Blackening the barrels

No update for a while, because I am busy with the guns and that is slow going. I have now blackened the 28 barrels with blackening solution. All of them got the same treatment, but unfortunately the results vary a lot. The third from the left on the top row came out best: a nice black without too much shine. The rest is a mixed bag. Since I am working with a blackening solution I have little influence on the outcome. After a day of puzzling I am not getting much further.

For anyone who wants to try it, this is how I did it. First degrease with washing-up liquid. Then put them in the solution a few times, rinsing with water each time, dabbing dry and back in again, until they are all dark. After that everything goes back into water, dab clean and let dry. Then another night in the solution. Finally rinse in clean water and dab dry.

Stephan once saw a builder who clamped the barrels in a lathe or drill and worked them over with steel wool. I had already bought steel wool for that, but I do not think that effect suits the rest of the ship (on the ship where I saw it, it looked very good indeed). Piet usually paints his barrels with metal black from adm. paints, but remarked that in reality they would not all have been the same shade either, and that he thought mine looked pretty good. Jaques now works with Patina, which is quicker with the same result, and Prutsertje with patina from Kolderstok, which discolours brass instantly. My solution does not work on white metal either, by the way, and neither does his patina. Piet’s remark was enough confirmation for me to leave it as it is. I will have a browse at Kolderstok sometime.

Now to make and paint 28 carriages. And then rig them.