Some Old School Britains Conversions + question on soldering (1 Viewer)

[Dettingen]

These are some recent projects to fill holes in my lineup. The mounted Crown Equerry is based on the photo in the background of the workbench photo, which is the guidebook I got at the Royal Mews a few years ago. The basic figure is a recast of a Britains staff officer that I got from a gentleman named Bob Walker (Valhalla Miniatures?) back in the 1980s. The Royal Scots Fusilier officer is made from the legs of the Britain's "swain" from the Farm Series and the upper body of a Royal Scot, welded together. The Black Watch officer in undress is a standing Hussar with a piper's head.
My soldering skills are wanting! What wattage of an iron should I have, and what kind of solder would anyone recommend I use on hollowcasts?
I hope that everyone is enjoying the fall weather out there.

 

[Obee]

Good luck with soldiering hollow cast. I've tried but I find that the tin meal just melts, unlike solid figures.

I'd pin the parts and use Supa Glue instead.

John

 

[theBaron]

Soldering can be done; johnnybach used to solder pieces when he reconditioned old hollowcasts, for example. There are also references and articles to soldier in the older books on toy soldiers. And many of the original makers used to attach small pieces to figures using soldering.

Having said that, yes, it is tricky, as John describes. I'm not very good at it, either. I've only soldered figures to bases, and haven't attached anything finer than that. I use a Weller 25W/120V wand-type soldering iron, with solid, lead-free wire solder, .062" diameter, catalog SW0621L, with acid-free flux.

If you want to use soldering as a technique, I recommend practicing on scrap bits until you feel comfortable. But also, I'd look up someone who works on repairing electronic and digital equipment, because soldering is still used on some circuitry. He could give you some pointers.

Hope that helps!
Brad

 

[Dettingen]

Thank you both. I appreciate the specific guidance on the solder, I wil look for that and try it with my 25w iron. You are right about the older books - Donald Featherstone's Military Modeling from 1970 has a really good chapter on soldering but it is unclear what equipment he is describing.

I continue to be amazed at how thin the skins are on most of the hollow cast figures. Just about all of the ones I have ever converted have already been badly damaged, but with how thin the hollowcastings were, it is a miracle that so many have survived.

 

[Al Fisher]

You've taken on quite a project and I wish you luck! Soldering is a skill I've never mastered and, like Obee, rely on superglue as I was tired of ruining figures. Always glad to see someone dong conversions . . . keep it up!

Bosun Al

 

[theBaron]

Thank you both. I appreciate the specific guidance on the solder, I wil look for that and try it with my 25w iron. You are right about the older books - Donald Featherstone's Military Modeling from 1970 has a really good chapter on soldering but it is unclear what equipment he is describing.

I continue to be amazed at how thin the skins are on most of the hollow cast figures. Just about all of the ones I have ever converted have already been badly damaged, but with how thin the hollowcastings were, it is a miracle that so many have survived.

Sure thing!

Regarding how thin the castings are, you point out Britain's breakthrough and big advantage over his competitors-that was the big savings in material and weight, that meant he could produce more figures and sell them at a lower price than the French and the Germans did. The German toy makers were the big suppliers at the time, and hollowcasting really pushed them out of the British market, and the American, too.

And you've probably noticed the quality of the sculpting, too. I've started refurbishing old hollowcasts, taking inspiration from our late johnnybach. And it's really something to strip away the paint and see how finely detailed many of the castings are. The usual factory paint job really concealed that detail. Today's military miniature traces its ancestry back to conversions that hobbyists did back in those days, taking off-the-shelf hollowcasts and repainting them, and adding more details to them.

I enjoyed seeing the photos you've posted so far, and I look forward to more!

Prost!
Brad