Captain
My dear Sir, it's an excellent idea; may I please have two of your £5 version. I've only come across this today and I can wait to try it out.

First, thank you (everyone)for the testimonials, it's nice to know that the tools are well received.

As for my eyes - due to much unaided squinting in the past I now squint as a matter of course - and need an optivisor to see what I am doing (and regular reading glasses for day to day purposes - like reading anything..)

I searched for Bausch & Lomb suppliers (the same make as my pair) - but they are situated mostly in the States, well worth the money (a six inch focal range works best for most people as it allows them to manipulate tools and brushes on the work object).

The trick is keeping the hands steady and knowing what kind of pressures to apply (and how the material responds) - and some practice.

Edit: In case you wouldn't mind paying a bit extra for a really nice optivisor and the associated P&P costs - here is a link to a supplier in the states - just scroll down the page until you get to them.

http://www.deltasupplies.com/glasses.htm

Glad you found the tool easy to use.

Yes, It certainly helps being able to see what you are doing.

The jury is out as to their use during the rigging stages though - the different focal points and ranges might be problematic (head-butting the yards and suchlike).

I shall be keeping my reading glasses handy for that stage.

cpt. my optivisor permit two lens,which I find too much,but by using 1.7 (whilst rigging)it give me about 2 feet range so I can thread the blocks which are high up in the topsail masts and yards.without the obligitory pock in the eye broken yards etc. for all the newbees out there you will need these soon. pic of one in stedders string,can't remember which one though, old age begining to tell on me now.

hi capt

received mine today , brilliant piece of kit, if only deagostini were as quick. many thanks steve lyman

can i have one plz the £5 jobbie will do

Sir,

I would love to purchase one of these stamps from you please.

What details do you need from me please?

kind regards

anthony

Hi Captain
Yes please, a stamp and the Green Stuff for £7 would be lovely.
Many thanks
Clive Kent

Pm's sent.

Update: Due to the master sculpt losing a piece of the 'R', I have had to sculpt a new one - this has resulted in a delay to the finishing and dispatch of a couple of orders - If you have sent a cheque (or replacement cheque) in the last couple of days, please don't worry if you haven't received your stamp/s yet - Normal service will resume on Monday (12th).

Cheers.


IMPORTANT NOTE/s
You will all be pleased to note that the GS I have been sending out is very 'fresh' indeed. This makes it rather sticky when you are mixing it (particularly the yellow part). If this is a problem, try popping the GS into the fridge an hour or so before mixing it.

It is therefore of VERY HIGH IMPORTANCE that you use a lubricant (Vaseline is perfect) when applying your tool to the fresh GS on the barrel, it will also help if, after you have applied the freshly mixed GS to the cannon barrels, you leave it to settle for a few mins (5 to 10 mins should do)before stamping. Most sculptors will do this before getting started on the GS as it is more workeable after the initial tackiness has gone - the tackiness is great for adhesion, but by the same measure, you don't want it sticking to your tools - just the model

Oh, and don't forget to wash your hands after mixing the GS! In some rare cases it can be an irritant (Epoxy resin)

I tend to use an old craft knife (dipped in water first to help stop the GS sticking to the blade) to cut small amounts from the strip. You could use scissors, but cutting small amounts is trickier.

The 'correct' mix depends a lot on what you are doing with it - I tend to up the amount of yellow when sculpting (this makes it stickier, but allows a longer working time)and when 'fleshing out' armature wire increase the amount of blue (to speed up the cure time).

As for the purpose that we are putting it to here, I would suggest simply cutting a very fine strip from the end of the two-part strip - The form in which I procured the GS means that there is a little more yellow than blue - which will help adhesion to the cannon barrel - but do try to allow a few minutes for it to settle and apply some vaseline (or spit) to the surface of the freshly mixed gs before using the stamp as described earlier.

As for keeping it in the fridge, this will have two effects, it will prolong the life of the putty and also make it less inclined to stick to your fingers when you are mixing it. (It will get stickier as you mix it and it warms up).