Three hours and forty minutes on the Veil at f/10 is basically a master class in pain, and your buddy should get a plaque for standing there watching it happen. Stick with the bright stuff for now, because learning the basics on a target that actually shows up beats fighting a gray smudge any night. The fast scope will still be there when you actually know what you're doing with it.

Funny thing is my own track record with ficus plants is basically a crime scene, so take this with a grain of salt lol. What worked for me once was cutting back the dead stuff, moving it a good five feet from any heat source, and then doing almost nothing except watering when the top couple inches went dry. Mine dropped a few more leaves before it stopped sulking, and new growth showed up around week six. Your dad's corner spot was probably doomed from day one, baseboard heat is brutal on those leaves.