted around easily. Some oil paints are staining and you can end up with a mark where the paint is quickly absorbed when first applied (although the ones described earlier are all okay to apply neat)
I know some folks like to use drying cabinets, but I just bung the model in the display cabinet for a couple of days to let the oils harden. Usually this is the last stage of the build anyway so the model won't get too much handling after applying the oils so the slow drying time isn't an issue.

I understand the new range of oil brushers are faster drying so might be worth a go if you are one of those types who enjoy playing with new stuff, but I still prefer traditional artists oil paints (Most of mine date back to my student days more than 40 years ago and are still good to use)

Paul

[DaddyO]

Yippee - top wing one always feels like a significant moment in a build 

I've managed to get a very slight skew on it, but will be able to pull that out with the rigging lines since it's all a still a bit wobbly at this point.

DSC_2039 , on Flickr

[ColonelKrypton]

Some oil paints are staining and you can end up with a mark where the paint is quickly absorbed when first applied (although the ones described earlier are all okay to apply neat)
I know some folks like to use drying cabinets, but I just bung the model in the display cabinet for a couple of days to let the oils harden. Usually this is the last stage of the build anyway so the model won't get too much handling after applying the oils so the slow drying time isn't an issue.

I find all artists oil paints to be a bit staining. It depends of course on what you have applied them over with the darker pigments being more obvious. Over a gloss varnish much less so than over matt.

I have been playing around with painting models with artist's oil paints. I prime with Mr Surfacer 1500 white which provides some initial tooth for the paint and at this point any colour will "stain".

Not long ago I painted up a Revell 1/72 Fokker DR.I as a test piece, primed as described, light blue under surfaces, streaky olive green/brown, and red. All oil paints. Some detail paint work with Tamiya enamels. I was quite pleased with the results and will be further experimenting. Very different from working with acrylics; kind of like working with enamels but being much more workable. And, all brush painted except the primer.  I have been making a conscious effort to brush paint for the only reason of "because I want to" and it is just another way of exploring different techniques.

I keep telling myself it's not about the destination, but the glory of the ride 

Paul

I agree whole heartedly - see above

the slow drying time isn't an issue.

I understand the new range of oil brushers are faster drying so might be worth a go if you are one of those types who enjoy playing with new stuff, but I still prefer traditional artists oil paints (Most of mine date back to my student days more than 40 years ago and are still good to use)

Fundamental to my use of artist's oil paints in this way is the use of a drier.

VMS sells oil paint driers called VMS Oil Expert https://www.vms-supplies.com/vms-oil-expert

Three different types for matt, satin, and glossy but are all basically the same thing ( I think ). You only need a drop or two and your oils will try to the touch in a few hours and fully dry overnight.

The VMS products are based on a cobalt zirconium base thinned with odourless mineral spirits.

Any decent art supply will likely have something similar and may be easier to source.  I got mine here ( in Canada) https://store.abovegroundartsupplies.com/products/kama-cobalt-zirconium-drier-125ml-50907.html

I have been following all along and it is nice to see this coming together as it should.

cheers, Graham

[PrzemoL]

Congratulations on putting the upper wing. It is indeed a milestone.

[DaddyO]

Some oil paints are staining and you can end up with a mark where the paint is quickly absorbed when first applied (although the ones described earlier are all okay to apply neat)
I know some folks like to use drying cabinets, but I just bung the model in the display cabinet for a couple of days to let the oils harden. Usually this is the last stage of the build anyway so the model won't get too much handling after applying the oils so the slow drying time isn't an issue.

I find all artists oil paints to be a bit staining. It depends of course on what you have applied them over with the darker pigments being more obvious. Over a gloss varnish much less so than over matt.

I have been playing around with painting models with artist's oil paints. I prime with Mr Surfacer 1500 white which provides some initial tooth for the paint and at this point any colour will "stain".

Not long ago I painted up a Revell 1/72 Fokker DR.I as a test piece, primed as described, light blue under surfaces, streaky olive green/brown, and red. All oil paints. Some detail paint work with Tamiya enamels. I was quite pleased with the results and will be further experimenting. Very different from working with acrylics; kind of like working with enamels but being much more workable. And, all brush painted except the primer.  I have been making a conscious effort to brush paint for the only reason of "because I want to" and it is just another way of exploring different techniques.

I keep telling myself it's not about the destination, but the glory of the ride 

Paul

I agree whole heartedly - see above

the slow drying time isn't an issue.

I understand the new range of oil brushers are faster drying so might be worth a go if you are one of those types who enjoy playing with new stuff, but I still prefer traditional artists oil paints (Most of mine date back to my student days more than 40 years ago and are still good to use)

Fundamental to my use of artist's oil paints in this way is the use of a drier.

VMS sells oil paint driers called VMS Oil Expert https://www.vms-supplies.com/vms-oil-expert

Three different types for matt, satin, and glossy but are all basically the same thing ( I think ). You only need a drop or two and your oils will try to the touch in a few hours and fully dry overnight.

The VMS products are based on a cobalt zirconium base thinned with odourless mineral spirits.

Any decent art supply will likely have something similar and may be easier to source.  I got mine here ( in Canada) https://store.abovegroundartsupplies.com/products/kama-cobalt-zirconium-drier-125ml-50907.html

I have been following all along and it is nice to see this coming together as it should.

cheers, Graham

Hi Graham
Thanks for taking the time to read and post. 
Interesting to see you experimenting with using oils to paint with. I've thought about it in the past, but would probably use a base colour of acrylic in a similar way to painting a figure with oils. This allows the natural translucency of the oils to work for you and means you can use a thinner coat which should help avoid brush marks and help with drying. I'll look into the VMS paint drier which I think have been mentioned to me before. Incidentally David Lane (who builds spiffing WW1 aircraft amongst other things) is one of the best oil painters around and it's well worth a look at his figures (He just published an article in the most recent Cher Ami, which is the newsletter published by the WW1 SIG over here in the UK. An excellent read all round and well worth a look. NigelR is current the editor and hopefully he won't mind if I share the link here)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eR9TjvdX7cU6XntdR0K0Iuf8pwpINYqw/view

Congratulations on putting the upper wing. It is indeed a milestone.

Thanks Prze 
It always feels like the battle is won (if not over) when the top wing has been fitted. Getting everything lined up correctly with these two bay jobs is trickier than your average Nieuport. I needed to redrill the hole positions of the rear cabanes slightly to get them looking more upright, but once that was sorted it all dropped into place.

[NigelR]

Good progress here Paul, she is really coming together well.

It was interesting to read Graham's post on oils. I use the oilbrushers quite a lot, they have a good range of muted colours which work nicely for a bit of fabric/paint modulation and they are easy to use. And the starship filth colour is fantastic for creating oil staining discolouration on various surfaces.

No problem about sharing the Cher Ami link, I should probably share that link on here anyway!

[ColonelKrypton]

would probably use a base colour of acrylic in a similar way to painting a figure with oils. This allows the natural translucency of the oils to work for you and means you can use a thinner coat which should help avoid brush marks and help with drying.

That is basically what I am playing around with although my base is the Mr Surfacer White followed by the oils in glaze like applications so I can build up the colour in layers with some variety rather than just a thicker full colour coat. And, I kind of like the look of some subtle brush strokes as it adds a bit of visual interest rather than just one solid homogenous coating. Easy does it though, subtle is the key.

Still pretty basic results so far but I am enjoying the experimenting.

Cher Ami, which is the newsletter published by the WW1 SIG over here in the UK.

I discovered the "The Great War SIG of IPMS(UK) long ago and have immensely enjoyed each issue of Cher Ami that I have found. 

I have a link for the web page for Cher Ami https://sites.google.com/site/greatwarsig/Resources which I check every once in a while for updates and I did note that editorship changed hands with Nigel taking on the post last Autumn.

Thank you for the pointer to the latest issue as it has been a while since I last checked. Something new to print out for a pleasant casual read. I can't stand reading much online - no borders on which to scribble and make notes 

cheers, Graham

[DaddyO]

Thanks Nigel and Graham

For those interested I took a few piccies of my rigging method

Usual superglue medium or thick. 0.2mm PCB drill bits (holes all the way though surfaces) Stretched sprue glue applicator

Rigging 2 , on Flickr

My usual line for 1/72nd models & a black Sharpie to colour the end so you can see it 
I've tried colouring the line with Sharpie (grey and silver) and found that the superglue doesn't seem to stick to the line properly so I've gone back to uncoloured line

Rigging 1 , on Flickr

Short length of line is cut off and the tip coloured with the Sharpie then it is fed through the pre-drilled hole. Once properly in place a spot of superglue is added onto the line and then the line is drawn through till the superglue reaches the hole leaving a short excess in case I need to pull the line tight and re-glue later.
I work inside to outside and do a few lines on each wing so that I can keep track 

DSC_2039 , on Flickr

Once the first ends are fully dry I invert the model and feed the lines through the opposing hole. A self closing tweezer adds a bit of tension and this is left on whilst the line is pulled back slightly out of the hole so that a drop of superglue can be added. Once I think there is enough on the line it is allowed to pull the drop of glue into the hole and left to dry.

Rigging 4 , on Flickr

With luck and possibly a few choice words you'll end up with a 'hairy'plane
Once you checked there are no loose wires the ends can be sliced off flush using a double sided razor blade. A spot of paint is usually enough to fill any holes

Rigging 5 , on Flickr

[DaddyO]

That little rigging exercise took me most of the last couple of days. Doing a few lines at a time then letting the glue harden properly before doing the second end and letting that dry and repeating till I had a full set on each wing (20+ lines without the control lines at this stage)

Rather than do any more rigging I decided to press on with the undercarriage and spend some time today making up the faring for the main undercart (bit boring, but you'll see it later) and the new tailskid made in brass as usual

Be12b Tailskid , on Flickr

Main skid is filed from 1mm brass wire. Bungee cords are wire from a stripped electrical wire + a bit of brass tube and jewelry wire. Rather than solder I used superglue to hold everything together 
I also noticed on some photos that the rear spar that sits on the underside of the fuselage bottom normally has a faring which I'd completely missed earlier so that needed adding as well (Would have been much easier to have done this earlier, but that's the way it goes sometimes) Once the glue has dried I'll use some Mr surfacer to blend it and paint in to match

[Kamil Zoszak]

OUTSTANDING detailing... Paul, you are shinnig star

[ColonelKrypton]

Usual superglue medium or thick.

Once properly in place a spot of superglue is added onto the line and then the line is drawn through till the superglue reaches the hole leaving a short excess in case I need to pull the line tight and re-glue later.

Always some new trick to trigger a spark of inspiration.

I have always been using thin CA. Never thought of using medium or thick. Seemed counter intuitive as that would take too long to set or so my misguided thinking went.

Medium or thick CA and putting a drop on the line and pulling in to place rather than trying to put a tiny drop on the line in the hole on the wing sort of thing making a bit of a mess. Game changer that. Still, that is only half the job and there will still be the need to apply a wee drop in place on the line on the wing.

My monofilament fishing line CA applicators are working well but I am going to try your stretched sprue idea too. Nothing ventured an all that.

 the ends can be sliced off flush using a double sided razor blade.

I have been using what is called a "cutting tweezer" for this task. Picture is worth a thousand words:

https://ak-interactive.com/product/cutting-tweezers-flat-head-pinzas-de-corte-de-cabeza-plana/

The AK product is relatively new on the market. More common than you might think. Used for cutting very fine and delicate wire in the electronics and metalsmithing world. Can be a bit pricey but like any fine tool that is looked after and not abused they will provided good service for a long time.

You might find something on Amazon though eBay or any good jewellery or watchmaker supplier should have them. From inexpensive $ to very expensive $$$

I have used the scalpel and razer blade method before but find these cutting tweezers just as precise and far more intuitive to use.

And, to drag your work in progress back on to subject, your Be12b is certainly looking good and I do like all the brass bits you add.

Now, I need to get off my BFB ( Big Fat Butt ) for awhile and get down into the workshop for a while before Easter Sunday company start arriving.

cheers, Graham

[Alexis]

I admire your ability to still work in a small scale with the details .


Alexis