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

[Ray]

The channels, gun port lids, plus the oar ports and ventilation ports and the eye bolts have all now been fitted, plus the channel support brackets and the anchor lining boards I found the best way to work on her, was keel up, it gives much better access to the under sides of the channels, this would not be such a good idea if the deck fittings have been added.

 

One problem I found was that parts no 258 the channel support brackets there are only 22 supplied, and the plans shows 26 and if there are ones behind the anchors you need 28 I will get around this by making the extras from the brass strip around the etched parts.

 

This might be the last update for a bit as we are off on the QM2 for a holiday and Xmas is coming.

 

Working upside down

 

 

support brackets

 

 

 

All the parts fitted to both sides

 

 

 

 

[WackoWolf]

That is looking very nice. Excellent work. Keep the pictures coming.

[mobbsie]

Good stuff Ray. The extra brackets wont take a lot of making up, the brass sprue can make a lot of extra bits and pieces.

 

Enjoy your cruise mate.

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

[Barbossa]

Superb work Ray (as always)

One question : are you sure about the orientation of part 87 ?

(this thing that is to secure the anchor)

 

Enjoy your holiday, you have certainly earned it !

[Bill Hime]

Ray,

 

Absolutely beautiful work my friend . I've read through your log, didn't see a detail on how you fixed your cannons under deck so they swivel and stay in place. Turning her decks down is the real test for how well the cannon placements are set for sure!

 

Warm Regards,

 

Bill

[Timmo]

Top work ray. The colour of the timber with the paint and copper is magic

[Ray]

Hi Guys

 

 Christian 

 Thanks, I have had a look at the lining boards and I think you are right, they are probably the wrong way round, so I have removed them reworked them and refitted.

 

 

  Bill

To get the cannons to move up and down, when assembling them I glued the trunnion in the barrel and drilled down into the carriage and ten pinned the cap-square onto the carriage dry which allows the barrel to still move up and down. when I fitted the cannons to the deck I used very thick cyno and also rubbed the finished cannons on sand paper to give a small flat on the bottom of the wheels, to give a better contact-glueing area, plus I glued where the cannons touch on the inner bulwarks the last thing you want is one coming loose when the fore or quarter deck is on.

 

 

Mobbsie

The brackets under the mizzen channel are made from the brass/ sprue no problem to make, you would think that the price these kits are right number of parts would be included.

 

A carriage with holes for the trunnion 

 

A cannon with trunninon and you can just see the sanded flats on the bottoms of the wheels

 

 

 

[fnkershner]

Such Excellent work! I will come back to this when I get to rigging my cannons.

[mort stoll]

Enjoy your holiday.

 

Mort

[Ray]

Just a small update not much progress as we before Xmas went on holiday, great cruise on the Queen Mary 2 what a superb ship, a 5 star floating hotel, so as it is a ship I have added a photo, and Xmas took over as well.

 

 

I have made a start on adding the dead eyes and links but first the alignment.

 

 

Dead-eye link alignment

 

 

When I was looking into positioning the channels, making sure they did not allow the links from the dead-eyes to the hull interfere with the gun ports, I also looked at the path from the mast the stays took through the dead-eye links to the hull fixing point. I wanted to get that path straight, so I made a jig using an old length of carbon rod  that fitted into all three mast holes and marked off the point where all the stays would come from on the rod with tape, and then ran a length of  rigging cord from the stays starting point, through the notch in the channel, to the termination point of the link on the hull (as shown in the photos)

 

so when the dead-eyes and when links are fitted they will flow in the right line from the mast.

 

 

[Barbossa]

It's always good to hear from you, Ray

Regarding the channels, it is wise to take the necessary precautions. Excellent work.

Starting from the channelplates, for uniformity sake, I let them go more perpendicular downwards as coming from the mizzen mast the channel assembly became a bit narrow due to the presence of the gunport lids.

 

And of course :  good health and lot of shipbuilding fun for 2014.

 

[Blue Ensign]

Nice shot of the deck guns Ray, and of you with the QM2  in the background. As a young boy I remember seeing the original pass the IoW on its way to Southampton, impressive, never forgotton that view.

 

Best wishes for 2014.

 

B.E.

[Ray]

Hi Guys thanks for the comments and Best Wishes to all for 2014

 

I am working away, on fitting the dead eyes into the strops and the links onto the hull, and the covers over the chain plate edges, it is quite a long job and not the most enjoyable so far, but I am about half way through, and will give a full update when both side are done, with my way of doing this part of the build and solutions to the problems I came across.

[Ray]

Dead-Eyes and links

 

On dry fitting the 5mm dead eye into the strop it left a gap in the bottom of the strop, and I thought this will be tricky to connect the first link too, so I glued up the gap and made a metal link 13mm long ,to join the dead eye to the link that is pinned to the hull, I was not that pleased with the result but did find that when the dead eye in the strop is pushed into the slot in the channel it closes up the gap in the bottom of the strop,so I fitted the two links that are pinned to the hull, the preventor link and the toe link and then added the metal link, the middle link made from .5mm wire but the tension was not right so I tried joining the links with .5mm black thread which gives a nice tight linkage and with the knot tied in the channel notch it will not be seen when the covering timber goes on. One thing I would have done differently would have been to fit the 3mm dead eyes and links on the mizzen channel before the gun port lids the lids made it a real pain to fit the links and quite a few naughty words were uttered. The photos below show step by step my way of doing the linkage on this kit, I must say that I much preferred the strops and linkage in the Victory kits, also the kit comes with two toe links short but an email to Jotika quickley brought the parts in the post.

 

Linkage positions marked on hull side

 

Preventor and toe link added

 

.5mm thread through strop

 

Knott making middle link tied

 

Middle links ready for trimming

 

Fore mast --Main mast & mizzen linkage completed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sailor1234567890]

Very nicely done.

[mort stoll]

Very nice. Very very nice.

 

Mort

[Blue Ensign]

I've used that thread idea for the top chain link in the past Ray and it works just fine.

If you then paint the thread matt black it fills in the lay of the line and improves the 'metal' look to the arrangemment.

 

Cheers,

 

B.E.

[Barbossa]

Nicely done Ray,

I proceeded more or less the same way, but you were more wise than me as you  fixed  the 2*1 mm strip AFTER the job done, so your knots are entirely hidden and mine were partially as they went behind the dead eye strop.

 

 

[shihawk]

been following your log for some time now .Outstanding work and very informative , love the idea of thread to finish the linkage ,keeps it tight and tidy .Keep up the good work

[Ray]

Thanks for the comments guys

BE

I have given the thread one coat already and will give it another one.

 

Christian.

I might have been wiser in covering up the knots but not in other matters as below will demon strait

 

Major Quarter Deck gun port problem

 

When all the dead eye to hull linkage had been completed it showed up a major problem,I suppose I had seen it coming but like the ostrich had my head in the sand. The problem, some of the quarter deck gun ports did not line up with the gaps in-between the shrouds ( you cannot have the 9 pounders shooting through them) when I did the ports, I spaced them out neatly but did not look forward enough, to see this problem. I looked at ways of poking the guns through the rigging but in the end had to bite the bullet or in this case cannon ball ! Cut out part of the quarter bulwarks and reposition the gun ports, thats where I am now as photos show old bulwark cut out, a real pain as I expect when it remade will not be as good as when first done.

 

Cutting out the quarter deck bulwark and rails.

 

One side cut out  ready for re-work

 

Edited June 8, 2014 by Ray

[Sailor1234567890]

Ouch. That's some pretty major reconstructive surgery. Not something you want to have to do too often on a project. I guess the old Keep calm and carry on applies here doesn't it?

[Blue Ensign]

Annoying but I've every confidence that it will come right in your hands Ray,  if nothing else a good 'heads up' for those who follow with that particular modification.

 

B.E.

[mobbsie]

That's got to hurt Ray, that's a major refit your tackling there.

 

I wish you the best of luck with it mate, I'm sure all will come good in the end given your high degree of skill and determination.

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

[Barbossa]

Hi Ray, as others already mentioned , I'm sure you will recover this.

It appears that shipbuilding is sometimes more related with real  life than one should expect.

More than once I experienced at my own expence to oversee the obvious by focusing too much on details.

Bon courage and take care !

[Ray]

Thanks guys I am now well on the way to rebuilding the bulwarks and rails, one good thing so far is the main beech wood top rail has remained in one peice. This has been one of those things you must do, for if you did not you would always regret it later.

[Ray]

Thanks guys I am now well on the way to rebuilding the bulwarks and rails, one good thing so far is the main beech wood top rail has remained in one peice. This has been one of those things you must do, for if you did not you would always regret it later.

[Ray]

Reworked quarter deck gun ports

 

I first cut out the bulwark as necessary and laminated some wood to the right thickness, and the glued and pinned it on to the cut out section, I then re-cut the gun ports and added the rails, and the trim and when all done repainted, I did one side first, and then the other, a real pain to do but it had to be done, I could not have left it as it was as it would have botherd me. Over all the repair is not to bad and when the cannons are fitted and rigged you will not see it, if you did not know it was there,and the one good thing was the beech top rail did not break so that looks as good as before and its the part that the eye catches.Also all the channels, dead eyes and links are now complete and painted. Next the fore and quarter deck fittings and guns.

 

Second side cut out

 

 

Laminated insert

 

New gun ports cut out

 

 

Rework completed

 

 

Reworked gun ports and finished channels and dead eye linkage

Edited June 8, 2014 by Ray

[realworkingsailor]

Nice fix, looking at the last photos, it can't be seen at all. Well done.

 

Andy

[mtaylor]

Great fix that no one but you and about 9,000 of us here MSW will ever know.   The last pics look great.

[fnkershner]

Wow! No hint of the major surgery.