La Candelaria - Occre Build log

Alan56 said:
Here's my process for fitting the cannon carriage wheels to the axles. Occre tells me to use brass rod for the axles but the rod is too small for the wheel holes making for a sloppy fit. It took me a few days to discover that a tooth pick is just the right size for the axles which was great because who doesn't have a pile of
tooth picks:). I dry fitted the wheels to the axle then fitted it to the carriage & poked tiny pilot holes on the axle for the brass pins. Using my handy dandy Arrowmax I drilled the holes for the wheel pins & snipped them to size.
It's a good feeling when a homemade solution works out & that Arrowmax drill is becoming one of my favorite tools. Couldn't imagine drilling those holes with a hand pin vise.View attachment 436712
Click to expand...
Good evening Alan. Yep toothpicks….I use them for plenty and so useful for applying CA glue. :D.Looking good. Cheers Grant
 
Alan56 said:
Here's my process for fitting the cannon carriage wheels to the axles. Occre tells me to use brass rod for the axles but the rod is too small for the wheel holes making for a sloppy fit. It took me a few days to discover that a tooth pick is just the right size for the axles which was great because who doesn't have a pile of
tooth picks:). I dry fitted the wheels to the axle then fitted it to the carriage & poked tiny pilot holes on the axle for the brass pins. Using my handy dandy Arrowmax I drilled the holes for the wheel pins & snipped them to size.
It's a good feeling when a homemade solution works out & that Arrowmax drill is becoming one of my favorite tools. Couldn't imagine drilling those holes with a hand pin vise.View attachment 436712
Click to expand...
I have built for many tears, and discovered toothpind early -they are all-around in Spanish Bar. As well- very good wood -the pin from ice cream.. you will find many things around you -just open your eyes and forget a moment the manuals. I used a lot of paperclibs with different Ø
 
El Capi said:
I have built for many tears, and discovered toothpind early -they are all-around in Spanish Bar. As well- very good wood -the pin from ice cream.. you will find many things around you -just open your eyes and forget a moment the manuals. I used a lot of paperclibs with different Ø
Click to expand...
Yes, a little homegrown ingenuity can go along way. Sometimes I'll scrath my head for a few days trying to solve a ship building problem & then the solution finally occurs to me. One of the reasons why my ship is progressing slowly.
 
Good morning fellow ship builders. After a 9 month hiatus due to family matters & other endeavors I'm picking up where I left off on the Occre La Candelaria.
Rigging the cannons is where I'm at right now. Being a 1/85 scale model I'm questioning weather I want to add block & tackle to such a small carriage. As you can see from the photo ( ignore the brass cannon hold downs) I installed the breech line but to me the block & tackle is so tiny I'm not sure it can be done. The instruction book does not have any block & tackle just what you see here. I ordered & have 3mm blocks from Dry Dock Models & also .20mm rope. I experimented stringing the rope through these blocks but once again sooooo tiny. Question is do others add block & tackle at this scale? Thanks..............Al.
IMG_8328.jpg
 
These guns not only had gin tackles on either side of the carriage, but also train tackles at the rear of each carriage, and they are at 1:100 scale. You have to use 1.5mm blocks for the gun tackles from Dry-Dock Models & Parts to get tackles which are as small as possible. Gun tackles on kit models typically have oversized blocks, sometimes 5x their proper size. At this scale, the gun tackle block strops were tied around each block using an overhand knot, then the bitter ends were ties to eyebolts. The eyebolt shanks were dipped in CA glue and then inserted into holes in the carriages and the bulwarks using tweezers. Tweezers were then used to carefully take the slack out of the gun tackles, with the ends of the ropes glued to the deck. Then pre-prepared coils of rope were glued adjacent to the ends of the ropes on the deck, with the ends of the lines touch so they appeared continuous. It is meticulous but rewarding detail.

La Couronne c. 1636
1731037836646.png

1:78 scale Demi-culverin drake mounted on a half-truck carriage on the upper gun deck of HMS Sovereign of the Seas c. 1635. These guns were slightly larger. The blocks on these tackles are the same 1.5mm blocks but are fitted with etched brass hooks for the eyebolts as well for even more detail. The breeching ropes are glued to the deck with PVA glue in spots to simulated them draping in gravity for realism. You can get pretty crazy detailing gun carriages if you want to spend the time.
1397 Glue Coils Over End of Fall.jpg
 
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Thank you so much guys for the information. Last winter I started the sub assembly of threading rope through the 3mm single & double blocks. My method & jig that I made was not up to the task & I became frustrated by how intricate the whole process was. 1.5mm blocks Kurt? That's some fine detail & I'm impressed by your work. I'll rededicate myself to making up the block & tackle using the 3mm blocks even though they may be a little too large. I've been researching various methods for stringing the blocks so I'll try again. I hate giving up..........Al.
 
Alan56 said:
Good morning fellow ship builders. After a 9 month hiatus due to family matters & other endeavors I'm picking up where I left off on the Occre La Candelaria.
Rigging the cannons is where I'm at right now. Being a 1/85 scale model I'm questioning weather I want to add block & tackle to such a small carriage. As you can see from the photo ( ignore the brass cannon hold downs) I installed the breech line but to me the block & tackle is so tiny I'm not sure it can be done. The instruction book does not have any block & tackle just what you see here. I ordered & have 3mm blocks from Dry Dock Models & also .20mm rope. I experimented stringing the rope through these blocks but once again sooooo tiny. Question is do others add block & tackle at this scale? Thanks..............Al.
View attachment 482581
Click to expand...
Are you the 'Al' that keeps appearing everywhere nowadays? :D
 
Alan56 said:
Thank you so much guys for the information. Last winter I started the sub assembly of threading rope through the 3mm single & double blocks. My method & jig that I made was not up to the task & I became frustrated by how intricate the whole process was. 1.5mm blocks Kurt? That's some fine detail & I'm impressed by your work. I'll rededicate myself to making up the block & tackle using the 3mm blocks even though they may be a little too large. I've been researching various methods for stringing the blocks so I'll try again. I hate giving up..........Al.
Click to expand...
You make the tackles first, then use tweezers to hook them to the eyelets. You can make sure they don't fall off by applying a tiny amount of CA glue to the hooks.

394 Gun Tackles Comparing 3mm Tied Hooks and 3mm Etched Hooks.jpg


Here is the process for how to make gun tackles using 2mm blocks and etched block strops with hooks: GUN TACKLES
If you do enough of them, they get easier. Mass produce the tackles while you listen to music. It's actually less boring than ratlining the shrouds! :D
 
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DARIVS ARCHITECTVS said:
You make the tackles first, then use tweezers to hook them to the eyelets. You can make sure they don't fall off by applying a tiny amount of CA glue to the hooks.

View attachment 483025


Here is the process for how to make gun tackles using 2mm blocks and etched block strops with hooks: GUN TACKLES
If you do enough of them, they get easier. Mass produce the tackles while you listen to music. It's actually less boring than ratlining the shrouds! :D
Click to expand...
Very good Kurt. I studied your method & am interested in buying the photo etched strops. On HiS website I do not see the same copper sheet of strops that you show. Also, would my 3mm (1/8") blocks be large for these hooks? Thanks......Al.
 
Alan56 said:
Very good Kurt. I studied your method & am interested in buying the photo etched strops. On HiS website I do not see the same copper sheet of strops that you show. Also, would my 3mm (1/8") blocks be large for these hooks? Thanks......Al.
Click to expand...
For all models at all scales, you want to use the small blocks you can find for the gun tackles. In many kits, you find the blocks are as large as the wheels of the gun carriage! The 3mm blocks you have are too large for the straps and hooks which I use, but HiS has a variety of sizes of etched parts. They have some that fit 3mm blocks.
 
DARIVS ARCHITECTVS said:
For all models at all scales, you want to use the small blocks you can find for the gun tackles. In many kits, you find the blocks are as large as the wheels of the gun carriage! The 3mm blocks you have are too large for the straps and hooks which I use, but HiS has a variety of sizes of etched parts. They have some that fit 3mm blocks.
Click to expand...
I'll be looking at the straps from HiS. Here's a photo of a 3mm single block I'll be using. Thanks again for your help:)
IMG_8331-Edit.jpg
 
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