HMS Tiger 1747 by Siggi52 - 1:48 - 60 gun ship from NMM plans

[Siggi52]

Hello Paul,

 

at least I feel better now. After one other health issues. But the energy is coming back slowly. The last time my house and garden took my attention. But I'm now and then back in the basement and working on my crew figures 2.0, and I hope that I start next year again with my Tiger. With the right crew 😉

 

Just some short sentence to the port discussion.

For me the discussion has an end. For all those who will take part in it, please read it from the beginning. Then some things would be more clear. My english is't so good and I do not like to sit here for hours to repeat what I have written also earlier. At least the coppered Bellona and one other model of unknown origin are the only models at the NMM I know, who have a rabbet at the ports. For me is right what I posted under #227 with the sketch from #233 at the end. For me it is not from interest if druxey, I or anyone else is right. You may build your models as you like, or as you ever build them. If it's right or not. Then even that could be someone right, as I know too badly from the reenactment scene. I try to build my model right. 

 

Thank you for your interest

[Hubac's Historian]

I am glad to hear that you are feeling stronger and will soon return to the shipyard!

Edited December 12, 2019 by Hubac's Historian

[paulsutcliffe]

Happy new year Siggi, glad to bear you are feeling better, still waiting for my lion to arrive and looking forward to activity on the tiger

I wouldn't get to upset about the discussions in the ports, do what you feel is correct its your model after all, and most would be happy to get anywhere near your standards 😁😁

Regards

Paul 

[SJSoane]

Hi Siggi,

 

I am glad to hear you are feeling better. We will all look forward to more ship building in the new year!

 

Mark

[Siggi52]

Hello, and to all a happy new year 2020

 

best wishes from the yard crew and me. The old crew say goodbye and retired with the new year. But I hope that I could get some new crew members and then we start again with work. 

[jansmiss]

Wish you  good health in 2020!

 

Jan

[garyshipwright]

Happy New year Siggi. Glad you have feeling a lot better now and once again working in the ship yard. Gary

[Siggi52]

Hello,

after a longer brake in building, I started now again. The new crew is complete. We have a new painter and two carpenters. 

But first they have to make them self familiar with there new working place.

I started turning the cannons. Because I have opened a can of heat resisted silicon rubber for these little guy's, I think it's better to use it before it's getting hard. 

[Mirabell61]

Siggi,

Wow, absolutely phantastic figures, I love them  

 

Nils

[SJSoane]

Very nice, Siggi! So you are going to cast your guns in pewter?

 

Mark

[Siggi52]

Hello and many thanks for the likes and your comments,

 

Nils, you are welcome to look them live in the eyes 😄

Mark, you answered your question already by yourself. Yes I will cast my cannons, like those of the Dragon, in tin.

I know the word pewter for dishes but I read it here also for all other things cast in tin. What is there the difference? 

 

And here the model for a 24 pounder.

[Jeronimo]

Hello  Siggi,

very good work.

Karl

[SJSoane]

Siggi, that is a beautiful turning, very nicely and accurately detailed.

 

I read that pewter is tin plus copper and antinomy. The first batch of pewter I used required too much heat to melt, and it destroyed my rubber molds very quickly. The second batch melted at a much lower temperature. The difference was in the proportion of the different elements, but I don't remember what.

 

Mark

[Siggi52]

Hello Mark,

 

thank you for the explanation. Because I use pure tin only with antimony, I think it will work. Did you had any trouble with the GR badge when casting? I had a look at your blog, but there it looked all ok, even if the pictures are very small. So I could't see very much. 😐 The next cannons are smaller, so the work gets not easier. 

[druxey]

Casting detail with lead-free pewter is improved by dusting the mold with talcum powder first. Also have sufficient weight of metal in the gunhead so that the mold is well-filled. (The full size cannon were cast this way.) Don't forget the air escape vents!

[SJSoane]

Hi Siggi,

 

The GR insignia cast very well. You don't see it right away, but this would have been true for the full size cannon as well. It is there for the viewer to discover!

The image below is my 32 pound cannon, at 3/16" = 1'-0".

Mark 

[Siggi52]

Thank you Druxey and Mark,

 

talcum powder I used also before. I don't know if graphite will work too, I will try it. Because talcum did it not always. 

Your cannon looks very good Mark. When I see the details at my cannons, I turned just the 12 ponder, I wonder if I could cast also these details. We will see, said the blind!

 

Have a nice day, I stop work for today.

[Siggi52]

Hello, and many thanks for all the likes and comments.

 

The models of the cannons are now ready and the man from the shipyard gave the ok to cast them. From left to right a 24, a 12 and a 6 pounder.

Here they look really great, the 6 pounder is at least 7 ft long, but in reality that cannon is just 45 mm long and made me much trouble. I think I started 3 times to get it 🤨

 

The next thing would be building the moulds and then casting them. 

[Hubac's Historian]

Really beautiful turnings, Siggi!  The Crown emblems and proof marks look fantastic.  Really delicate banding. Superb!

[FriedClams]

I echo what others have already said but it’s worth repeating - beautiful cannon turnings, so clean and sharp.  And I very much like the three new crew members.  The painter looks like me, more paint on my clothes than on what I’m painting.  
 

Wonderful work Siggi.  Looking forward to seeing the cannons cast.

 

Gary

[Cathead]

Beautiful cannons!

[Siggi52]

Hello and many, many thanks for all the likes and comments,

 

today I finished the molds for the cannons. Only the vent channels have to be cut. I leave them for the rest of the week seasoning and then I will start casting.

But there is something I did't really know. For the 60 gunner Rif Winfield state: GD 24x24pdrs, UD 26x12pdrs, QD 8x6pdrs and FC 2x6pdrs.

For the 70 gunners: GD 26x32pdrs, UD 28x18pdrs, QD 12x9pdrs and FC 2x9pdrs.

 

But when I count the cannons at the models, I get other numbers.

I counted mostly only the ports, because not all models have cannons installed. What is most unusual, there are no cannons at the fore castle and mostly no ports! At the gun deck (60 Gunner) there are 26 gun ports and I think that the first at each side are chasing ports. But also there have some models cannons. At least most models have more cannons, or the space fore more cannons then Rif Winfield says. The 70 gunners have at least less then 70 cannons! What is now true? 

 

The Tiger has ports for 64 cannons without the fore castle. When I say that the first ports at the gun deck are chasing ports, then 62. The space there is very limited, because of the manger.

 

Here the Centurion, the only one, with chasing ports at the fore castle but no ports to the sides, and no cannons there. And at the gun deck 26 cannons.

and here the other 60 gunner, Warship 2. Also with 26 cannons at the gun deck, but no ports or cannons at the fore castle.

Edited March 24, 2020 by Siggi52

[Siggi52]

Hello,

 

and thanks for the likes. It seams that nobody knows more about the number of cannons they really used in those times. All I know is, that they sometimes reduced or increase there number. Ok, it's not now important. 

 

This afternoon we worked at the foundry. That are now nearly half of the cannons I need. So tomorrow we will cast the rest. Not all cannons are first class, but most are better then I first expected. I will cast some more cannons, so I could sort out the not so good.

 

[Mirabell61]

excellent work Siggi !!

 

Nils

[paulsutcliffe]

Very nice work Siggi 

 

[SJSoane]

Beautiful cannon casting, Siggi! Those really are first class. And you are so fast and efficient at casting. Mine seemed to take me forever.

 

Mark

[Siggi52]

Hello,

and many thanks for your likes and comments

 

The whole winter we had no snow, but now in spring this

I painted some of the cannons just to see how they look. You could't see much of the details without paint, it's all sparkling. 

[Mark P]

Good Morning Siggi;

 

Lovely work on the cannons. I congratulate you on your skills.

 

Regarding the number of cannons on board, it is not always necessary to count the foremost port on the gun-deck. This was frequently what is known as a bridle port, and was used to help attach the cat-block to the anchor ring once the anchor had been raised to the water's surface by the capstan. No cannon was fitted if the port was intended for this kind of use.

 

As you point out above, the manger is in the way of the cannon's recoil. In these circumstances, it would seem safe to assume the port is a bridle port, especially if it is smaller than the other ports.

 

All the best,

 

Mark P

Edited March 30, 2020 by Mark P

[Siggi52]

Good morning Mark,

 

and thanks for your explanation. Even when many models have cannons at the first port at the gun deck, I would't place there a cannon. But also then, the number of cannons vary from ship to ship. Even then the Tiger has 62 ports and others much more!

[Louie da fly]

Siggi, I love your crew figures! Am I right in thinking that their clothes are made of paper, and that you rubbed the surface of the carpenter's apron and the painter's overcoat to make them look textured and scruffy?

 

Steven