Tartan Jack Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 OK, I am "converting" two plastic models into pirate ships/boats. One of them will be the Lindberg "Jolly Roger" into a sloop. The other will be the 1/96 scale Revell USS Constitution. BOTH will be made into 1/48 scale. So, I need to figure out which (if any) of the kit cannons I can reuse. I need to know the length and diameter of different cannons in the 18th C. (I would LOVE it in feet, if possible, for ease of conversion to scale) I need: 8 pounders. 6 pounders 4 pounders Rail guns I have found MANY references to pounds, but not to lengths. Any help is GREATLY appreciated!!! -John "Tartan Jack" Wages, of South Carolina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackjohn Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Given some time I can probably dredge tube lengths up from somewhere... EDIT. The quick and dirty answer... did you look here! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannon My Home on the Web The Pirate Brethren Gallery Dreams are the glue that holds reality together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt Thighbiter Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 I would think that the exact dimensions would vary from country to country and from foundry to foundry. Cascabel would be a likely person to chat up about this Pirate music at it's best, from 1650 onwards The Brigands Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tartan Jack Posted February 8, 2007 Author Share Posted February 8, 2007 Given some time I can probably dredge tube lengths up from somewhere...EDIT. The quick and dirty answer... did you look here! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannon Wiki: Looks like 8-10 ft! -John "Tartan Jack" Wages, of South Carolina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tartan Jack Posted February 10, 2007 Author Share Posted February 10, 2007 Related question: (asked here to keep questions together for future searches) How much space (side to side) is needed to operate a cannon. Can a cannon be operated in 6 feet of space or is more needed? In the model in question, if all original cannon ports are used, I have a scale 6 feet of space for each cannon crew. Is that enough? Does it need 12 feet? (6 per side measured from centerline of cannon itself). -John "Tartan Jack" Wages, of South Carolina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PirateKing Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 Wow, popular topic - I just dropped a similar reply in another section of the forum. I have compiled a ton of info on cannons and their use in my weapons section (nearly 50 pages on cannons alone, if you were to print them all out). Check out the info here and maybe it will help you to define your specs: http://www.thepirateking.com/historical/weapons.htm (Scroll down to the section labeled "Cannon & Naval Artillery") I've had a 1 pound falconette on a modified naval carriage for almost 6 years now that I roll out for various occasions. If you get a good one, the maintenance is pretty light and the life of the piece will probably be longer than yours. Good Luck! Rob Ossian www.ThePirateKing.com http://www.ThePirateKing.com Over 180 online biographies of Pirates, Privateers, Explorers, & Buccaneers, along with loads of historical information on Sailing, Shipwrecks & Nautical Archaeology Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tartan Jack Posted February 27, 2007 Author Share Posted February 27, 2007 Thanks Pirate King. Remember, my intent is for miniture ones in 1/48 scale (about 1-2 inches long) and non-firing. Looking at your site . . . Were there both brass and iron cannons aboard a typical larger pirate ship of the GAoP? Were the brass ones THAT much smaller than the iron ones? Since the iron/brass issue has been raised . . . What color would they have been? The iron is obviously black (Iron-colored). What about the brass ones? Gold-ish as modern brass or more of a bronze/copper-ish tone (as I seem to remember someone on this forum mentioning that bronze was more copper toned than the modern gold tones brass). -John "Tartan Jack" Wages, of South Carolina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PirateKing Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 Ahoy Wages! You bring up an issue that is a common misconception with ships of any age, namely the consistency of their armaments. When a ship (commissioned, commercial, or "other") were to take on arms like cannons, rifles, etc they almost never had the luxury of ordering their munitions from a single manufacturing source. Even Royally funded ships of the line often inherited cannons from a variety captured or scrapped vessels. This meant that if a ship had ten guns aboard her, the chances were good that at least a few would be slightly different, even if their poundages and general dimensions were still roughly consistent. In Hollywood (and to a certain degree model making), the cannons are typically replicas crafted from resin, fiberglass, plastic and the like. With this, once a good cast has been made it is much easier and cost effective to simply pump out ten of them than it would to create 2 or 3 variations and intermix them. Lastly, to your question of aging... Most bronze cannons, even the ones well cared for, quickly changed color when exposed to the elements of life at sea. Take an old penny that has been in circulation for at least a decade and you'll see what these weapons would have looked like. Hope this helps, The Pirate King www.ThePirateKing.com http://www.ThePirateKing.com Over 180 online biographies of Pirates, Privateers, Explorers, & Buccaneers, along with loads of historical information on Sailing, Shipwrecks & Nautical Archaeology Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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