The instrument was snipped in half, a thin wire was inserted, putty was added and the lengthened tubing was carefully shaped and sanded down. This had to be repeated several times to get the correct basic shape. The quality of the casting can also be improved during this process. As can be seen from the sequence, this was time-consuming and besides sanding down, a very sharp blade was used to pare the surface flat and round. Paring removes very thin slivers of excess material and is easier to control than sanding.
While the instrument was being crafted, I decided to work on the figure. Although there was quite a proliferation of these bands, there are very limited pictures and scant details of specific Civil war bands. At this stage, I decided that it would be an Afro-American to be posed with this instrument. Using a Shenandoah head, I knocked up a pose with an Airfix torso and spare Historex legs.
The trousers were built up with putty. The upper torso was covered partly with sheet metal to represent the typical frock coat which was general issue.
Arms were sculpted from wire inserts and the general sculpting is near completion. Note that there has been considerable improvement in the instrument itself.
Buttons were added from a die and punch set. The photo reference that I have shows nine buttons in front and two on the back. the pose has been finalised.
Basic colour added and there is some cleaning to be done to this figure.
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