HMS Dragon 1760 by Siggi52 - FINISHED - Scale 1:48 - English 74-Gun ship

[SJSoane]

Hi Siggi,

 

I have never seen this view of Franklin's model. Fascinating!

 

Mark

[Siggi52]

Good morning,

 

unfortunately I have not so much pictures from the port side, the starboard side was nearer tho the glas and because I'm more interested in the stern part of the ship, I have mostly pictures of that part of the model.

I hope I could help you with the pictures, because the times before your Alfred was a great help for me. It's a great model, I like it very much. 

 

Best regards,

Siggi

[garyshipwright]

Hi Siggi and thank you very very much. Not being able to visit places like the NMM to view the models and how items are built up such as the stern, one has to depend on books to help fill in the pieces. Having all the carvings in place brings in to question on how the pieces underneith all fitted together before they were added. Having books like David A Swan class and now the Comet along with build logs such as yours, Mark and others, photo's like the egmont, and dragon  really helps those of us that are land lock. Once again thank you sir. Gary

[Siggi52]

Hello Gary,

I'm too build my Dragon mainly from books and what I found in the internet. This forum and also your Alfred was a great help. It's also from here in Germany not just a trip to London to see the models. But we are here to help each other and that is good.

 

My main source is the book „The Construction and Fitting of the English Man of War 1650-1850“ by Peter Goodwin. ISBN 0-87021-016-5. 

 

Regards,

Siggi

[SJSoane]

 

Hi Siggi,

 

these are really great photos. What museum has Franklin's model? I only know it from the photos in the Peter Goodwin book.

 

Mark

[Siggi52]

Hi Mark,

 

it's in the NMM and on display. 

 

Regards,

Siggi

[WackoWolf]

Siggi,

 

   I have that book and I love it. One of the best book I have, and heck I have a lot. And thank you for the pictures.

[Siggi52]

Hello,

 

this week I didn't work at the canons as I should, but made the gratings for the upper gun deck and quarter deck. When building the deck beams for the upper gun deck, I recognized that the grating have a light taper. The whole time I thought about it and then I started to solve that problem. The result are tapered gratings, but is war a long way.

 

 

The problem is to saw at a light angle and for that I build a little help where I could change the angle and then saw the wood block in form of the grating. I'm sorry when this sound a little complicated, but in this case it's my english. I hope that the pictures will explain, where I have no words for

 

 

 

I could adjust this steel, that looks approximately 1 mm over the surface, with the screws or at the top with paper at the left or right side of the steel. Then it is only testing with cheaper wood. When the right angle was found, than I took the boxwood block. The clamp is a stop, that I wouldn't saw in the screws.

 

 

 

After that, I cut the spaces at a right angle between the bars, but not all the way through so that they would not fall apart. But that with my normal help for space. The next thing was to glue in the bars and make the repairs.

 

 

 

 

I gave them a coat of lacquer for better gluing the parts together. The next thing was then only to grind the backside of and ready they are.

 

 

Best regards,

Siggi

Edited November 7, 2014 by Siggi52

[AnobiumPunctatum]

Really good idea for cutting the grating. I stored this in my tips and tricks folder.

Edited November 7, 2014 by AnobiumPunctatum

[yvesvidal]

Simply amazing!!!

 

Yves

[SJSoane]

 

Hi Siggi,

 

I have also been thinking about how to do that tapered grating for a long time. Very clever jig, and beautiful tapered grates! I'll have to try your jig when I get to that point.

 

Best wishes,

 

Mark

[Siggi52]

Hello,

 

I have a question about the rigging of the canons. 

 

 

I made the frapping at this cannon with the rest of the tackle rope, or was that an extra, thinner rope like that for the muzzle lashing? 

 

Best regards,

Siggi

[druxey]

A most ingeneous solution to tapered gratings, Siggi. Well done!

[garyshipwright]

Hi Siggi. 

 

I took a look in Adrian Caruana  book, The Age of the System, 1715-1815.  On page 388, He says that two inch muzzle lashings were used for lower deck guns. 

 

Gary

[Siggi52]

Hello,

 

so, the cannons are ready. Very handy in this case is my dock. I could lay the Dragon at here side

 

 

 

 

Thank you Gary for the efforts to look for the rope dimension. Next thing would be, to build all the staff used around the cannons, like buckets, rammers.. ect.

 

The captain was very pleased with the work and I hope he will spend a drink this evening

 

Regards,

Siggi

[WackoWolf]

Beautiful. I am lost for more words. Your doing an excellent job. Keep the updates and pictures coming.

[Siggi52]

Hello,

 

before I continue my work at the gun deck, I have some questions about the tiller. The tiller with roller I learned wasn't used in the 1760 th. But how looked the tiller and sweep in those times. From the Bellona book and deck plans in the NMM I came to this version. I hope I'm right. 

 

 

 

Here the question is how the sweep or quadrant looks in profile, version 1 ore 2? Version 2 is the older version according to Mr Goodwin.

 

 

The next question, in picture 2 is, how was the rigging done? Did they have in the 60 th already the tensioning tackle, version 1 or did they used version 2 or 3?

 

A last question about the cabins in the back of the gun deck. Green in picture 1. I would do them in canvas, not stretched on frames. But I found plans, not only one, where it looks as if the where from a solid construction. May be it's only the drawer who preferred clear lines.

 

 

Many thanks in advance,

Siggi

 

 

 

 

[kruginmi]

Siggi,  excellent job!  Very enjoyable build to read through and I really like the colors that you have brought to bear.  I have never thought I would actually paint any of my models but with your results I am seriously thinking about going in this direction.

 

Keep up the updates.  Great idea also to build just a partial ship for size constraints.  I think 1:48 is the best for my skillset and had wondered how to tackle anything bigger than a 16 gun sloop.  A good solution with great execution.

 

Mark

[mtaylor]

Siggi,

 

You might want to bring this up here: http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/8770-thinking-things-throu-the-gunroom-gunner´s-room/   Daniel's raising some questions along the same line.

[SJSoane]

 

Hi Siggi,

 

I came to the same conclusion that the rollers would not have been used in the 1760s. I am curious to see if the rudder lines go slack because they do not follow a continuous curve with the sweep of the tiller. We will find out when you build this!

 

I somehow missed that there were cabins on the gundeck. Do you know the source of those drawings in your photo? My drawing of the Bellona shows a dotted line for moving bulkheads on the quarter deck from their original position, in the inboard works drawing. I will look again at the gundeck drawing to see if there is a hint of a cabin o not.

 

Best wishes,

 

Mark

[Siggi52]

Hello Mark,

 

Lavery quoted in „The ship of the line II“ that sweeps with rollers where officially introduced in 1771. And because there is no one who knows exactly how it was done (as you could see, no answers), I have to do it as I think it was done. I would do the sweep like version 2 and the tiller rope like version 1 and 3. But at the moment I got a cold and so I'm not at the shipyard working. So it is some time to think it over and search for more information.

 

For the cabins at the gun deck there is a discussion at this threat: http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/8770-thinking-things-throu-the-gunroom-gunner´s-room/

 

My question is't answered there, but I think that I will build all these cabins in canvas. Lavery is not always wrong, but he had the same problems with these things like we have. May be he had better sources than we. I'm doing reenactment now for over 40 years and learned that the ordinary things where'd written down, because at those times every one knows how it was done. I think that these cabins where not for living, but more for a little privacy at night and may be a little bureau work. 

 

Regards,

Siggi

[Siggi52]

 

The captain, the shipwright (me, I'm at the iconograph and not at the picture) and the crew wish you all a

 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2015

 

Meanwhile I'm ready with all these small items for the gun deck and start now with the hanging knees for the upper gun deck and installing the deck beams.

 

Siggi

Edited December 23, 2014 by Siggi52

[Mirabell61]

hello Siggi,

 

beautiful build, those carvings are wonderful, I like your work, in all well done, had a look at your Homepage, very interesting

 

Frohe Weihnachten !

 

Nils

[SJSoane]

 

Siggi,

 

I love your christmas tree on the gun deck. I didn't see details for that in the Bellona drawings. Are those authentic 18th century decorations on the tree? ;-)

 

Happy holidays to you!

 

Mark

[mtaylor]

Beautiful work and that table is just great.  Have a wonderful Christmas and I hope it's a great 2015 for you.

[albert]

Beautiful build. Merry Christmas

[Siggi52]

So, Christmas is over and the workers are back at the shipyard. Today I have installed the tiller. The next things would be to set in all the carlings and ledges in this part of the ship. Really difficult are the crocked hanging knees around the gun ports.

Enjoy the pictures.

 

Regards,

Siggi

 

[SJSoane]

 

Hi Siggi,

 

The photos are terrific.  You can almost imagine being in the real ship. I clicked for a closeup of the guns in the third photo, and saw the four legged table towards the stern. The turned legs are astonishing! The barrels, sea chests and pails give a very good image of life on the gundeck.

 

I see what you mean about the hanging knees cast to avoid the gunports. You are providing a roadmap for me, when I eventually get to these on the Bellona.

 

So how did you resolve the question of the hatches on either side of the knee? I see a grating on the one to port, but cannot see the one to starboard. Does it also have the same grating, or did you do something different there?

 

Best wishes,

 

Mark

[Siggi52]

Good morning Mark,

 

here it is now late afternoon, and I'm ready at the shipyard. But today I was lazy and did only some paint work and mix new red color. 

 

But to your question. You mean these two hatches

 

 

The one aft goes to the Ladies hole and the one with the grating to the bred room. At the plan it looked so

 

 

At the hatched to the bred room and forward to the aft magazine stairway is a rim drawn, but not to that of the ladies hole. So I thought that I made it this way. If you have to work there a cannon I think the rim would be in the way. 

 

I dont know if I'm right with this interpretation, but I hope 

 

Regards,

Siggi

[druxey]

I agree that the aftermost opening would have a scuttle lid flush with the deck as you've shown it, Siggi.