Bits in the garage

I made a couple of minor changes in the garage to make things more convenient.

I added a bike maintenance stand to the exiting bike rack. The clamp was the one I used in my old shed, up to a couple of years ago. 

It fitted in the key clamp tubing and I added an interlocking joint so that it holds in two positions. One for use and one out of the way. The idea came about last weekend because I had a quick task to do that was more convenient on a stand, but setting up the portable stand took almost as long as doing the job.

This arrangement makes quick jobs that little bit easier.

The other bit of tidying up I did was to add a vertical rack for long lengths of steel bar.

I would have preferred a horizontal rack, but that would be harder to fit in.

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Paint brush review for miniatures

I have recently had trouble with a couple of brand new sable hair brushes from very well respected brands. They split into a fork, almost immediately that I started using them.

I'd recently watched a video about how these brushes were made and I realise that a significant part of the manufacturing process is the quality control at the end to weed out those that are just not going to stay in shape. That's the reason for buying a more expensive sable hair brush rather than a mass produced synthetic bristle brush that costs next to nothing.

This is mainly a review of sable brushes for painting miniature plastic figures using acrylic paint. Most of my painting with these brushes is on resin 3D printed 28mm to 32mm figures.

Criteria

My main requirements for a brush for miniature painting is that it has a tip that stays in a sharp point while holding enough paint to work with.

I have plenty of budget brushes which work well but they frequently need care during use to maintain the point.

The Brushes

Based on other people's recommendations, I've bought a number of different brand's sable hair brushes from their series most commonly used for miniature painting. I've ended up with a few different types because my experience of them is not as consistent as the reviews would imply.

They all hold their point for longer than a synthetic brush. My main issue with synthetic brushes is that they invariably end up with a curl at the end. Some sooner than others.

I prefer normal dimension bristles for most work. I find the shorter versions, favoured by some, do not hold enough paint, so I only use them when needed. When I do, this is typically with a size 00 Winsor and Newton Series 7 miniature. The series 7 miniature is not to be confused with the series 7 (not-miniature) that the rest of this testing refers to.

Brush Care

I won't go into detail on this subject, but all the brushes have been well looked after. In use, I try to avoid getting paint beyond the belly. This minimises the paint that gets in to the ferrule which over time, in my experience, is the ultimate demise of most brushes.

The Test

I decided to try out the same paint task with all of the respected brands brushes that I owned in a size zero.

Not a long test, a few details on two figures with each brush.

The Results

To set the record straight at the start, ALL OF THESE BRUSHES ARE GOOD. They are just not as consistent as I would like.

All of the split hairs shown could be reshaped and the brush was then usable again until the next time.

Da Vinci Maestro series 10

• Bristles: Sable
• My experience: Stray hairs almost immediately.

Da Vinci Maestro series 10

This series has a very slightly shorter bristle than the others I tested. A good compromise size between the very small miniature brushes that hold too little paint and the standard size. It might suit those wanting only one brush.

Artis Opus series S

• Bristles: Sable
• My experience: Good point but a stray hair after a short while.

Artis Opus series S

Winsor and Newton series 7

• Bristles: Sable
• My experience: A stray hair and split into a fork after using for a short while.

Winsor and Newton series 7

Raphael series 8404

• Bristles: Sable
• My experience: Nice point but split into a slight fork after being used for a short while.

Raphael series 8404

My biggest complaint with the Raphael brushes that I received, was the sticker. 

Sticker on the Raphael brushes

The sticker was difficult to remove and I could only get rid of the residue with WD40.

Rosemary and Co series 401

• Bristles: Sable blend.
• My opinion: This is the only brush in the test which included some synthetic hairs in the mix. Guess what, the end curled! It also developed a fork.

Rosemary and Co series 401

Rosemary and Co series 401

Unlike the other brushes tested, when dry the bristles on the series 401 separate and do not hold their point. The point forms again when wet.

Conclusion

My expectations are too great!

All of them needed to be cleaned and reshaped from time to time. Despite the limitations I encountered,  my observation is that sable hair brushes form and retain their point with less irritations compared to brushes with other types of bristle.

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Stuck collet block

Always the way. I had a very quick task to turn down a rim on two small inserts. Things did not go to plan.

They started out as 16mm diameter spacers and I needed to leave a 3mm rim on them. The ER32 collet block in the lathe chuck was the obvious choice.

the job was easy enough but the threads bound getting the first one out.

There was no way it was coming off. I hit it with a hammer then added a long bar and all we did was snap the collet nut spanner. Obviously the angle grinder did the trick. With care and a bit of luck, I managed to avoid damaging the collet.

With it apart, where the threads had bound was obvious.

I finished the second one using my R8 mill tool version, held in the lathe chuck. Not ideal, but it did the job.

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Matt clear coat reviews

I made a mistake varnishing some miniatures and they ended up a little bit glossy. I put too thick a coat on. Pretty much any matt spray will end up satin if it is applied too thickly. This got me thinking that it is far too easy to go wrong with matt clear coat.

I decided to try a few clear coats to see which gave the best results.

For as long as I can remember I've struggled to find a matt varnish that I'm happy with. I already had a small selection and I bought a few more to test. The one that gets the best reviews by others, Mr Hobby, was not available, so I have not been able to test that.

I used the figures that were glossy to try out the varnishes.

The photo's did not show the variation in surface finish sufficiently to be of any use in comparing the results. I have looked at the models themselves, carefully, side by side. In the following images, the miniature on the right, with the tuft of grass, is my control, which remains as the glossy mistake..

I checked the instructions for everything I was testing and followed them as closely as possible. All the spray cans said roughly the same. Shake well and spray from about 30cm (12") in thin coats. For my tests I did two quick passes to get a fine mist over the surface.

I've included the hairspray because I had it to hand and it's what I've previously used to help hold grass flock in place.

Results

None of them were as matt as I would have liked bearing in mid that I started with a smooth satin surface.

My testing was very limited, so do not take my results as definitive. I have only tested one can or pot of each and only done one test with each. With that in mind, these are my opinions of the finished surfaces.

Wella Silvikrin Hairspray

• Application: Spray can
• Cost: £
• Result: More glossy.

Hycote Matt Lacquer

• Application: Spray can
• Cost: £
• Result: Slightly matt.

The Army Painter Matt Varnish

• Application: Spray can
• Cost: ££
• Result: Acceptable matt finish, joint best of the batch.

Winsor and Newton Professional Matt Varnish

• Application: Spray can
• Cost: £££
• Result: Acceptable matt finish, joint best of the batch.

Rust-Oleum Crystal Clear Matt

• Application: Spray can
• Cost: ££
• Result: Slightly matt.

Vallejo Matt Polyurethane Varnish

• Application: Brush or airbrush. Tested by brush.
• Cost: £
• Result: Slightly matt.

Xtracrylix Flat Varnish by Hannants

• Application: Brush or airbrush. Tested by brush.
• Cost: £
• Result: Barely matt.

Conclusion

Of the two that gave acceptable finishes, The Army Painter Matt Varnish spray is the best value. I will probably use that from now on.

I prefer the spray nozzle of the Winsor and Newton, but at nearly twice the price including delivery, The Army Painter is the clear choice.

For some finishes a matt that is less matt and more satin may be appropriate. I am likely to use some of the other clear coats specifically for those effects. I'm thinking of steel armour, for one. The Rust-Oleum Crystal Clear Matt is my go to for those surfaces.

In Practice

When using a clear coat to protect model figures, I do two quick passes from the front, the same from the back and usually a single pass from above. Depending on the base finish, I often do an extra layer over the base, trying to avoid getting any more on the miniature. This last step is to help hold the basing materials in place.

Another thing to note is that the finished result does depend on the starting surface. All of the clear coats I have tried are more matt if the original surface is already matt. 

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Modular scenery buildings

I have shown these in previous posts. They are for use with tabletop games with miniatures that are nominally 28mm scale. I have finally had time to package up the CAD files for download for others to 3D print.

At the moment, there are parts available to create gothic buildings or an alien fort.

The components snap together using OpenLOCK clips. This makes for easy storage and lots of possibilities for what shapes the buildings will be.

If you wish to print these yourself, you will need to download all of the generic parts and either or both of the Gothic and Alien fort components.

The Painting Rack is optional, but it makes it easier to support the components on end while, you guessed it, you are painting them.

I chose to paint all of the parts the same base wall colour, so that the Alien Fort and the Gothic buildings have interchangeable generic components.

If these parts are oriented appropriately, all of them will print without support. I print them with a 0.2mm layer height and 8% infill with a 0.4mm nozzle.

Downloads:

CC BY-NC-SA

CAD (mainly STEP not STL) zip files

That_Modular-Set 1 Generic floors

That_Modular-Set 2 Generic walls

That_Modular-Set 3 Ruins

That_Modular-Set 4 Gothic walls

That_Modular-Set 5 Alien fort walls

That_Modular-Set A OpenLOCK clips

That_Modular-Set B Painting racks

Please post a comment if you find these useful.

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Naples trip

We've just returned from a a few days staying in Naples. It is perhaps one of the most vibrant places I have been.

We arrived on Saturday afternoon and the main tourist street was blocked with traffic. There were blue lights in the distance. That is something that we noticed was common over the next few days.

Saturday, and every day that we were in the city, it was full to the brim with peoples, I assume mainly tourists and the trades catering to them. Most side streets had restaurants cafe's or coffee shops. Most of them tiny places, squeezed into every available space.

The old, tourist, district of Naples was noisy and I have to say, untidy. Along with the din of people talking, restaurant and other shop owners encouraging us to frequent their establishment, there was rumble of cars, mopeds and the odd lorry along the uneven cobbled streets.

The streets were full of dips and bumps that made the cars, lorries and especially the vast number of mopeds and motorbikes, take circuitous lines adding to the apparent chaos. The driving was as always described of Italy. It looks and feels like madness, but somehow it works. The locals know the unwritten rules of the road, the horns are frequently used but there is no malice, it's just the way it's done. Crossing the road took a bit of getting used to. At their equivalent of a zebra crossing the cars only stopped if you stepped out in front of them. Mostly they went round you, if they could and only stopped if there was no alternative.

Breakfast in our hotel
Palazzo Doria Suites

On our first evening our hotel had booked an up market restaurant for us to dine at. It took us several loops round where Google maps told us it was and we still had to ask another shop owner where the entrance was. It looked like a tiny tourist shop specialising in pasta. Out the back and upstairs was a tiny, restaurant where we sat at the bar, immediately in front of the two chef's. A good experience and very good food.

We had been recommended to go and visit Giardini La Mortella on the island of Ischia. That's a 45 minute crossing on one of the faster ferries. It was a great view looking across the bay, with Mount Vesuvius on one side.

The first thing we noticed when we landed on Ischia, was how much of a contract to Naples it was. It was clean and presentable and almost organised.

We took a taxi from the port and even then, through the narrow roads, the driving was calm and collected. The driver knew this routine well. He booked himself in for the return pickup. He suggested two hours but we were glad that we opted to push that out to three hours in the gardens.

Back in the town of Ischia we had a few hours to kill. We walked up the main tourist high street and back then settle in at one of the harbour front restaurants for a drink and pizza before we returned to Naples.

Monday we spent in Naples. I have to say, I am not impressed. As a tourist destination it is disappointing. It lacks pretty much anything that we would find interesting for more than a few hours visit. Nothing wrong with what we did find to do. The Catacombs of San Gennaro were very interesting as were the museums but that's about all we could find.

Anyone reading this as a travel guide to Naples, should take note. In my opinion Naples is just the staging point. Doing it again, I would spend all my time on trips away from Naples. The islands, Vesuvius National Park, Pompeii and Herculaneum are all stunning and the places to go.

Entering Pompeii

View across Pompeii

Just before the exit from Pompeii

On Tuesday we had organised with our hotel to be taken to Pompeii and Herculaneum. They had arranged our driver for the day, Luigi and our guide, Federico. By a lucky coincidence, they came from the same town and knew each other from playing in the same football team :-)

View across Herculaneum to the modern town above

Luigi asked us a few questions and then suggested that we go to a vineyard for a wine tasting and meal inside the Vesuvius National Park.

The whole experience at the Cantina Del Vesuvio, with the wine tasting and food against the backdrop of Vesuvius, felt like luxury.

The trip to the outskirts of Vesuvius had made the city of Naples feel a bit dull. We decided that we would like to go on another boat trip, which we did on Wednesday. This time to Capri. We were told that Procida was a nicer island to visit for a day, but the ferry times did not suit us, so we stuck to our plan for Capri. We were very glad we did. 

Capri

We had no real idea of what we would do on Capri, so I'd picked a couple of tourist attractions, apparently within walking distance of the port. I'm glad we opted to get a taxi there, rather than walking. We walked back and it is a 20 minute walk down a very steep path!

We had no idea what to expect from Capri. It was clean and posh, full of expensive looking boutique hotels in art deco style buildings. The streets, mainly alleyways, were interesting just to walk down and experience the vibe.

Sorrento Port

The ferry ride back sent us on a detour. We were told pier 3 but the Naples boat left from pier 4. Our route meant that we spent 20 minutes in Sorrento port and got another ferry from there back to Naples.

For our last day in Naples, we went for a wander. The only thing of note was that we queued for a pizza at, supposedly, the best pizza in Naples.

It was a good pizza, but I'm not sure by who's reconning it was the best.

With our short experience of Naples, I can confirm that there are lots of good places to eat but if I was going again, as I've said above, I would plan to spend all of my time on the islands or the surrounding countryside near Vesuvius.

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