Into my inbox popped this email……..

‘Great job Jeremy.  Love the fix on the leg joints.  I was a little concerned, but like you said, hardly noticeable.  Once again, thanks for great job.’

Hi Jeremy,
Hope you had a good holiday and the weather suited you. I have attached a few photo’s to show the model on it’s base, and all I did was sand a hole for the plastic stand so the legs of the model just rest on the Lunar surface. So with my effort to find you and your splendid effort to restore it we’ve saved a rare model which can’t be bad.

Best wishes

Allan

‘Houston, Tranquility Bay here, the Eagle has landed’

‘Roger Tranquility, we copy you on the ground’

5″ Britannia on the SMET track

2″ scale Fowler at Dundee Transport Museum

Purchased last year, I have found this the most fantastic camera for taking very good quality video.  I have fixed it to my various live steam models (5″ gauge steam locomotive and 2″ scale traction engine) for footplate views.

Not the steadiest of platforms when moving which makes the results even more incredible, such steady films for posterity.

The other evening I hit a technical glitch when transferring the files from the camera to my computer.  Mid transfer the GoPro froze, the computer flashed up the message ‘USB device not recognised’.  Disconnecting the GoPro it refused to turn off or do anything, the two arrows indicating file transfer remained frozen in the window. On this model access to the battery did not seem possible and removing the SIM card and then replacing it did nothing either.

The GoPro website did not provide any solution either.  Consternation, choice language and depression.  Have I lost my latest clips??  As it was still under the guarantee I got the receipt out ready to take to the shop for exchange.

As I could not turn the darned thing off it remained on overnight.  When I checked it in the morning the battery had discharged and the screen was now blank (obviously!).  I decided to reconnect to the computer and see what happened.  Yeah! It sprung into life and completed the downloads.

The reason for posting this?  It may help someone else if they have the same issue or similar.  Let the battery discharge and then see if on recharging it reboots itself.

A wonderful camera.

In June 2012 I questioned why modellers chose to remain uncredited for their painstaking work unlike artists who invariably sign theirs.

An article appeared in the 12th July issue of The (Dundee) Courier magazine about the recent sale of a model of the ‘Charlotte Dundas’ by the Australian auctioneer, Leonard Joel Auctions of South Yarra.  Apart from the staggering price what struck me was how well documented the provenance of the model was.  Not only were the builders named, but the source of the material was identified too.  For me this made a refreshing change that for once the builders gain recognition for their work.

Without this documentation I wonder what it would have fetched.  The usual £50 to £100 as a dusty relic no longer loved?

To read more about it follow these links to the Auctioneers website:

Leonard Joel Auctions of South Yarra

One of the delights of my restoration work is opening my ‘inbox’ and reading an unexpected update from a previous client.  Just such a thing happened the other Friday;

“Dear Jeremy,

I expect you’ll recall about two years ago restoring the galleon which was made by my grandfather.

Once it arrived back in Chobham it was kept safely in its box, having first been admired. At the time we were embarking on a kitchen extension which became a protracted project, dogged with difficulties and plagued by problems. Part of the scheme was to block the old exit to a first floor balcony (which was enclosed to become the extension) and my husband designed a feature for the old door space which we hoped would do justice to the galleon. The attached photo shows you its final resting place, which I hope you will feel displays your work well. We had considered covering it with a glass dome but decided it should be seen in its natural glory. Needless to say it’s my job to do the dusting!

I thought you’d like to see where it ended up and hope that you approve.

With best wishes and thanks once more,  Sheila Catchpole.”

Read about the original restoration

When I wrote the first blog on this topic I concentrated on how to keep the paint finish on ones model in good condition.  I was interested to read that the Merchant Navy Locomotive Preservation Society (MNLPS) have a new regime for keeping their already spotless locomotive’s paint sparkling.  They wash it down with warm water and a suitable car wax to remove the grit and grime and avoid using dirty oily rags like the plague.  A method I would wholeheartedly endorse.

A mirror smooth finish?

Blemish free platework?

Modellers strive hard for the perfect, blemish free finish on their models.  Mirror smooth metal work and paintwork gleaming brightly.  Museum models are precise and pristine.  Prize winning models at exhibitions are flawless.

For the day to day work horses reality is different so why if we are modelling one of these do we spend time producing an unrealistic finish?

Pass the Isopon P38 filler please!

My restored model of the the steam yacht ‘Elizabeth Morag’ came in for some ribbing over the planish marks on the copper hull; “You should have filled it with Isopon and rubbed it smooth.”  Show me a plated and riveted hull which is smooth.  Even a welded hull has ripples across it which can be seen clearly in certain lighting conditions.  The only truly smooth hull I can think of is on the Royal Yacht ‘Britannia’ and John Brown spent a lot of effort achieving that finish.

The perfect deck?

William Mowll in his book HMS Warrior 1860 makes the point on page 53 when he writes about ships planking.  I would suggest his opening sentence ‘The question of decking on model ships and boats is a paradise for critics.’ He basically says in real life there is no such thing as a perfect deck so why put one on the model.  This is applicable in many other areas.

I am not condoning sloppy or careless work, but unless you are modelling a Rolls Royce I am suggesting that a perfect, blemish free finish is unrealistic.

Okay, perhaps this is going a bit too far!

This last one illustrates a museum’s approach to preserving as much of the original as possible. Personally I think this is too much the other extreme and just shows neglect after it came out of use.  The original manufacturers and owners of the engine would be appalled!

Have been asked to restore a clock that was constructed by the owners father as a school project.  The mechanism is brass and from a much earlier clock as revealed by the brass pendulum bob which is inscribed ‘St Paul’s Church’ and the rear of the mechanism body which is further inscribed with the names and dates of previous services.

The wooden body is mahogany and has been adapted from something else whilst the face has been hand made and painted by the father.  When newly completed it would have been a very comendable school craft project.

It is the face of the clock wherein lies the restorer’s dilemma.

It didn’t strike me at first, but on closer examination something was not right.  It was then that I discovered the number sequencing on the outer part of the dial was wrong.

Time Stands Still

From the top it went 60, 5, 5, 15, 20, 25, 30 etc.

Here is the question; do I restore the dial ‘as is’ complete with error or do I correct it?  The owner was unaware of the problem (a question of the brain seeing what it wanted to see?), but has said they will leave it up to me!

This occurs time and time again when restoring someone elses work, do you rectify errors or restore them?

As theses items are rarely required for historical accuracy, but for the pleasure of the owner, then often the errors add to the charm of the model or item.

So, what to do in this case?  Well, I think the solution is to conserve the exisitng dial as it is part of the clock’s charm.  If the owner decides they want a correct dial then I shall make them a new one and they can keep the original for posterity.

As long as no one thinks the conserved error is actually an error on the part of the restorer!

Just returned from a visit to the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.  Principally this was to see the new museum for the Mary Rose and as an ‘extra’ a visit to HMS Warrior.

As expected the Mary Rose was fantastic.  It lived up to and exceeded my expectations.  Too often I am disappointed by what I call ‘Mickey Mouse’ museums which have been dumbed down in the name of progress (sorry, but I include the recently refurbished SeaCity museum in Southampton under this category).  The Mary Rose Trust have excelled themselves and I thoroughly recommend it.

A Wonderful Job

The restored HMS Warrior was another breath taker. The detail that has gone into recreating the ship is astounding.  The quality of the work is such that you could believe it had never spent its time as a derelict mooring barge.  One of my lasting impressions was just how big and solid it felt when on the main deck.  What a shame as a nation we have not preserved one of our World War Two Battleships, that would be truly awesome.

Undressed?

HMS Victory on the other hand was looking very much the very poor relation as she is in the middle of her major refit.  Ships are referred to in the feminine tense and when one gazed upon her I couldn’t help thinking that it felt like I had caught her in the middle of getting dressed.  Weird.

Beautiful Job!

However, the unexpected jewel (for me anyway) had to be the 1:48 scale model of HMS Warrior in her glass case in the Dockyards main entrance lobby.  This was totally unexpected and was quite unlike all the other large scale builders models I have seen over the years.  No matter how grand the builders models are somehow they come across as just that, models.  Perhaps it’s the too perfect paintwork or the gleaming brass work that makes them look unrealistic.

Midships

Stern Detail

The model by William Mowll seems to have captured the soul of the real thing.  It looked impressive and I am sure that if it was seen on the water under steam and sail it would look as if it meant business.  A powerful, purposeful beast if ever there was one.

A credit to the builder.  I hope my pictures do it justice!