HMS Diana 1794 by Ray - FINISHED - Caldercraft - A 38 gun Heavy Frigate

[Ray]

Mainly a photo update of the quarter deck. The skylight, mizzen timber bitt, ships wheel, main grating with the capstan platform and hatch and ladder have now all been made up and added.

 

Skylight and mizzen bitt

 

Grating

 

Capstan

 

Ships Wheel

 

Quarter deck so far

 

 

[Ray]

Again mainly a photo update.

The Quater deck is now completed just a paint touch up on some of the eye bolts and rigging hooks, next the fore deck.

 

The barricade

 

 

Rear view

 

 

Finished Quarter deck

 

 

 

[Timmo]

Great work Ray. Those pics show off everything that I love about your Diana- a busy looking yet still spacious quarterdeck that those open railings show nicely. I've said it before but will say again those Flemish coils are fantastic.

Small point but I see there's a couple of plank ends at the break in the quarterdeck that are black on the end and are noticeable compared to the others. A wee sand there or dab of woody coloured paint would do the trick.

[mort stoll]

I envy the Captain being able to stand on that gorgeous deck in command of that beautiful  frigate.

 

Mort

[Ray]

Hi Guys thanks for the many ticks.

 

Timmo I have been working on the black plank edge and it is now ok-ish the deck cross beam will need a light sanding, although it looks much better in natural light than in the photo.

 

The timber-heads have now been added to the fore deck rails, they have been positioned to allow the last two carriage guns to be used as bow chasers, in two positions, I will rig them in the most forward firing position, the last to caronades will be set in a standard position.

 

Deck edge

 

Timber-heads

 

 

 

[aliluke]

Wow. Great stuff and great photography. Ray you are on top of this craft - a pleasure to view.

[Klaas]

Really a pleasure to follow this.

I hope you don't mind but i am going to "steal" you color combinations for the deck fittings for my Aggy

[schnu]

I just read trough your log, I am impressed with the canno rigging, looks amazing.

[Blue Ensign]

Lovin' what I see Ray

 

B.E.

[Mirabell61]

Ray, it`s a pleasure to watch your build log and updates

 

great clean built Details and wonderful photos

 

Nils

[Ray]

Hi guys help needed

I am getting close to making the masts, I have a question on Pegasus and on the builds of Vanguard and a Agamemnon the lower masts are painted ochre and on the few Diana photos I can find they are not , I am inclined to paint them ochre as well,the dowel supplied is very light possibly ramin so it would need to stained to some wood colour anyway, so the bottom line is, would ochre lower mast be correct ?

[mobbsie]

Hi Ray,

Yellow Ochre would be absolutely right, and the contrast would look great.

The Topmasts and Topgallents should be stained, if it helps I use Nut Brown fence stain. It gives the colour I want and I feel it's better than a lot purpose stains.

Your Diana is credit to mate, she looks superb.

Hope that help.

 

Be Good

 

Mobbsie

[mobbsie]

Hi Ray,

Yellow Ochre would be absolutely right, and the contrast would look great.

The Topmasts and Topgallents should be stained, if it helps I use Nut Brown fence stain. It gives the colour I want and I feel it's better than a lot of purpose stains.

Your Diana is credit to you mate, she looks superb.

Hope that helps.

 

Be Good

 

Mobbsie

[mobbsie]

Senior moment, sorry

 

Mobbsie

[Beef Wellington]

Another option Ray is to replace with some walnut dowel for top/top-gallant - thats the approach I'm taking.  I deliberately ordered plenty extra, and glad I did, as I had to be a little selective to find straight sections with close colouring. 

[Ray]

Thanks Mobbsie & Jason  

 

  Thanks guys I did think the Ochre would be right for the lower masts and  will go that way.

 

I will also replace the kit dowel with walnut except for the lower mast dowel, firstly the walnut (as on the Pegasus) will just need a coat of varnish and secondly most of the birch dowel is quite badly warped,even the yard dowel could do with replacing, so I might as well order it all in one go, I must say, this is another part of the kit which could do with upgrading ?

[Ray]

The Diana figure head has now been painted and in place but not permently fixed, and the fore deck guns have had the rigging started.

The bow pin rail has also been added although this was remade as the one with the kit could not have the holes opened out to allow the pins to fit.

 

Bow pin rail

 

Diana

 

Both bow chaser options

 

ready to be rigged

rigging started

 

 

[WackoWolf]

The Figure Head look excellent, nice job on the painting of her. Keep the pictures coming and Thank you for sharing.

[Ray]

The last of the ships guns have now been added and fully rigged with the carriage guns set in the most forward bow chaser position, as can be seen the new captain has arrived and is overseeing the fitting out.

 

I did order walnut dowel to replace the birch dowel in the kit except the 10mm dowel which will be painted and is not warped, it came today and it is of much better quality plus some .25mm black thread for the ratlines all from Cornwall model boats who are also very quick to send out any orders.

 

Bow chasers rigged

 

Carronade rigging

 

Captain in charge

 

All ships guns now fully rigged

 

[fnkershner]

Ray - I want to know how you painted the Captain. Very nice job! Also just an observation. but wouldn't you have trouble using both bow chasers? They will collide on recoil.

[Ray]

Hi thanks for the ticks guys

Floyd I would think that the ship would be on a slight tack to either port or starboard (as they would be used as warning shots or when chasing another ship down)so only one gun would be able to track and fire on a target at any tlme, so I both guns would never need to fire together, and if the ship went into action broadside on, 9the gun position would be changed.

I do paint watercolours so have some good quality small brushes and a few acrylic artist paints which I used, a few more crew members may soon be onboard.

[Beef Wellington]

Nice shots Ray.  Isn't it also fair to say that there is no rule that cannon can't be fired unless at 90 degrees to the bulwark?  I would have thought that there would have been plenty of movement possible with these to be able to cover a very wide arc in many chase situations.

[Ray]

Next job has been making up the remainder of the fore deck fittings. Firstly the belfry to which I fitted a non kit brass bell, the bitts, and gratings, plus the stove chimney with added smoke deflector and hinges, and lastly the breast beam rails.

 

Belfry

 

bitts and breast beam rails

 

gratings

 

stove pipe with mods

 

 

 

[fnkershner]

Ray - I like the detail of your deck furniture. Did you do your own gratings? If so can you a bit more detail. Somewhere I have the instructions on how to cut your own gratings, but I need to get the scale right. I also do not like the gratings or the plans for my kit. All I can use from that is the scale of 1:48. I know I am doing a different model. but you have given me some great ideas.

[Beef Wellington]

Ray - Nice work on the stove pipe mods, huge improvement on the 'out of the box' parts.  Should all look great once in place.

[mort stoll]

Hi Ray,

 

Great job as always. where did you get the brass bell?

 

Mort

[Ray]

Thanks for the comments and ticks guys.

 

Floyd I will add the only photo I have off a grating being made up it is made from the standard kit parts with a walnut 2x3mm frame it is then just sanded to give a slight convex profile.

 

Mort the ships bell is a 6mm Amati one which cost 0.82 pence sterling from Cornwall model boats.

much better than the horrid cast one that came with the kit.

 

 

[mort stoll]

Thanks Ray,

 

I agree the kits bell has to be replaced.

 

Thanks,

Mort

[mobbsie]

Plenty going on here Ray, really good work mate, I love those bow chasers and guns, the rigging of them is superb.

 

Belfry and the deck fittings are coming on a treat, well done Ray.

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

[Mirabell61]

Your Diana is a superb built model Ray,

 

I enjoy those pics every time I look into your build log. Also although Long completed already, I like to look up your HMS Pegasus, which I also find an inspiring and very well done model in all Details...

 

Nils