Jim R
SMF Supporter
Hi all
Thanks once again for so many encouraging posts. As Steve says the worm is used to clean out the barrel. Sometimes bits of wadding could be left in from a previous firing and the worm would be used to get them out. The way these huge cannons were fired is fascinating. The gun crews were not only very skilled and disciplined but also very strong and brave. I was reading about one particular battle and it said " the crew continued to fire at a steady rate despite losing three men to shrapnel wounds and the deck being slippery with blood and strewn with body parts"
A reasonable amount of progress. The middle gun deck has a raised platform/section in the centre. The instructions would have you construct it in situ but that seemed fraught with problems. The whole thing is getting more and more fragile so cutting and sanding on the model is not a good idea.
This shows the area to be filled with the raised section.
I made a paper template and marked notches for the cross supports on the two sides.
The frame was built for the decking.
.... and planked and stained.
It could then be fitted without stressing the model.
The next job in this stage was to the plank the bulwarks and line the gun ports. Not particularly difficult but a lot of test fitting to get a decent fit without having to sand much on the model. Again the instructions would have you make the planking and the gun port linings slightly oversized and sand back.
The only heart stopping moment was when I knocked one of the run out gun barrels and it came loose. It was a real b****r to re-glue as the deck above was fixed.
Thanks again for all your support. This forum really is a nice place to be
Jim
Thanks once again for so many encouraging posts. As Steve says the worm is used to clean out the barrel. Sometimes bits of wadding could be left in from a previous firing and the worm would be used to get them out. The way these huge cannons were fired is fascinating. The gun crews were not only very skilled and disciplined but also very strong and brave. I was reading about one particular battle and it said " the crew continued to fire at a steady rate despite losing three men to shrapnel wounds and the deck being slippery with blood and strewn with body parts"
A reasonable amount of progress. The middle gun deck has a raised platform/section in the centre. The instructions would have you construct it in situ but that seemed fraught with problems. The whole thing is getting more and more fragile so cutting and sanding on the model is not a good idea.
This shows the area to be filled with the raised section.
I made a paper template and marked notches for the cross supports on the two sides.
The frame was built for the decking.
.... and planked and stained.
It could then be fitted without stressing the model.
The next job in this stage was to the plank the bulwarks and line the gun ports. Not particularly difficult but a lot of test fitting to get a decent fit without having to sand much on the model. Again the instructions would have you make the planking and the gun port linings slightly oversized and sand back.
The only heart stopping moment was when I knocked one of the run out gun barrels and it came loose. It was a real b****r to re-glue as the deck above was fixed.
Thanks again for all your support. This forum really is a nice place to be
Jim