I used thin copper strips on my first ship. Blackened them. But I used black card stock for my SR. The picture you showed is a much larger scale.
ZHL Soleil Royal
- Thread starter nunfried
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I’ve painted the new stern lanterns, they look great compared to what was supplied in the kit. I have also begun work on the cannons. I used this copper tape used for stained glass for the caps.
What are these style guns called? And do they get fully rigged like the other carriages?
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Nice, when it come to guns rigging, on mine, I'll only do an illusion for the 3rd battery gun, the other, I won't bother because to me, they won't be visible much.
Maybe this is what they are trying to simulate?
That wide carriage is difficult to crew serve on the narrow confines of a ship. The closest example would be something like this:
French, 1689.
This style of carriage is overused on many kits, especially Mantua kits like San Felipe. DeAgostini's HMS Sovereign of the Seas also features this style of carriage on the uppermost decks. The carriage is more suited for land fortifications than maritime use, and it was usually found on earlier ships in the 15th century, when land carriages were first being fitted aboard ship. It is probably only used for the lighter guns on late period ships.
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Don't the carriage look different on the soleil royal/other 1st rate french vessels? Happy new year by the way!
Happy New Years to you and all the fellow shipbuilders!
They are supposed to be lighter guns. I didn’t put a recoil rope on mine because they are lighter, but I had rigging to bring them up to the sides of the ship. I had a double 2.5mm block up front and a single towards the rear. I also read somewhere that the SR had bronze cannons. They were more expensive but lighter than iron ones. At least one other guy cut the tails off, added a knob where the tail was, and bought new carriages. If you’ve seen my log, you will see a lot of mistakes to avoid. 
I have yet to see documentation for these types of carriages used on large warships, even for the lighter guns on the upper deck. Has anyone got any research information on these?
I’ve been messing around with the cannons and doing what I can. I had to order some rigging rope and blocks to finish them out and install them. I’ve also started installing the racks that hold the deadeyes (if someone could enlighten me on the actual term I would appreciate it!) I used a contour finder to match the curve of the ship and added pins where they mate for strength. This was actually one of the easiest things to do so far on this build. I’ve been using teak oil on everything and so far I really like how it’s making the different woods look.
Your channels look good. So do your guns. French gun carriages had a hole in the sides for the recoil rope. The ropes didn't go around the round knob on the rear but through the carriage. There is also a triangular piece that goes under the rear of the gun.
Vic said it. The term you were looking for is channels, or the older term is chainwales.
Yes thank you for reassuring me on that. I am waiting on some good rope from Syren for that and also some patina to turn my brass pieces black before I install.
While I’m waiting for my rigging parts to show up, I decided to put nails in the rubbing strakes. This definitely should have been done as one of the first things and not after I put all the decorations on. We will see if I can do it without breaking something off!
Your wales are looking good. You’ve come a long way.
Thanks! This is so much more involved than my first build. The rewards are far greater. It’s really amazing to see these things come to life.
Did you have trouble with the kit only coming with 14 out of the 16 smaller cannons?
I left the first two holes aft of the main mast (one on each side) open. There isn't much room there to place cannons, especially since the ladders lead right up to where the cannons would be.
Thanks. I agree, this looks best.I left the first two holes aft of the main mast (one on each side) open. There isn't much room there to place cannons, especially since the ladders lead right up to where the cannons would be.
Not much to add. Secured the deadeyes with the chainwales and painted them black. Finished one side of nailing the wales in and painted. Mostly just sitting here, drinking a beer and eyeing my work tonight. Oh and I had to place all the cannons in their respective places for a preview
