EJ_L

Hands of a surgeon....missed your calling..,.

Well, I've had to make that angled bend that you're suggesting, but the available space behind the figure head is just too tight for a flat entry; without modifying the figurehead, itself, it's a choice between concave entry of the headrails, or inducing the reverse-curve that I've pictured.  It's just one of those things, where the kit was designed a certain way, and one has to decide what degree of plastic surgery they are comfortable with.  I like my figurehead and don't want to start messing around with those delicate bits.

Good for you doing that surgery, Marc.
 
If you make an angled  bend at the corner of the beakhead bulkhead, would that not give a straight run to the back of the figure?

In answer to my own question: a welded bond can be quite difficult to break free.  Honestly, I expected that the turrets would pry loose fairly easily.  It soon became clear that wasn’t going to happen without something breaking where I didn’t want it to.
 
So, I used a series of implements to winnow away the problem:
 




It will only require a little putty to come flush with the plank surface of the beakhead deck; engrave a plank line, paint and it will all disappear.
 
With the turret out of the way, I could now get the headrail to seat where I want it:

Because of the angle of entry, behind the wings of the figurehead, I still will not get away with flat headrails.  I am okay with this concession, though, as I have at least corrected the problematic turret placement.
 

No worries, Keith - it is all of interest to me.  As far as I’m concerned the discussion is pertinent to what is happening on this build page.

I took some time today to read the first 50 pages and other pertinent sections of this dissertation on the development of the naval carriage.
 
It does appear to be true that, in the early days of arming ships, navies sometimes employed a mixture of field carriages and purpose-built naval carriages.  These field pieces, as noted by Druxey would be shod in Iron.
 
By the 17th C., however, this practice had ceased and the trucks were made from alternating grain layers.  I sometimes wonder whether the authors of these dissertations ever imagine their research making the rounds on modeling forums.  I imagine they’d be heartened to know that someone other than the dissertation committee is paying attention.
 
In other news, while fitting my port headrail last night, I have come to the conclusion that the only way forward is to remove these roundhouses.  I guess we’ll see how sound a welded bond is, after all.

Have a look at this site.
The figures in color and also information about the gun carriages of the Vasa.
 
http://www.wasadream.com/Index/indexenglish.html
 

Yet another new note on my SR instructions, along with the recently mentioned bowsprit steeve.........for when I get there.

Please see page 16 of the below, maybe I'm misinterpreting what I'm reading. 
 

Certainly British Naval gun carriages were not iron shod: only land-based guns were. Whether the French did the same, I do not know.

I appreciate your argument, here, Keith.  I will say though that the quoted advice comes to me directly from the leading living authority on French naval architecture, and I have no reason to doubt him on it.
 
Yes, Mark, you are correct about the Vasa.  Tenuous a connection, though it may be, the Vasa is the underlying rationale for my more vivid color scheme.
 
Druxey, we’ll have to see about the head;  there isn’t much room for them to move before they encroach upon the beakhead bulkhead ladders, and that may not be enough for the exercise to be worthwhile.  
 
Measurements to follow..

Marc, nice to see you having a great time/trip with your family.
 
 In regards to the above quote. If you'll note in the photo below, there are no gun tracks for the Parrott rifle (on the right as you're viewing the photo) to move across and into position. If it's a 60 LB rifle the weight is a little over 2.5 tons, if it's a 100 LB rifle (which is my guess because of the size) the weigh is almost 5 tons. If a deck was going to get ripped to shreds this lump would be the one to do it. 
  
 Gun carriage trucks (wheels) could have been iron banded. Sea battles were intense but its not like they were happening on a daily basis. Deck plank repair is a simple task and could have been carried out by the carpenter's apprentice with the aid of a couple of crew members if needed. 
 

Nice photos and looks like a great trip, Marc.
 
Hopefully you can move those pesky heads inboard a bit!

Great photos of the family and Hawaii, Marc.
 
It might be worthwhile to check the Vasa museum.  I vaguely remember something about they developed a color sheet of the various colors for the Vasa carvings after they found out it wasn't all one color but had variety of colors on the figures and trim pieces..

wow...thanks for all that!!....so nice to put the humanity behind the mastery 😃

While this is not directly connected to 17th C. ship ornamentation, it is nonetheless a fascinating exploration of the role of color in original Greco-Roman sculpture work.  I believe Bill Morrison mentioned this very subject, earlier in the thread.  The embedded video is particularly fascinating for the use of technology to re-create the specific earth pigments that would have been used to color this Sphinx sculpture.  The results are quite remarkably vivid: 
 
https://apple.news/AiERjAV0wTgSTSpC9R-26ag
 
This husband and wife team of color archeologists make an interesting argument for the essential role of color in illuminating the allegorical narrative of important sculpture works and building facades.
 
Soleil Royal’s continental figures are classically influenced, and I will color them accordingly, as I did the Four Seasons figures.  This may or may not have been the historic reality of 1689, but I think it will make for a more thought-provoking presentation, with at least a plausible connection to classical traditions.  I’m still a ways away from it, but it will require some research to think more specifically about what SR’s allegory is conveying and how those ideas might inform specific color choices in the classic tradition. The Uber Den Wellen exploration of the Royal Louis will be particularly helpful, in this regard, as it explores 17th C. French classicism in court painting.
 

Now, all of that aside, there is of course support for the more conventionally accepted appearance of SR.  This is the clearest resolution I have yet found for one of a series of portraits by Peter Monamy, depicting the Destruction of Soleil Royal.  The portrait is attributed to the first decade of the 18th C.:

On a separate note, it has been pointed out to me by several members that the gun carriage wheels would not have been banded in iron, as the metal would have torn the deck to shreds.  This is a simple enough fix to scrape away the black bands and re-touch with red.
 
A particularly knowledgeable contributor also noted that the headrails I am making would not have had these induced bends that I am forming.  The fact that the headrails would have been flat is well established, and I do not refute that.  Unfortunately, reverse engineering to the pre-established Heller architecture sometimes means perpetuating certain errors of the kit.
 
In this instance, Heller situated the turret seats of ease so far outboard that straight headrails can not make a reasonable connection to the f’ocsle sheer rail.  My relatively flat cardboard template illustrates this problem pretty clearly:

Interestingly, this esteemed person pointed out that the winged figure carving, just aft of the headrails, would have concealed any smaller gaps that would have existed in this area.  I will explore the possibility of moving these turrets in-board, but the curves I induced really just mimicked what Heller had produced, in the first place:

I would also like to point out that the name badging that I included on the quarters would not have been a feature of French practice:

While I am copying the color gouache by Pierre Vary, which shows the name, the original Berain draft does not:

I think it is important to note when my artistic interpretation of this vessel diverges from known practices.
 
As I write all of this, I am waiting for my flight to New York from Honolulu to board.  This has been an incredible vacation and bonding time for my family:
 

 

Our trip to the Mighty Mo was particularly fascinating.  All-in-all, we saw so much in 10 days, and I can only hope that we make it back to this magical place some day.
 
On the way through the airport, my daughter noted that this glass-art backdrop evokes the lava flows that Hawaii is famous for:

And just like that - I had the inspiration for the  Art Nouveau writing desk that I have been wanting to design for the past four years; I will use the idea of these pyro-plastic flows to create my “magma” desk in varied hues of bubinga, teak, and koa.  I don’t quite have the shape of the thing in mind yet, but the drawer console, bordering the writing surface, will in some way evoke the mountainous topography of the islands.
 
That’s a project for another time, though.  For now, I look forward to pressing-on with Soleil Royal. Thank you for your time, your interest and for looking in!

Hi Bedford
You may be right about the little bit of knowledge as that seems to be the situation with some, not all, kit makers.  But, based on the contemporary models and photos of others that I have seen, the plans in this case are correct.   Most contemporary models that I  checked out at RMG and Preble Hall do not show the top angled piece at the top at all, but those that do invariably face aft.  Whether round or square the top pieces of the chimneys could be adjusted for the heading and direction of the wind.  Interestingly I found no contemporary plans or models with the stack the way you show it but perhaps some other member can post a photo of a contemporary model or plans with the stack facing forward.  Lavery goes into a lot of detail on the Charlie Noble (chimney) including their design and adjustments in The Arming and Fitting of English Ships of War on page 200.  
Allan


 

Bowsprit assembly complete and installed. Missing a few blocks still but those will install when the rigging commences. Foremast up next. 

Foredeck fife rail and galley flue fitted.
 
Apparently the plans were drawn by someone with little knowledge of square rigged sailing. In general a square rigger would never have the wind more than a few degrees afore the beam unless lying at anchor. With this in mind the top of the flue should be aimed forward for the wind to draw the smoke but the plan calls for it to face aft like the exhaust on a Mack truck!
 
 

Bowsprit assembly complete and installed. Missing a few blocks still but those will install when the rigging commences. Foremast up next. 

Bowsprit assembly complete and installed. Missing a few blocks still but those will install when the rigging commences. Foremast up next. 

Some work on the bowsprit mast. As with all masts and yards, I’m trying to attach as many blocks and other components as possible before securing to the ship.
 
This is made trickier as I intend to have sails but of course the rigging plans do not include that information. To figure out what is needed, a lot of consulting other books and examples is taking place for each sail to try to find all the components needed. Even more fun is that I am used to building ships with spritsail topmasts, and this one has a jib boom and sail. My accumulated knowledge of the former is not helping right now… 

Marc, Vic, thank you very much.
 
Still very busy but I've managed to get in some build time and finished installing the gun port lids and canons. A couple more items and Royal Louis will be ready for masts and rigging.

Bowsprit assembly complete and installed. Missing a few blocks still but those will install when the rigging commences. Foremast up next.