Restoration Of Antique Britains (1 Viewer)

[beating retreat]

Hi Just thought Id post some pics of some antique Britains I recently restored for a commission, the brief was to strip and replace heads and arms where necessary to make set 139 French Chasseurs circa 1914> The Officer was originally a French infantry officer so head and arm needed replacing.

Regards John

Shows how figures arrived prior to stripping ,it appears that someone decided they would look good with American Indian tomahawks

After stripping and spares added

The completed figures

 

[1879fanatic]

Very nice job! They look super!
Mike

 

[thebritfarmer]

Beautiful John, nice to see them back to their former glory.

 

[Njja]

Oh boy, yet another talented guy!

What an excellent job!

You have certainly brought them back to life!

How nice it would be to have half your ability!

 

[DMNamiot]

Hi There,

Those are great but could you go into more detail on the methods you uesd for removing paint and changing heads etc. i have a few figures that I want to work on and could use the advice on what you used to strip them to bear lead. You do very good work.

Dave

 

[1879fanatic]

Hi There,

Those are great but could you go into more detail on the methods you uesd for removing paint and changing heads etc. i have a few figures that I want to work on and could use the advice on what you used to strip them to bear lead. You do very good work.

Dave

Good idea Dave! Jeff was saying he used petrol rags but I don't know if that was for cleaning or stripping... I'd love John to mention some of his expert tips on both stripping to bare metal, and cleaning to paint over existing....John, Please
Mike

 

[aujj65]

Good idea Dave! Jeff was saying he used petrol rags but I don't know if that was for cleaning or stripping... I'd love John to mention some of his expert tips on both stripping to bare metal, and cleaning to paint over existing....John, Please
Mike

Mike, that's only for cleaning Bernard's figures!!

A gel type paint stripper, followed by a good wash in boiling water and a rinse and dry is how I strip old paint.

Jeff

 

[1879fanatic]

Mike, that's only for cleaning Bernard's figures!!

A gel type paint stripper, followed by a good wash in boiling water and a rinse and dry is how I strip old paint.

Jeff

Got it! Bernard is special!
Mike

 

[Leadmen]

Very nice restoration work John. Thanks for posting pics and information.

 

[Roustam]

Pine Sol is a great stripper......then wash in warm soapy water.
Russ

 

[Al Fisher]

I used to use PineSol, but . . . being an asthmatic . . . found it very hard on the lungs. Switched to Simple Green and have found it to be even better paint remover but still a bit tough on the respiratory system. I stongly suggest wearing a suitable mask for both.

Al

 

[beating retreat]

Good idea Dave! Jeff was saying he used petrol rags but I don't know if that was for cleaning or stripping... I'd love John to mention some of his expert tips on both stripping to bare metal, and cleaning to paint over existing....John, Please
Mike

I used Nitromors gel paint stripper and a good wash with warm soapy water, with antique Britains or other hollow cast figures I always use Milliput to block up the blow holes or any other holes that would allow the stripper inside the casting, yes it does come off when you wash the figure but works well until then.

With antique figures I leave casting lines and flash on to be authentic to the true toy style, then any repairs that need doing are completed. I use both gel super glue or two part epoxy resin to glue pieces in position depending on the piece, any filling can be done afterwards with milliput or similar, a useful material Ive recently discovered is Vallejo acrylic putty, its white and can be applied and smoothed over with a moist paint brush, it dries water proof and is brilliant for tiny annoying gaps, I even use it to build up facial hair on a figure.

The final paint job on these was done primarily with a couple of thin coats of Humbrol matte white enamel as a primer and then painted in my usual way with Vallejo acrylics and Model Paints acrylic gloss varnish. The black horses however were treated a little differently this time, I use Vallejo matte acrylic black on top of the Humbrol primer but then use Humbrol gloss black enamel to finish off the horses it comes up really smooth and glossy and does not run due to the paint biting into the matte black acrylic underneath.

Regards John

 

[1879fanatic]

Al, Jeff, Roustam, and John,
Thank you guys for your responses, and giving me your tips on doing things the right way. I will certainly try my best.
Mike

 

[Roustam]

Al,

Thanks for the suggestion of Simple Green.........great stuff. I'll give it a try.
Russ

 

[Whistlinghen]

I used to use Fantastik but discovered Simple Green works as well or better and is presumably better for the enviroment. I like to stop up the holes in the heads, tails, and sometimes stands with a little bit of melted beeswax as I'm not sure what effect the detergent has on the lead in regards to lead rot. I soak it for 24, rinse it well in warm water, remove the wax, and hang it so that it can drain for a day in a warm place just to make sure any moisture can get out. Up here in the Pacific Northwest, it's pretty damp, and everything seems to get moldy, oxidized, or warped pretty quickly-and what's left over, the mice eat. I may end up just coating all my figures in Cosmoline - Cheers, Emily

 

[1879fanatic]

I will check out Simple Green... We have some at the office...And I have some crappy 24th figures to clean. Thanks
Mike

 

[Cardigan600]

Got it! Bernard is special!
Mike

Yo Troopers lol, and dont forget it. But back to John's work which we know is superb, and even though they look a hundred times better than the originals, the sad fact is once you touch a Antique Britains piece with a paint brush the word ANTIQUE disappears forever. Jeff has repainted a few sets of Old Britains for me, to create a Cavalry Regiment Britains never made. But unlike a piece of antique furniture which can be restored and not lose its value, its really frowned on by the Toy soldier world. They will never command a high price in the market, even though they are superb and correct uniforms, unlike Britains which are rubbish painted with incorrect uniforms. But as they say thats the way the mop flops sadly.
Bernard.

 

[beating retreat]

Yo Troopers lol, and dont forget it. But back to John's work which we know is superb, and even though they look a hundred times better than the originals, the sad fact is once you touch a Antique Britains piece with a paint brush the word ANTIQUE disappears forever. Jeff has repainted a few sets of Old Britains for me, to create a Cavalry Regiment Britains never made. But unlike a piece of antique furniture which can be restored and not lose its value, its really frowned on by the Toy soldier world. They will never command a high price in the market, even though they are superb and correct uniforms, unlike Britains which are rubbish painted with incorrect uniforms. But as they say thats the way the mop flops sadly.
Bernard.

Hi Bernard I agree entirely with what you are saying and would never touch original Britain's paintwork, of my own But in this case These had been messed about with anyway and their value was considered by the client to be low and he felt it was time to do something with them. wait till you see the other set he wants me to do

Regards John

 

[skeeterbuck]

I used Nitromors gel paint stripper and a good wash with warm soapy water, with antique Britains or other hollow cast figures I always use Milliput to block up the blow holes or any other holes that would allow the stripper inside the casting, yes it does come off when you wash the figure but works well until then.

John, have you ever given any thought to soldering the holes over? That way you don't have to worry about any water/stripper getting inside the figure. This has worked for me in the past. Just a thought.

Chuck

 

[beating retreat]

I used Nitromors gel paint stripper and a good wash with warm soapy water, with antique Britains or other hollow cast figures I always use Milliput to block up the blow holes or any other holes that would allow the stripper inside the casting, yes it does come off when you wash the figure but works well until then.

John, have you ever given any thought to soldering the holes over? That way you don't have to worry about any water/stripper getting inside the figure. This has worked for me in the past. Just a thought.

Chuck

Hi Chuck Good point, but I wish I had the courage to solder, last time I did I was left with a blob of metal,since then Ive shied away from using solder again especially on other people figures

Regards John