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Le Saint Philippe 1693 after Jean-Claude Lemineur (Ancre) in scale 1:48

I use a mix of Judea Bitune / beewax / linseedoil. Works good to make dark spots. And when you first seal the wood with chellac before rubbing the mix of bitune. I believe it was Geronimo or Michele Padoan that shared this idea.
 
I use a mix of Judea Bitune / beewax / linseedoil. Works good to make dark spots. And when you first seal the wood with chellac before rubbing the mix of bitune. I believe it was Geronimo or Michele Padoan that shared this idea.
Thanks, Stephan. That sounds like Padoan.

What I have learned today is that I must seal the wood with something before adding any additional coloring. The rest of my model has no aging so I can't really go as 'rustic' as what others have done. If I do anything beyond sealing the boxwood it will be only for the purpose of highlighting the depth of the carvings rather than changing their overall appearance.

I watched your rotary carving tutorial again this week - great stuff!
 
Good morning Paul. The master craftsman is upping his carving skills- looking mighty fine. Personally I enjoy the some contrast in the decorative work, however from the photos I feel there is a tad too much with the rest of your ship (IMHO). Cheers Grant
Thanks, Grant. It's not easy to grasp the overall (future) look when I'm staring at just a little bit of the build at a time. And the only completed models I am aware of have been painted and/or gilded so that doesn't help me at all.

Lack of experience is hard to ignore.
 
Wow, mon ami! Your carvings are absolutely stunning. The level of craftsmanship is truly impressive. You've really conquered the carving learning curve! ;)

One thought, if I may. Diluting bitumen with white spirit and applying it to the carvings will darken the recesses and make the details stand out even more. This technique is often used to accentuate the grain and edges of the wood, giving it a more contemporary, aged appearance. Here is some of the work of Dmitry Shevelev.

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However, if your goal is to maintain a more authentic or period-correct look for the ship, I would simply leave the wood treated with oil. The natural finish of Pear and Castello (box) already looks beautiful and lets the quality of your carving speak for itself. Here is the untreated versus bitumen-treated by Dima Shevelev.

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A great job, just like all his other works.:D

Thanks, Jim. This is very helpful. Mr. Shevelev has inspired many ship modelers with his work - and for good reason! Michele Padoan also uses this style and his work is stunning.

But I might even like the pre-finished version better! The craftmanship (which I will never match) really stands out!
I'm sure that if you wanted to repeat this style, you would definitely succeed, no doubt about it. But it's a matter of taste, and that's what matters most, but I'm sure you'll do it masterfully.
 
Well shellac on Buxus alone still took fingermarks, but I tried the renaissance wax and it seems relatively impervious!
Thanks, Richard. This is good information as shellac has not been a part of my trials (only using what I have on hand).

What I know so far is that if I want to maintain some level of color contrast then the boxwood needs to be sealed with something (anything) before even light aging with solvent-cut bitumen or other tinting agents. The leader in the clubhouse for sealing is actually the tung oil concoction I used on the pear. It adds a golden richness to the box that is a tonal match for the oiled pear. Now I just need to figure out if the look improves with further tinting (adding depth to the grooves) or if I should just leave it alone.

Truth be told I have little patience for trials...
 
Hi Paul,

As you say your boxwood is very similar to mine you can preserve the natural, or altered, colour if desired with the shellac/wax combo. I can detect no colour change, a very subtle and appealing chatoyance, and an extremely durable surface, I've been handling this test piece regularly for a couple of days and it is unmarked.

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The final finish on the carvings remains uncertain. But just to get a sense of things I have temporarily installed a few of the decorations:

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You will also notice that I have started to move upward. The model now features a new molding and cover/cap (blue arrow) that will form the base for some windows on the quarter galleries and flanking the six stern lights.

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Next up - a molding to cover the exposed wing transom...
 
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The final finish on the carvings remains uncertain. But just to get a sense of things I have temporarily installed a few of the decorations:

View attachment 626666

View attachment 626668

You will also notice that I have started to move upward. The model now features a new molding and cover/cap (blue arrow) that will form the base for some windows on the quarter galleries and flanking the six stern lights.

View attachment 626677

View attachment 626669

View attachment 626673

View attachment 626672

View attachment 626671

Next up - a molding to cover the exposed wing transom...
That gives immediately very different and beautiful look, Paul. I'm sure this brought a smile ……. :)
Regards, Peter
 
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