Category: Blogs

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Introducing The Pea Hive, our new resident resin art and jewellery maker

SylCreate have announced an exciting new partnership with The Pea Hive who create unique, hancrafted resin art and jewellery

Handcrafted art and jewellery made from resin is more popular now than it has ever been. At SylCreate, we find it fascinating to see how customers use our Polycast Casting Resins and what it is that they do with them.

There is always more to be learnt, however. And to better understand the growing world of resin art, we decided to seek an expert. A resident resin artist who uses SylCreate products to create special items and who might be willing to share some of their secrets with our customers. We found ourselves The Pea Hive.

The Pea Hive was set up in 2019 by Loz and the company have been creating custom art and handcrafted jewellery ever since. Originally, Loz sold her products through Etsy but she has recently moved The Pea Hive to a dedicated website. You can check it out at ThePeaHive.co.uk.

Loz has been an artist since she was very young. She had her first piece exhibited at the age of 10 in Stockport Art Gallery and in 2014, she held her first solo portrait exhibition in London.

She has illustrated numerous children’s books and provided artwork for animated music videos in the United States prior to launching The Pea Hive.

The business is run from Loz’s home – or the ‘Hive’ as she calls it – a few miles down the road from SylCreate HQ here in sunny West Sussex.

Although Loz is very much the creator and design director, everyone else at the Hive gets involved to help with the production process. A lot of time, effort and love goes into it.

When you buy from The Pea Hive collection, you know you getting a truly unique item. Loz only makes one of each piece, which is all part of the appeal. These products are not mass-produced, they are handcrafted.

If you happen to find an item which you just have to own but it is already sold out, then Loz will often take requests and custom-make you your own version. It is a personal touch which explains why The Pea Hive is so popular with its customers.

Speaking about her resin art and jewellery, Loz says, “I am inspired by nature; particularly woodland, forests and the ocean.”

“There is also the materialistic side of me that loves bold, bright colours, glitter and solid shapes. When creating and designing a piece I keep all of these facets of inspiration in mind.”

“Don’t be surprised if one piece or collection completely differs to another – I am always keen to try new materials and techniques.”

Thanks to our new partnership, those materials and techniques will now be coming direct to SylCreate. Loz will be providing us with hints and tips as to how she creates her resin art and jewellery and the SylCreate products that she uses in the process.

You will be able to watch her videos, buy the same casting resins and silicone moulding rubbers that she uses direct from us and have a go at creating your own pieces of unique resin art and jewellery.

If you have ever wanted to attempt mould making and resin casting yourself, then Loz is the teacher who can help get you started.

You can also purchase completed jewellery and resin art from The Pea Hive collection over on ThePeaHive.co.uk. Loz’s items make great gifts for a partner, family or friend or you might just fancy keeping one for yourself.

We are looking forward to working with The Pea Hive over the coming weeks and months, learning from Loz about the finer points of resin art and seeing what eye-catching creations she makes using the SylCreate range.

Buy any 2kg kit of Polycast Casting Resin in August and we will include a free 20g High Viscosity Superglue, a resin injection syringe, a SuperCup 400cc mixing cup, a pair of large nitrile gloves and two wooden stirrers with your order.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Relighting a 19th century lantern with an epoxy putty-led restoration

A 19th century lantern restoration carried out by the team at SylCreate using epoxy putty and a metal profile

One of the most exciting parts about a restoration project is the rabbit hole you can find yourself going down when you dig into the history of the item you are repairing – as we found out when fixing a 19th century lantern made by an Arthur J. Poole.

The lantern arrived at SylCreate HQ needing a replacement latch made and a new candleholder created. It looked like it had come straight from the pages of a Charles Dickens’ novel; Miss Havisham herself probably prowled around the grounds of her decaying mansion with this exact lamp in Great Expectations.

There was only one way to find out where it had come from for sure, of course – Google (or an alternative search engine of your choice). And so, we typed in the name Arthur J. Poole – inscribed on a plaque at the top of the lantern – hit search and found ourselves spending a considerable amount of time delving into a past full of Victorian industry. This ended up being a particularly big rabbit hole.

Born in 1848, Arthur J. Poole was a Birmingham lamp maker of some distinction. He employed four men, five boys and two women in his factory at 25 Pershore Street, a stone’s throw away from where the Bullring shopping centre sits in the modern-day second city.

Judging by the number of different lamps that bear his name listed on auction sites across the world, he must have been an extremely busy man. As well as a wide selection of lanterns designed to hold candles such as the one sitting in our office, Arthur J. Poole made naval maritime signal lamps capable of transmitting Morse code, lanterns for police offices and lamps for use on the railways. He even had a side-line in copper coal buckets.

At a guess, the lamp we were fixing would have been made in the 1870s or 1880s. Given that it was candle powered, it almost certainly would have pre-dated the use of paraffin as a household fuel. Being well over 100 years old, it goes without saying that the lantern had seen its fair share of dramas – and yet it was still in remarkably good condition. Testament to the craftsmanship of Arthur J. Poole.

So, to the restoration of our 19th century lantern. A new latch was required as at some point in the previous 150 years, the original had fallen off. Having a lantern door that can open at will, whenever there is a breeze or the user swings the device a little too enthusiastically is problematic as it can result in the candle blowing out. Which is the last thing you want to happen if Bill Sikes or Fagin are around.

The other task centred around the candleholder itself. It is not just cars, waistlines and the price of pints which have grown since 1870; candle sizes have too. A combination of larger, heavier candles and the passage of time had seen the original candleholder installed by Arthur J. Poole sheer into two pieces. A new part therefore had to be created which could reattach the existing base used to hold the candle in place to the fitting within the lantern.

Only two products were needed for both jobs – epoxy putty and a metal profile. The candleholder was the most straightforward part of the 19th century lamp restoration. Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty was hand-kneaded to create a candle-like shape which could fit in the existing holder.

As well as being easily moulded into shape, the putty offered high-strength adhesion. The newly-made fitting could be easily attached to the base of the plate upon which the candle sits. The putty cured relatively quickly with a work time of around three minutes. Just before it was set, it was pushed into the existing candleholder inside the lantern to ensure that it offered a tight fit.

A 19th century candle holder inside a lantern which was repaired using epoxy putty
The damaged part which previously held the candleholder in place
Epoxy putty used to repair a candleholder, part of a 19th century lantern
Epoxy putty was used to create a new part for the candleholder, allowing it to slot seamlessly into place within the lantern
The candleholder successfully repaired. The new part offers increased flexibility when it comes to which candles are used inside the lantern

Creating a new part had unexpected benefits in terms of improving the versatility of the lantern when it comes to the types of candle it holds. The new holder allows it to contain fat, modern-day candles up to 8cm in diameter. Remove the holder and you can still channel your inner Florence Nightingale by placing thinner candles more akin to those which of Arthur J. Poole had in mind when he built it the first time.

After completing the candleholder, attention next turned to the latch. An aluminium round tube was bent into a U-shape. A section of plastic tube slighter wider than the aluminium was then cut to sit at the bottom of the latch, allowing the aluminium to drop easily into the existing latch part already attached to the lantern.

A new latch fitted as part of a 19th century lantern restoration made from Superfast Steel epoxy putty and an Aluminium Tube metal profile
Aluminium Tube metal profile was bent into a latch and fixed to the lantern using Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty
The new latch was finished off with a coating of black paint, ensuring it blended in seamlessly with the rest of the lantern

It really was that straightforward. A coating of black paint was added to the epoxy putty, the aluminium profile and the plastic tube which made up the new latch to complete the restoration – Arthur J Poole himself would have struggled to spot it from his original 19th century lantern.

The restoration of the 19th century lantern cost under £15 to carry out, a price that even Ebenezer Scrooge could not baulk at. It was carried out in less than two hours, once we managed to drag ourselves away from scouring the internet for more details about Arthur J. Poole and his lamp making business.

With its latest restoration and repair, we are hopeful that the 19th century lantern will keep going for a few more years yet. If you happen to be reading this from the year 2170 having just Googled the name Arthur J. Poole, then we clearly did the job well.

Posted on by — 1 Comment

The benefits of mixing modelling putties

Mixing modelling putties such as Green Stuff and Geomfix Original A+B together can help to create a unique putty for more detailed works

When a Michelin star chef is concocting a new meal for their award-winning restaurant, they will chuck all kinds of ingredients together in the search for perfection. Which is something the world’s leading model makers do too, mixing modelling putties to create the perfect material for the job at hand.

It is an obvious approach to take to model making when you think about it. Say you are working on a fantasy figure which required the detailing that Green Stuff provides as well as the stiffness of Magic Sculp. Such a putty may not be available to buy on the existing market, but by combining the properties of two existing products, you can tailor-make a putty with the attributes you need.

People have long been mixing the range of modelling putties that we sell at SylCreate. When Games Workshop was in its golden age with modellers such as Alan and Michael Perry and The Goblin Master Kevin Adams, it was often said that they would use nothing but Green Stuff to create their high-quality fantasy miniatures – although that was not strictly true.

Green Stuff is a firm modelling putty, which allows it to hold detail well. It is sticky and flexible, meaning that it can be bent even when cured, making it the ideal putty for creating accessories which can then be moulded onto existing figures.

But when Alan, Michael and Kevin were making hard-edged models, they would add some Milliput to the Green Stuff. The two modelling putties mixed together formed a stiffer version of Green Stuff, creating a putty for carving detailed miniatures but with less of the flexibility of pure Green Stuff.

Green Stuff and Magic Sculp modelling putties mixed together to create military rolls
Green Stuff and Magic Sculp were mixed together to create these military accessories by Paul Wade at Red Zebra

Going the other way, Paul Wade at Red Zebra Military Models adds Green Stuff to his preferred putty of Magic Sculp. On its own, Magic Sculp is a softer consistency putty which has just the right resistance for sculpting. It does not shrink or crack, even when formed in large structures and it provides an extra smooth finish when worked with water.

It does not easily yield when cured though, which is a problem for Paul who sometimes requires a putty which is less brittle. When creating his figures and accessories from Middle East conflicts, Paul therefore mixes Green Stuff with Magic Sculp so that very thin sections become more malleable.

Paul has another reason for mixing Magic Sculp and Green Stuff. The smoothness of Magic Sculp combined with it being a very light colour means it is not always possible to pick out fine details when working in bright conditions. Adding a small amount of Green Stuff to Magic Sculp turns the putty to a light green colour, making carving easier.

For bigger projects, mixing modelling putties together enables the creation of large scale models which are also easy to carve fine details into, as was the case for a SylCreate client who was working on a range of dinosaurs and dragons.

The client needed a putty which was easy to build up in bulk, but which could also hold a tremendous amount of detail when carved. They settled on mixing Geomfix Original A+B with Green Stuff. Geomfix is one of the hardest setting modelling putties available, making it popular for large-scale work. It responds well to tools without crumbling or breaking and cures without sagging or warping.

A large scale dinosaur sculpted with a combination of Green Stuff and Geomfix Original A+B
A Saurophaganax sculpted using a mixture of Geomfix Original A+B and Green Stuff
A fantasy dragon model sculpted by mixing Green Stuff and Geomfix Original A+B together
This highly detailed dragon was made by mixing Geomfix Original A+B and Green Stuff together

Geomfix was used to create the model and the top surface was then finished with the mixed putty of Geomfix and Green Stuff. The result was a highly detailed collection. The technique of combining the two putties together has since been advocated by Kneadatite on the section of their website which offers a guide for how to use Green Stuff.

Using Geomfix Original A+B to build up and bulk out models is something which The Goblin Master does. We spoke to Kevin recently about a project he was working on involving an ogre dolly in which he combined his favoured Green Stuff with Geomfix.

“I use Geomfix for making larger models, like the ogre I have been working on,” said Kevin. “It was a hot day and so the putty was quite sticky and pliable, more so than Green Stuff or Milliput, but after 30 minutes or so it was stiffer and easy to work.”

“As far as a modelling medium goes, I rate Geomfix very highly. It is great for muscles and cloths, with Green Stuff the best for items like chain mail due to its ability to stretch more.”

In view of the benefits that can be found from using mixing modelling putties together, SylCreate have decided to make the process even easier by releasing a new Modelling Putty Kit. The Kit consists of Green Stuff, Magic Sculp and Geomfix Original A+B at a cheaper cost compared to purchasing each putty separately.

Two sizes of Modelling Putty Kit are available. The Standard Kit contains a Green Stuff Reel 36”, Magic Sculp 250g and Geomfix Original A+B 250g, offering a saving of £8 on individual putties. The XL Kit has double the amount of products with 2 x Green Stuff Reels 36”, Magic Sculp 500g and Geomfix 500g for a saving of £13.90.

You do not have to mix the putties together to gain from purchasing as part of the Modelling Putty Kit. The putties included in the modelling kit can be kept separate and used to create a series of components which are then combined together to create a final model.

Award-winning modeller David Parker takes this approach to his model making. David’s putty of choice is Magic Sculp, which he uses to sculpt his main body of work including his internationally-acclaimed tank crew. For detailed insignia and supporting accessories such as belts and hair, David uses Green Stuff because of its elastic properties and firmness.

Magic Sculp and Green Stuff are used to create separate parts of this tank crew model
Tank crew sculpted by David Parker out of Magic Sculp, with additional Green Stuff used to provide straps
Paul Wade use Green Stuff to add the finishing touches to these heads sculpted from Magic Sculp

He then attaches the components made from Green Stuff to the components created from Magic Sculp, creating highly detailed models. Red Zebra also create their masters in this way. The intention is that the Modelling Putty Kit will provide a more cost-effective purchase for all model makers who use multiple putties in their creations.

Whether you intend on mixing the putties together or using them separately in one project, we would love to see your work created using our latest Kit. You can email photos and a write-up to sales@sylmasta.com and help us to tell the world more about the benefits of mixing modelling putties.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

David Parker’s Crew School and bringing figures to life with the man himself

David Parker's Crew School features tips and tricks from one the world's leading figure makers for creating realistic tank crews

There are bad examples of peer pressure and good examples of peer pressure. Going out to the pub for a ‘quick drink’ with your mates because they have bullied you into it and then not getting home until gone 2am is bad peer pressure.

Good peer pressure is when an award-winning model maker is convinced by his friends to write a book which shares his secrets. Which is exactly what happened to David Parker – with the result being David Parker’s Crew School, a must-read for anyone with an interest in producing tank crew figures.

“The inspiration came from some fairly persistent demands from friends that I should put together a guide to my figure techniques,” David explains. “I have always felt that a unique or individual crew figure will lift a model and I am aware that for many, the idea of even painting a commercial figure is simply too daunting – let alone sculpting, converting and adapting one.”

Which is what David does, as a glut of international awards is testament to. It is also why his AFV Modeller Magazine has been going strong for approaching 20 years now.

Like most, David’s model making journey began as a child with model aeroplanes. When he went to University in the mid-1980s to study Fine Art, his modelling was put on hold due to being “more interested in beer and girls.”

Once David graduated, he got back into model making whilst working as a graphic designer at his own advertising company. David wrote for various UK modelling magazines throughout the 1990s at the same time as expensive model making magazines from Japan would frequently arrive at his office.

David preferred these Japanese publications because of the vastly superior quality of their photos – even though he could not understand a word of what was written inside.

It was at that point that his business partner asked what would turn out to be a life-changing question: Why didn’t he do an English magazine in the same way that the Japanese do? AFV Modeller was born and began publication in 2001. The advertising business was soon shut down as all efforts went into the magazine and four years later, AIR Modeller was launched to deal with the aircraft side of modelling.

“AFV Modeller magazine as a very different style of modelling magazine aimed at the serious end of the hobby,” explains David. “The focus was always on quality and graphic presentation.”

David Parker's Crew School contains something for everything, whether you are a modelling beginner or a skilled and experienced sculptor
There are lessons for everyone in David Parker’s Crew School

That mantra is evident throughout David Parker’s Crew School book too. It is a 112 page guide which features high-quality photos and easy-to-follow instructions for painting and customising figures to create totally unique tank crew.

“Possibly the biggest barrier to the modeller using crew figures is the idea that they cannot paint faces,” says David, who then spends the first 10 pages dismantling those barriers, including the challenges which come with moving up in scale, where more detailed painting is required for greater realism. “That’s why the book begins with painting and what I hope is a good, solid base for techniques so that readers can master it.”

After tackling face painting, David moves onto uniforms. Achieving the exact colour required for plain uniforms is made to seem easy. Even getting camouflage right appears simple thanks to the detailed breakdown that David provides.

Once painting is dealt with, David moves onto explaining the differences that position can make to a tank crew. “Small changes to a uniform or the pose of a figure can give it that unique edge. In the book, I wanted to show how to change poses by, for example, repositioning an arm.”

Repositioning an arm is one thing. Next, David deals with sculpting entirely fresh body parts and accessories and using them to adapt existing figures. Over the course of the book, figures receive new arms, heads, hats, shades, belts, straps, insignia, body armour, additional clothing, and items in their pockets.

By adapting figures in this intricate way, a completely new tank crew can be created. David says that these adjustments present “ambitious changes before tackling fully sculpted figures for the more experienced modeller.”

These fully sculpted models are created with the help of mannequins in 1:16 and 1:35 scale. David explains how to develop figures which can suit any scenario, bringing to a close the tutorial section of David Parker’s Crew School.

Over the remainder of the book, David shows how he has employed these techniques on various tank crew projects. The last of these projects is the recreation of a scene which will be familiar to many model makers; the famous image of a crew consulting their maps at the Kaiserbaracke road junction on the N23 road between St Vith and Malmedy during the Ardennes Advance of 1944-45.

An Eduard Schwimmwagen Crew being sculpted by award winning model maker David Parker
David Parker's Crew School provides step-by-step guides to creating high-class tank crew miniatures
David Parker recreates the gamous scene of a crew consulting their maps at the Kaiserbaracke road junction on the N23 road between St Vith and Malmedy during the Ardennes Advance of 1944-45.

David uses his 1:16 mannequins to model the crew for the Eduard Schwimmwagen, detailing each step in the creation of the figures through to the completed model, which is then photographed outdoors in fading winter light with a background of conifer trees.

It perfectly captures the mood of the original photos and is a striking way to end, pulling together all the techniques and advice that have been poured into the book in the preceding pages.

The result is a book that explains and then demonstrates, ensuring that it offers something for everyone – beginners will learn invaluable lessons and more experienced model makers can benefit from the tips and tricks that David has laid down in print.

The book finishes with an appendix in which David lists the products and equipment that helped bring his figures to life. It is a nice touch and allows the reader to learn a little more about the preferred tools of a leading model maker.

His putties of choice are Green Stuff and Magic Sculp, two SylCreate products which he dedicates two pages towards extoling the virtues of. He also explains why he uses Swann-Morton 10 and Swann-Morton 10A blades for carving and trimming. There is even an adapted kebab skewer listed for sculpting – perhaps another throwback from those student days of beer and girls?

“The approach has been to try to demystify the processes and to encourage the modeller to try new techniques with a guide to tools and sculpting putties.” And David Parker has certainly succeeded in that aim with David Parker’s Crew School.

It is an excellent step-by-step guide to getting the very best out of tank figures. Not only that, but it is genuinely entertaining too – and there is no better way to learn than when it is fun. Let us hope that David’s friends can pressure him into writing more books in the future.

David Parker’s Crew School is available to buy from the AFV Modeller Website, where you can also subscribe to AFV Modeller and AIR Modeller Magazines.

Posted on by — 2 Comments

Meet the military modelling company with the Middle East at its heart

Red Zebra are a military modelling company who specialise in creating figures from conflicts in the Middle East using Sylmasta Magic Sculp and Green Stuff

Military modelling is big business and whilst much of the demand focuses on World War II, one company has exploited a growing interest in conflicts from the Middle East – Red Zebra Models.

There are so many intriguing questions surrounding Red Zebra and their work that it is hard to know where to start. Why do they focus on the Middle East? Where does the name Red Zebra come from? And perhaps most interestingly, how did the company come to recreate real-life snipers from the fight against ISIS as models?

To understand the story of Red Zebra, you have to start at the very beginning with founder Paul Wade. It’s Paul’s journey through life that underpins Red Zebra.

“I started building models when I was a kid,” says Paul. “I think it’s fair to say that these models wouldn’t win any competitions as they were covered in glue fingerprints and looked like they’d been painted with a mop.”

“As I got older, I began to take a little more care and some of my models would look a bit more like what they should have been.”

Paul also became interested in making his models look more realistic. This was a time before the internet, when accessories and other addons were very limited.

Paul wanted his model tanks and trucks to have figures, bags and tarpaulins which would help them bear a closer resemblance to the real life versions that he had seen in books and on television.

The only way to achieve this was by sculpting his own accessories. Soon, modellers began to ask where Paul had bought his accessories and figures.

Red Zebra Models create miliatry accessories such as bags to go with existing kits
Red Zebra founder Paul Wade started out making accessories for military model kits

Military accessories created by Paul Wade of Red Zebra Models using Magic Sculp

A camel created using Sylmasta Magic Sculp as part of a military modelling accessories kit

“When I told them I’d sculpted them myself, they would always be very surprised. Over the years, it got to the stage where I enjoyed creating the accessories more than building the actual kits – which gave me the idea of setting up my own company.”

And so Red Zebra was born. By this point, Paul had spent many years living and working in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Spending so much time in the Middle East gave him a real interest in conflicts in the region, and so instead of just producing World War II military modelling accessories, Paul wanted Red Zebra to include modern day subjects as well.

Among those subjects are real life snipers. While researching on the internet, Paul came across a photo of what appeared to be an old man in a boiler suit carrying a very large rifle.

This turned out to be Abu Tahsin al-Salhi, an Iraqi sniper known as the Sheikh of Snipers. He was credited with killing over 384 ISIS members during the Iraqi civil war, the final chapter in an extraordinary career.

“I’d sculpted a lot of figures over the years,” says Paul of al-Salhi, “but they all tended to be regular soldiers. The look of this person certainly appealed as something completely different, which is what Red Zebra is about.”

Paul Wade has turned real life snipers from the fight against ISIS into modelling figures using Sylmasta Magic Sculp
Two real-life snipers from the fight against ISIS recreated by Red Zebra

Paul’s research into al-Salhi led him to discover another photo. This was of Musa Herdem, an Iranian sniper who came to international attention when he was revealed to have successfully shot ISIS militants from a distance of 400 metres.

“What stood out to me about the second sniper was that he was stood there with his hands in his pockets and his rifle over his shoulder. I liked the idea of the relaxed casual pose and once I found out some history about Masu, I just had to sculpt this individual.”

Snipers, machine guns, bedrolls, animals – everything that Red Zebra make is currently produced in-house, from creating the masters to making the moulds and undertaking all the castings. Red Zebra even produce their own artwork for the packaging.

All the masters that Paul creates are made with either plastic strip/sheet or Magic Sculp. Sometimes, he will use a small amount of Green Stuff. He has even combined the two modelling epoxies when the project has required it.

Military accessories created by Red Zebra Military Modelling

“Both Magic Sculp and Green Stuff have their own plus points. Magic Sculp isn’t too sticky and even has a bit of a waxy feel. It can be rolled out into very thin sections, especially if left to cure for a short while, so that it’s a little bit firmer.”

“Green Stuff is sticky once kneaded together, which is good for creating straps on figures or small details to attach to a master, like straps around a bedroll or haversack.”

“By mixing a little bit of Green Stuff with a ball of Magic Sculp, it’s possible to combine the waxy feel with the stickiness. It means that very thin sections are not quite as brittle as they would be when using straight Magic Sculp.”

Paul has made unique tools of his own over the years to help in the modelling process – as well as relying on the traditional instruments of the trade.

“Regardless of the modelling material, we still rely on paintbrushes, rubber sculpting brushes, cocktail sticks and scalpels.”

“When I lived in Dubai, Sylmasta even sent me some Magic Sculp and Green Stuff after I’d run out. So, thanks for that!”

Red Zebra sell their military modelling accessories all over the world via mail order and through model shops in Belgium, Netherlands, Beirut and at the Bovington Tank Museum in the United Kingdom.

You can find out more about Red Zebra and browse their extensive range of products over on the Red Zebra website.

Which leaves just one final point – where did Paul get the name Red Zebra from? “The idea was to come up with something different that people would remember. If you’ve seen our trade stand at model shows, then you can’t miss the red and black stripes.”

A memorable name and memorable colours for a memorable company.

Posted on by — 3 Comments

A restoration 144 years in the making – how the Portland Vase was restored to its Roman glory

The restoration of the Portland Vase took place over nine months in 1988 and involved Hxtal NYL-1 Epoxy Adhesive being used to glue the 189 pieces together

We have all been there. You go on a week-long drinking session, you find yourself in the British Museum and you end up drunkenly throwing a sculpture at the Portland Vase, smashing a priceless Roman artefact into pieces whose full restoration then ends up taking over 144 years.

The Portland Vase enjoyed a long and varied life before William Lloyd intervened after one too many ales on 7th February 1845. It has been dated to between AD 1 and AD 25 and is probably the most famous glass object in the world which has served as an inspiration to countless glass and porcelain makers over the centuries.

It is thought that the Portland Vase was discovered within a large marble sarcophagus belonging to the third century Roman Emperor Alexander Severus in a funerary monument a few miles southeast of Rome. The first recorded mention of the Vase was made in 1600 by the French antiquary Nicolas-Claude Fabri who saw it as part of a collection belonging to Cardinal del Monte.

Following Cardinal del Monte’s death in 1626, the Vase passed to the Barberini Family with whom it remained for 150 years. Maffeo Barberini – or Pope Urban VIII as he was better known – was particularly fond of the Vase. Being owned by the most powerful family in Rome meant that the Vase would grow to become one of Rome’s most famous artefacts over the next two centuries.

The Vase found its way to Britain in the 1770s when Donna Cordelia Barberini-Colonna suffered a bad run of luck gambling and was forced to sell off the Barberini Family heirlooms to pay her debts. A Scottish dealer called James Byres acquired it, selling it onto the British Ambassador to Naples, Sir William Hamilton. In 1784, Sir William sold it to the Duchess of Portland, but she had little time to enjoy her purchase as she passed away within 18 months.

The Portland Vase was put up for auction, but it stayed in the family, the Duchess’ son the Third Duke of Portland purchasing it. Shortly afterwards, the Duke lent the Vase to Josiah Wedgwood who spent four years trying to recreate the artefact in black and white jasperware pottery. Wedgwood eventually succeeded and it was his homages to the Portland Vase that led to a surge in interest in the artefact in Britain.

The Portland Vase was lent to the British Museum for display after Wedgwood completed his copies and when a friend of the Fourth Duke of Portland, by now the owner of the Vase, broke the base in 1810, it was transferred permanently to the Museum for safe keeping. Perhaps the Fourth Duke would have taken a different decision if he knew what was to happen 35 years later.

It was at 3.45pm on 7th February when Lloyd entered the Museum having been reportedly drinking for over a week – or in his words, “indulging in intemperance for a week before.” He picked up a large piece of basalt, part of a monument from the ruins of Persepolis and threw it at the glass case in which the Portland Vase was stored. The sculpture smashed the glass and the Vase itself. In seconds, Lloyd turned an artefact which had survived 1800 years into 189 pieces.

He was fined £3, equivalent to £367 in today’s money. Lloyd was unable to pay the fine and so spent two months in prison instead until an anonymous benefactor paid the fine to secure his release. It was later revealed that William Lloyd had been a fake name; the destroyer of the Vase was in fact a Trinity College student called William Mulcahy, who had been reported as missing in Ireland.

When Mulcahy’s true identity was revealed along with his troubled background and impoverished family, the Fourth Duke declined to instigate civil action against for the damage caused to the Vase, saying that he did not want to bring further problems to Mulcahy or his family. The Duke instead described the destruction of the Vase “an act of folly or madness which they could not control.”

Attention then turned to the restoration of the Portland Vase. The British Museum’s restorer John Doubleday was the first to make an attempt and his was relatively successful. Doubleday was however unable to replace 37 very small fragments. These pieces were sent by another of the Museum’s restorers to a box maker called Mr G.H. Gabb, who was asked to create a box with 37 different compartments, one for each fragment of the Vase.

John Doubleday attempted the first restoration of the Portland Vase
British Museum Restorer John Doubleday with the Portland Vase

Before the box was completed, both Doubleday and his fellow restorer at the British Museum who commissioned the box passed away. Nobody came to collect the box and pieces and so they remained forgotten until 1948, when Mr Gabb himself died. The executor of his will, Miss Amy Reeves, brought in Mr. G.A. Croker to value Mr Gabb’s effects and it was Croker who found the box and sent it to the British Museum for identification.

The discovery of the missing pieces came at a good time. By 1948, the original restoration of the Portland Vase was beginning to look aged and so the decision was taken to dismantle the Vase and rebuild it again. Conservator J.W.R Axtell was responsible for the restoration job this time although he too struggled with the smaller pieces, managing to place only three of the 37 pieces into the rebuilt Vase which was completed in February 1949.

By the late 1980s, Axtell’s restoration was yellowing. The Vase had become so fragile that while other exhibits left the British Museum for the touring Glass of the Caesars exhibition, the Portland Vase had to stay behind. It was decided to undertake another restoration in the hope that adhesive technology had advanced enough in the 40 years since the last attempt to allow for a longer lasting repair.

The key to that was finding the correct epoxy for the task. Before Nigel Williams and Sandra Smith carried out the third restoration of the Portland Vase, they tested a huge number of epoxy resins, eventually settling on Hxtal NYL-1 Clear Epoxy. Hxtal NYL-1 has exceptional non-yellowing qualities, even after significant periods of direct light exposure.

Discoloration had proven to be the major problem with the previous restoration attempts of the Portland Vase, but with Hxtal NYL-1 Epoxy that would not be an issue. The long-term transparent qualities of Hxtal NYL-1 Epoxy Resin combined with the super-strength bonding it provides mean that the Portland Vase isn’t expected to require any conservation or restoration work for at least another century.

The restoration of the Portland Vase became a major event. Press interest was huge and the BBC History and Archaeology Unit were on hand to film Williams and Smith as they embarked on the process.

They began by extensively photographing and drawing the Vase, recording the position of every fragment before wrapping it inside and out with blotting paper. It then sat in a glass desiccator which was injected with solvents for three days, breaking down the adhesive bonds of previous repairs and returning the Vase into the pieces that Mulcahy had shattered it into over 100 years earlier.

Each piece was individually cleaned by Williams and Smith, removing all traces of the previous adhesives used to in past restorations of the Portland Vase. It was then the job of Hxtal NYL-1 to join the pieces together. The curing process was aided by ultaviolent light, which can be used to offer greater control in glass repair. There are now even specially formulated glass adhesives which only bond when exposed to UV light.

There were some concerning moments during the restoration. Williams and Smith had decided to try and avoid reconstructing the Vase using any trap-outs, where the placing of one fragment prevents the next from fitting. This proved to be nigh-on impossible and with the Vase nearing completion at Christmas 1988, they broke up for the holidays fearing that they might have to deconstruct part of the Vase to fit the final few shards in, dismantling six months’ worth of work in the process.

Williams spent most of Christmas worrying about the situation, but when he and Smith returned to work in the New Year they were able to complete the top of the Vase perfectly. They even managed what their restoration predecessors had not and reintegrated the majority of the 37 lost pieces. Any gaps were filled with blue or white resins.

The restoration of the Portland Vase took nine months and at the end of the project, Williams gave his verdict: “”It’s OK… but it ruined my Christmas.” A worthwhile sacrifice to preserve a beautiful artefact with a fascinating history for another 100 years.

You may like…

Posted on by — 4 Comments

The Goblin Master and Green Stuff – the story of Kevin Adams as he prepares to launch Goblinmaster Limited

Fantasy miniature goblins created by the Goblin Master Kevin Adams using Sylmasta Green Stuff

If you like your goblins, then you’ll know about the Goblin Master. For 35 years now, Kevin Adams has been one of the world’s leading creators of high-class fantasy miniatures, building up a worldwide following and reputation for his work.

He’s been employed by some of the biggest modelling companies. He’s used his skills to help friends set up their own businesses. He’s made countless miniatures for multiple clients as a freelancer. And after three decades in the modelling business, he’s finally set to go it alone – Goblinmaster Limited is here.

For all his creative talents, Kevin has never truly been able to create the miniatures that he wanted. Throughout his long and distinguished career, he’s always worked for others, which was somewhat restricting in terms of what he was able to do – it was always a case of turning their ideas into reality rather than his.

 

High-class miniatures created by the Goblin Master Kevin Adams

 

Well, not anymore. In January 2020, Kevin set up a Kickstarter Fund with the aim of raising enough money to allow him to set up Goblinmaster Limited. In less than three weeks, over £5000 had been pledged which provided the money needed for the Goblin Master to start flying solo.

Raising so much in such a short period of time showed the popularity of Kevin’s work. He already has 16 brand new ranges with which he wishes to launch Goblinmaster, created completely from scratch and produced in his trademark ‘old-school’ style.

Those backers who have pledged £25 or more through Kickstarter will receive first editions of Kevin’s new ranges, incorporating dwarves, wizards and other fantasy creatures as well as goblins.

The eventual aim is to sell these miniatures through the new Goblinmaster website, rather than in exchange for pledges via Kickstarter. Given the speed at which the process is moving already, the switch to online sales might not be that far away.

 

Kevin Adams has been using Sylmasta products to create his world famous miniatures since 1984
Kevin Adams has been using Sylmasta products to create his world famous miniatures since 1984

Which means that the Goblin Master Kevin Adams is going to need a whole lot of Green Stuff.  Kevin has been using Green Stuff since 1984, ever since the manager of Citadel Miniatures, Bryan Ansell, gave him his first batch.

The Goblin Master himself takes up the story. “I was a collector of Citadel miniatures during the early 80s and used to paint them as a hobby.”

“I then moved onto modifying duplicate figures by changing weapons and I tried making their faces different.”

“It took a long time and a lot of practice to get results. Eventually, I started to make my own models and I sent an ogre to Bryan.”

“I’d already painted models for him after gaining recognition at one of Citadel Miniatures’ painting competitions.”

“After I sent that first ogre to Bryan, he wanted to know if I had any more and so I sent him some larger goblins. Bryan put me in touch with Alan Merrett, who taught me about undercuts and various other techniques.”

“I improved so much. I owe a lot to Alan because his knowledge of moulds has really helped me over the years when making models.”

 

Goblins created using Sylmasta Green Stuff

 

Kevin soon started work on his first range of lesser goblins before moving to Nottingham, where he joined Games Workshop during “the golden years”.

“Everybody at the Games Workshop design studio made masters out of mostly Green Stuff, plus Milliput for hard edged models. Alan and Michael Perry, who are my heroes, use nothing but Green Stuff.”

Kevin spent nine years at Games Workshop, where his ability to capture the lunacy, delight, cruelty and comedic nature of goblins soon marked his miniatures out as unique.

After leaving Games Workshop, he went onto work for various other companies before turning freelance. With Goblinmaster Limited, Kevin can now dedicate his time to producing the orcs and goblins which he loves making. He was even willing to let us into some of the secrets of his success.

 

Detailed fantasy miniatures created using Sylmasta Green Stuff

 

“As far as making models is concerned, I always make a wire frame. With larger models, I will bulk out the frame and then build layers of detail. I’ve made plenty of bodies on the wire too, which takes a fair amount of skill and patience.”

“Sometimes, I will cut the putty once it’s cured to get the harder edges, but mostly I work with fresh putty.”

“I find that it’s better to leave Green Stuff for about an hour before attempting any fine details due to its soft and sticky nature.”

The Goblin Master has put his talents to good use for charity too. In recent years, Kevin has raised hundreds of pounds at the annual Bring Out Your Lead event hosted by Foundry Miniatures, which celebrates all things Oldhammer.

Kevin will convert the heads on models which attendees bring along in exchange for a donation. Many people ask the Goblin Master to transform the face of their miniatures into that of their wife or children.

Kevin does this by using snippers to remove the existing facial detail before adding Green Stuff to create a new face. Working in a boiling hot building in the middle of August comes with serious challenges.

 

The Goblin Master Kevin Adams spent 10 hours using Sylmasta Green Stuff to raise £400 for Protsate Cancer at the 2019 Bring Out Your Lead event
Kevin raised over £400 for Prostate Cancer at the 2019 Bring Out Your Lead event

“It’s always hot, you’re holding metal miniatures in the hands and the putty gets unbearably sticky, which makes it almost impossible to work with.”

“I still manage to deal with all that though and I get the work done. In 2019, I worked for 10 hours straight from 10.30am until 8.30pm without a break.”

“That raised £265 which increased to £400 with donations and gift aid.  All the money went to Prostate Cancer.”

With technology changing the way that model making is carried out, Kevin remains dedicated to the traditional approach.

“Games Workshop no longer produce their models with putty. Sadly, it’s all done with computer sculpting but my love is still old school metal models.”

“We are a dying breed these days. 3D printing is becoming the standard, but I will always make traditional hand-made models.”

And that is why Kevin Adams will remain the Goblin Master.

More information on the Goblin Master Kevin Adams is available on the Goblinmaster Limited website.

You may like…