Foxfields Finnlay (Unknown mould restoration)

[sarahb7538]

I purchased this guy from eBay in December. He was listed as a TB from the 1960's. He does not have a mouth letter so pre-dates 1970 when they started. I dont think that he is a TB and there was some suggestions on the facebook page that he maybe a Cleveland Bay but i am really not convinced about that either.

He was originally called Poseidon or Posy for short but i dont think it suits him as he is a chestnut, so i have named him after a Chestnut owned by a friend of mine called Finnlay or Finn or short.

He was in pretty reasonable condition as you can see, he was still nice and bendy but his back legs/hooves needed some work. 

Before by Sarah Louise, on Flickr

His legs and hooves had gone gummy at some point in the past and then set again, so the latex was quite brittle but no longer sticky.

Feet before by Sarah Louise, on Flickr

He also had a wire exposed on the top of his leg.

Before leg by Sarah Louise, on Flickr

Normally, where the legs are in this poor condition i would have removed the latex from the wires and rebuilt his back legs from scratch the traditional way from milliput. HOWEVER, i am always on the look out for new products and new ways to restore my poorly Julips so I thought he would be the perfect guinnea pig (Sorry Finn!) for this product especially as he was still bendy. I thought that as his legs would need to come off anyway if it didnt work out I could go back to the traditional method of restoring his legs.

I started by cutting away some of the brittle latex to reshape his legs, I also sealed his legs with superglue after I had trimmed them to the shape i wanted just to be safe and try and prevent any sticky areas.

legs trimmed by Sarah Louise, on Flickr

Once this was done I coated and built up his legs using a product called 'Flexi Filler'. Now this is normally something used in cosplay, its used to fill seams and gaps on foam props and the like. I was really keen to try this because it is advertised a remaining slightly flexible once dry and that it could also be sanded (Interesting!!)

Its consistency is like PVA glue, its quite runny and i found it really challenging to work with. It can also be thinned out and smoothed with water. I managed to build up the layers and then once i had it something like I painted them with a grey base coat prior to sanding. As you can see its a bit lumpy and bumpy in this photo. (There is latex in the back of this photo but this is NOT what i used, that was for a rider restoration which is in progress).

during by Sarah Louise, on Flickr

I then sanded IT with wet and dry sandpaper to try and improve the finish. Now this was difficult, i found you needed a good thick layer in order to be able to sand or you just sanded holes in what you had put on, which then made the product peel . Nightmare! Anyway i manage to get a finish i was happy with in the end re- painted his leg, tamed his mane and here he is ....

right side by Sarah Louise, on Flickr

right side 2 by Sarah Louise, on Flickr

left side1 by Sarah Louise, on Flickr

Look at his face , so cute !

After face2 by Sarah Louise, on Flickr

I am pretty happy with the overall result, he is a bit lumpy and bumpy all over anyway so i think his new legs suit him (as you can see from these photos)

Body by Sarah Louise, on Flickr

Body 2 by Sarah Louise, on Flickr

.....and the beauty of it is, he back legs are still slightly posable which is great. Its obviously limited by the paint as i used games workshop paints which are not flexible. But there is enough movement still there to adjust his back legs if needed.

So i cant say that i recommend this product yet, I will have to see how his repairs hold up. I think its uses will be quite limited - maybe to fill cracks in legs , maybe? You need the structure there to build on as the product is too liquid to resculpt from. It was also generally just a bit of nightmare to use but i am glad i gave it ago. Let me know what you think

[astudyinscarlet]

I don't think he's a 60s TB either. Is he definitely a horse? I mean big horse sized? If so I would guess he is a very early Cleveland. A lot of the early versions of the moulds all seem to be much more lean and angular and better defined compared to the later ones and I have seen a couple of others that are probably early Clevelands which were very much like him. Also I can't think of any other horse moulds with that pose and that long curved neck and the head set at that angle.

He's lovely anyway. 

[sarahb7538]

Thank you.

Yes he is horse sized, not a big horse tho.

I see what you mean about his head and neck. Maybe we will never know for sure 🤷‍♀️. I could do with seeing him next to another one.

Maybe I'll try and organise it at a live show when when things get back to normal. For now he can be a query Cleveland 😂

[astudyinscarlet]

Oh if he's a slightly smaller horse he might be an earlier example of a hack.

[juliporiginals]

He looks so much better, you made a really good job of him

[ridinghorses]

Oh doesnt he look wonderful now, i love these 60s models so remind me of my childhood xx

[EG]

Oh he’s fantastic! You’ve done a brilliant job on the restoration too - you’d never known he’d gone all melty!

[helen1983]

Wow he looks fantastic! You’ve done such a wonderful job! I love his kind little face ❤️

[juliporiginals]

Brilliant job, he looks fantastic!

[samantha]

Great job well done! He looks a very similar shape to a Cleveland I used to own.

[eldabee]

Hi Sarah, how did the latex hold up on this guy? I have a few new oldies in need of attention, and I'm interested to try using liquid latex to layer over cracks as my sculpting skills leave a lot to be desired!

[sarahb7538]

Hi

i didn’t use Latex on him, I used a product called flexible filler.

It has held up well, despite being a nightmare to get to grips with. But he is still exactly as he is in the photos. I haven’t used liquid latex on any horse repairs but I’ve used it on riders to rebuild hands etc and it’s worked well so far. The latex we can buy from hobby craft etc isn’t quite the same stuff as is used to make Julips etc. But if you try it let me know how you get on! 

Good luck with your repairs 😊

[juliporiginals]

The liquid latex we use for the new models isn't very good for mending the older models, I've tried mending some of my vintages with it and it just doesn't want to stick to the old latex, as soon as you try smoothing it down it just wants to peel off

[happyhoof]

Hi Linda

I have used a liquid form of epoxy resin called liquid greenstuff.  You can paint it on, leave it to dry and then paint another layer. You can then sand it smooth.  It might be easier than having to sculpt with epoxy resin? 

[eldabee]

Thanks Ladies! I have heard of Greenstuff but I've never been able to find it. It's hard to source any craft items in Ireland. I'll have to keep digging!