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I must be crazy to bicycle 30 miles for ice cream in weather this hot!

Just a quick update this hot, hot, hot afternoon. I just finished the bronze scabbard tips, sword hilts, white waistbelts, and swordknots on the enlisted men as well as the bronze scabbard tips, sword hilts, silver sashes, hat tape, and sword knots on the NCOs and officers of Freiherr Wilhelm’s Pioneer Battalion. Besides the same sword related stuff, the battalion drummer got silver hat tape and a leather-colored apron too.

My partner in crime on Vancouver Island, Jeff von Saxe-Bearstein, asked several days ago about “hat tape”, and this unit will indeed have it. It just seems to make everything look a little more “finished” I think. Admittedly, this is a tedious step, and it's daunting when one has 30-60+ figures sitting on the table, looking up at you as if to say, "Well, where's our hat tape? Get on with it!"

Fortunately, only one small mistake this time around with and NCOs hat, and the problem was easily corrected by soaking up the misplaced paint with a damp brush. I can't count the number of times I've relied on Jim "Alte Fritz" Purkey's paint removal tip in the last year or so. It's been a real help.

Anyway, all that remains is the white hat tape for the enlisted men, the officer’s saddle cloth, and some nice, reddish-brown for his horse, which will be a “chestnut” this time. Hope to finish all this later this evening after a bike ride and dinner. Then, I can make a few touch-ups, apply the Future floor finish tomorrow, and we are all done. Photo update to follow once all work is completed. Stay tuned!

Comments

Bluebear Jeff said…
Stokes,

It depends upon the sculpting of course, but painting hat tape on most figures is very easy.

Don't use the tip of the brush. Instead run the side of the brush over the top edge of the hat brim.

With most figures this does a very nice job of delivering a nice thin line of paint for the tape.

Give it a try.


-- Jeff
I'm with Stokes - I find the hat tape to be the worst part of the whole painting experience though I confess to also using Jeff's technique for doing it.... :o))

Stokes - can you share with us the paint removal technique you mentioned??

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