US Brig Syren by NovaStorm - Model Shipways - 1:64

[Sea Hoss]

Very clean and sharp!

[WalrusGuy]

Looks gorgeous Robin!

[NovaStorm]

Hoss and Wally thank you both appreciate you taking the time

 

While waiting for the brass I had on order I continued on the deck fittings. Not knowing a lot about Capstan's I did a little research and got a little help from my friends and now know how at least it works. I made up the capstan pretty much as indicated in the instructions. I am going to flip the head upside down on the drum tho to give me a little more height for the companionway. Haven't detailed it at all yet either ~

 

Got the brass in I was waiting for and made up a carronade prototype. Couple pics showing the sled mounts which were made by soldering a brass tube onto a brass flat bar strip then slicing thin diagonal strips to act as sled mounts. For the carronade I just used a short piece of brass tube soldered on. I know it doesn't look perfect but It is pretty much hidden under the carronade. I couldn't use silver solder because the caseys brass black won't affect it.

Nothing cleaned up or glued on yet...

 

 

Stay the blazes home. Stay safe

[Gahm]

Capstan and carronades look great! When I built the carronades one of the biggest problems I had was that they had a tendency to end up a bit too high in relation to the gun ports. Hopefully you don't have to deal with that issue.

 

Thomas 

[NovaStorm]

7 minutes ago, Gahm said:

When I built the carronades one of the biggest problems I had was that they had a tendency to end up a bit too high in relation to the gun ports. Hopefully you don't have to deal with that issue.

 

Hi Thomas, great to hear from you . That is good to know I will be trying out a the two I've done up before I continue and be on the look out for that issue. You milled your drilled blocks in a bit too so that makes me a little nervous will have to see what happens. I forgot you milled them into the underside of the carronade. If mine end up looking to high I could file a grove fairly easily which would make soldering even better and easier. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[jamcdonel]

Nicely done! Pearwood makes for beautiful planking, and your work is first rate.

I especially like the Bluenose pics, as that is my current project.

[Overworked724]

Outstanding. Love the wood!  Very clean. 👍🏽

[NovaStorm]

10 hours ago, jamcdonel said:

Pearwood makes for beautiful planking

 

2 hours ago, Overworked724 said:

Love the wood!

Believe me it has been a treat working with pear. The guy who cut it for me did such a precise job, the planks were all exact. He is really happy with how it came out to. Thanks for the great comments

 

12 hours ago, Gahm said:

When I built the carronades one of the biggest problems I had was that they had a tendency to end up a bit too high in relation to the gun ports. Hopefully you don't have to deal with that issue.

Thomas it was exactly as you predicted. I tested one carronade out in the ports and it was sitting to high. I removed the tube filed into the carronade with a round file and re-soldered the tube inset into the carronade. Big difference. I will go a little bit deeper with the recess on the next ones.

Appreciate the heads up. Here are a couple before and after pics

 

Original before filing First Pic 

 

After Filing Second pic

 

Original Before Filing

 

After Filing

 

Shots taken with carronade set level with the sled

 

Thanks again, Cheers Robin ~

[Retired guy]

The second one does looks way better Robin, and love the deck planking as well 👍

 

Regards

Richard

[Gahm]

The second carronade is as good as it gets. Well done!

 

Thomas

[NovaStorm]

On 4/23/2020 at 10:11 PM, Retired guy said:

The second one does looks way better Robin, and love the deck planking as well 👍

 

On 4/24/2020 at 10:33 AM, Gahm said:

The second carronade is as good as it gets. Well done!

 

Thanks guys, trying to get the hang of it Here are a couple of pics with the breech ring added and the sleds detailed. Soldering the ring could be a little better. Hopefully practice will help lol.  I went with a very thin slice of brass tubing, drilled and inserted wire to make the elevation screw handles. Does they look a little heavy maybe?

 

 

 

 

Edited April 26, 2020 by NovaStorm

[Retired guy]

Hi Robin looking at the screw it does look a little heavy, just looked on the drawing I have on the 68 lb Carronade on the Victory by Arthur Bugler, it says it is 2" elevating screw and the breeching ring was 4 1/4" dia, so for the screw in 1/64 scale it would be 1/32" dia and ring will be just over 1/16" dia but I am not sure what size of gun yours are.

 

Regards

Richard

[NovaStorm]

Well I worked at getting the breach ring smaller and got them a little better but still not perfect. The screw I will live with. Once I cut it to size I will taper the top edge which will help. It looks fine with naked eye, blown up looks super oversize.

[Retired guy]

Brilliantly done Robin 👍

 

Regards

Richard

[NovaStorm]

10 hours ago, Retired guy said:

Brilliantly done Robin 👍

 

Regards

Richard

lol thank you my friend. Kinda flying by the seat of my pants here. Tinning the wire for the breach ring really helped with soldering and I managed to get them quite a bit smaller. The one from the first post is the 5th one in from the bow. I am starting a new wish list for a proper pliers set for metal work. The cheap ones I have don't cut it. Only 8 more to go! 

[Gahm]

Getting those carronades detailed is a lot of work! Syren has 16 plus 2 long guns . . . just imagine building a Victory 😉. But your carronades really look good! 

 

Thomas

[NovaStorm]

1 hour ago, Gahm said:

Getting those carronades detailed is a lot of work! Syren has 16 plus 2 long guns . . . just imagine building a Victory 😉. But your carronades really look good! 

 

Thomas

Thanks Thomas, they are a lot of work and yours are like little individual works of art! I might be missing a couple ring bolts with split rings I think you have on yours. They don't show on chucks plan. I will have to do some more checking... Cheers thanks again for taking the time. 

[NovaStorm]

Ok I couldn't take the bling factor on the carronades any longer. Last evening I got into blackening the carronades and one cannon I have done up for the port side. I was pretty nervous given the time spent on them and the sleds, so it was going to be a bit of a do or die moment. Well the results came out fantastic I think. Took a little trial an error to get the results I wanted and I hope you like them as well.
I started out soaking the pieces in a solution of Sparex #2 in a warming pot for about an hour and a half to clean them. Then they were dried and placed into a container of (straight) Casey's brass black for ruffly 3/4 of an hour. I then removed them from the caseys and rubbed them down with a paper towel which cleaned off the excess and produced results that were not where I wanted them. This was fine as I then placed them back in the casey's again for about 1/2 to 3/4 an hour and then removed them a second time and again rub off and polished them with a paper towel to get the final result. Here are some pics of the outcome.

 

[Voyageur]

They look lethal! Well done.

[NovaStorm]

15 minutes ago, Voyageur said:

They look lethal! Well done.

  Thanks mission accomplished ~

[Gahm]

Blackening sometimes can be a bit tricky, but it makes a big difference. Yours turned out very nicely!

 

Thomas

[Retired guy]

Got some of that Birchwood Casey Brass black it works a treat, canons have come out great Robin 👍

 

Regards

Richard

[NovaStorm]

Today I gave er a good cleaning followed by a minor paint touch up! Made up the stern transom port covers, painted waiting to dry.  Then I did up a signage proto by mounting ``Syren` onto a thin black board. I kinda like it because now it is more visible with more 3d. This is just a test using 2 sided tape 

 

[egkb]

Wow .. I keep on coming back to that Deck .. That is magnificent work right there!

 

All The Best

 

Eamonn

[NovaStorm]

24 minutes ago, Retired guy said:

Got some of that Birchwood Casey Brass black it works a treat, canons have come out great Robin 👍

 

Regards

Richard

 

8 minutes ago, egkb said:

Wow .. I keep on coming back to that Deck .. That is magnificent work right there!

 

All The Best

 

Eamonn

Thanks for the great comments   I never get bored of looking at the deck Eamonn. Plus I managed to finish the waterway at the stern. So it is complete now.

Richard I was very pleased for my first time out using it. Cheers

 

[NovaStorm]

Busy couple of weeks with work but here are some picks of what I've been working at. The stern davits I made out of pear are installed. Tested out the transom post covers. Had a blast making the pumps up which I am pretty pleased with. Added lug nuts to the cannon wheels. Hope you are all well and staying out of trouble!

 

 

[NovaStorm]

Picking away at the deck furnishings. Switched out the walnut coamings for swiss pear cut on my proxxon fet. Turned the stanchions for the fife rail using a dremel and ruffed out the gallow bits and foreward pin rail bits also in pear.

 

[WalrusGuy]

3 hours ago, NovaStorm said:

Really like this idea for the stanchions! Going to remember it for when the time comes.

[Retired guy]

Very nice update Robin and do like your pump great job my friend 

 

Regards

Richard 

[NovaStorm]

7 hours ago, WalrusGuy said:

Really like this idea for the stanchions! Going to remember it for when the time comes.

 

4 hours ago, Retired guy said:

Very nice update Robin and do like your pump great job my friend 

Thanks guys appreciate the comments   Wally if you haven't got this LINK for your dremel or something better you can use, it was probably the best $55 bucks I've spent in a while. Highly recommend.

Cheers ~