Vickers Bl 8 inch Howitzer cannon of 1917

[Grenville HuntParticipant @grenvillehunt47315]

That is truly amazing work!

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

Just taken another look at some vids and photos and there is a small groove down to root diameter or thereabouts where the Welin screw steps up. It'd just about pass a shallow cutting tool insert. You'd have to stop the rotation accurately to a few mm to back it out.

Still egad – and maybe a gor blimey…

[mal webberParticipant @malwebber91786]

Hi all, Pete thanks for the pictures and thanks guy's for the ideas on the interrupted threads, will be interesting to have a go at making the Howitzers breech, I've got plenty of time before getting to that, but ideas are flying around in my head, well small bit more done on the cannon last couple of days I have decided to have a go making the spade next, very similar to the one in the first picture ,this digs in on firm ground to help keeping the cannon on target, started of with the wings, to get the small lip around the out side I made some 10mm former plates sandwiched the part in between some heat and a bit of hammering to get the result i wanted couple of pics below.

Thanks Mal.

Edited By mal webber on 11/09/2019 23:33:13

[Jeff DaymanParticipant @jeffdayman43397]

Some very nice flanging there Mal! well done!

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

This gives a description of the Welin Breech Thread.

**LINK**

I've always wondered how they were made, so I'm looking forward to next week's exciting episode

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by duncan webster on 12/09/2019 00:20:41:

This gives a description of the Welin Breech Thread.

**LINK**

I've always wondered how they were made, so I'm looking forward to next week's exciting episode

Making one was covered in ME… wait a bit…

1 November 2002, issue 4181, page 440 "A Welin Interrupted Breech Screw in 1:15 Scale", David Wilcox.

Also see postbag in issues 4017 and 4023.

Neil

[Pete RimmerParticipant @peterimmer30576]

I was just relaxing here watching an episode of War Factories on the Yesterday channel (S1 E6 if anyone is interested) and about 20 mins in there's a momentary footage of a guy in a French factory who appeared to be hand finishing the cutout on an internal breech block thread with a large file or something similar..

[mal webberParticipant @malwebber91786]

Hi all ,little bit more done on the Howitzer well one step backwards I had to remake the sole plate wings as they were to wide and would not let the carriage that carries the air compressor to turn on full lock without hitting them first ,so after getting them wright started on the spade lots of hammering later and came up with what you see in the pictures, some awkward rivets and bolts to get done in the next couple of days, looking forward to having a bash at these interrupted threads but plenty to do first .

Thanks Mal.

[mal webberParticipant @malwebber91786]

Hi all,thought I would rivet on the cover plate that goes over the joint of the trail and the sole plate this is just for underside detail as the model does not really need it, on the float plates [not sole plate wings that I called them] managed to rivet the spade on and some brackets which are there to help movement of the cannon ,still plenty to do on the spade like more rivets and the front part of the spade to be attached ,couple of pics below on how things are looking.

Thanks Mal.

[Martin WParticipant @martinw]

Absolutely brilliant, not so much a model but more a work of art. I look forward to each installment.

Martin

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

Superb piece of model engineering Mal; I would not be ashamed to put it into an exhibition as is under 'work in progress'

George.

[mal webberParticipant @malwebber91786]

Hi all,thanks Martin, George thank you but maybe next year I will see how the Howitzer is looking at that stage, well iv'e been busy in the shed for the last week or so mostly riveting and fabrication with a small bit of woodwork, while waiting for materials to turn up for the spade I decided to add some under side detail to the transom which I think makes the front more interesting, after that when the materials turned up for the spade with some more riveting and some detail work managed to finish that as well and fit it to the trail ,there's quite a few pics to see how things are coming along.

Thanks Mal.

[mal webberParticipant @malwebber91786]

Some more pics from last post.

Mal.

[mal webberParticipant @malwebber91786]

Hello all, while waiting on some materials to turn up for the brake bands on the wheels I thought a start on some of the carriage components would be next, decided on having a go at the carriage bearings so dug out some 60mm bar and into the lathe to bore out and get the basic shape after that it was into the dividing head on the mill to finish the bearings shape, roughed the centre up with the dremel to try and make it look a cast piece and more interesting .

Thanks Mal.

[Jeff DaymanParticipant @jeffdayman43397]

More great work Mal. Well done!

[David George 1Participant @davidgeorge1]

I am amazed at your skill to make details so realistic and I wondered if you are selling tickets when you fire first salvo.

David

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

Posted by mal webber on 29/10/2019 00:04:26:

…roughed the centre up with the dremel to try and make it look a cast piece and more interesting .

 

That looks very effective indeed. How did you do it? I can't quite visualise. Hold the Dremel by hand with one of those small pointy grindstones in its chuck?

Edited By Mick B1 on 29/10/2019 08:22:22

[mal webberParticipant @malwebber91786]

Thanks guy's Mick the centre was milled out and then I used the dremel with a small grinding stone to rough up the finish. sorry after reading what I had said makes it sound like i removed all the centre with a dremel.

Thanks Mal.

[Richard S2Participant @richards2]

Superior skills you have. Most impressive subject too. Following with interest.

Regards.

Richard

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Nice fettling!

Neil

[mal webberParticipant @malwebber91786]

Thanks guy's ,well the dreaded condensation has started in the shed so winter is here and anything cold is getting that slight damp feel to it so the howitzer has moved indoors [ took a bit of talking and promises to the misses that I won't probably keep] and then thought that it's started to getting a bit of weight to it , so stuck it on some scales and it's at just over 16kg with that had me wondering how heavy the howitzer is going to be when complete, I will have wait and in till then but carrying it back and fore to the shed will end soon .

[Robert Irving 4Participant @robertirving4]

Hi Mal,

Great work, you have a real feel for the piece so your Howitzer will be a masterpiece.

I built the other 8" 1916 MkI in 2013 for a guy to a budget that did not allow functioning rivets, and since after a hundred or so rivets I go Doolally, that was ok by me.. The guy who commissioned the piece put a lot of bullshit on the site and the photographs as sent to him were not for publication. All it did was excite the rivet counters and barrack room lawyers.

The breech system was worked out along with recoil, elevation and traverse. Rifling was a challenge and I didn't enjoy the 10BA bolts in the wheels. I still have the photos from the build and if you need any help on design and inner mechanics I'd be happy to help.

Rob

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by Robert Irving 3 on 04/11/2019 10:04:12:

…

I built the other 8" 1916 MkI in 2013 for a guy to a budget …

The breech system was worked out along with recoil, elevation and traverse. Rifling was a challenge and I didn't enjoy the 10BA bolts in the wheels. I still have the photos from the build and if you need any help on design and inner mechanics I'd be happy to help.

Rob

Was it this one from Bob Gould's thread Rob?

Also a very fine model, I wish I had the skills and patience needed for such super work.

Don't take negative comments too seriously: Shakepeare once got this review:

All should beware of actors and newcomers, especially "an upstart Crow, beautified with our feathers, that with his Tygers hart wrapt in a Players hyde, supposes he is as well able to bombast out a blanke verse as the best of you: and being an absolute Iohannes fac totum, is in his owne conceit the onely Shake-scene in a countrey."

Dave

[mal webberParticipant @malwebber91786]

Thanks Rob ,sent you a pm pal.

[Robert Irving 4Participant @robertirving4]

Hi Dave,

Thank you for the complement.

Yes that was the one, that's my WWII RAAF blanket.

Everyone likes to have their work appreciated. Making for someone else, one must listen and comply with their reasonable wishes. It's part of the implied contractual arrangement of accepting money for a product.

Bob Gould and I arrived at an agreement that specified that the model would be a fair representation of the real thing and even how many rivets it would have (250). Bob is very enthusiastic and persuaded me to do more and more rivets, after 100 it was drudgery. Bob also, in his enthusiasm, found pictures of later marks that had significant external differences and wanted them included in his "Howie" but I remained firm on this, that the model was a 1916 Vickers, not a 1917,1918 or post war hybrid. Except for one small inoffensive mod to the model, it remained a fair representation of the mark.

I have a life outside the hobby and don't take ill informed critics seriously in the least and some of the points from habitual counters and ex legal eagles was laughable. I do appreciate criticism intended to encourage and improve performance.

My skills are self taught and weak judging by some of the techniques and results displayed in our hobby. The challenges in this model were first understanding the internals for which no photographs and certainly no drawings were discovered.( The clues are all there in the bolts, knobs and shapes.)Then designing desired functionality into the scale and then following the advice on methods on the net from people willing to share their experience. Most of all it's having the confidence to cut metal, experiment and if needs must discard and repeat.

So Dave, patience I can't help with and like most blokes it doesn't run thick in my veins but skills, In my opinion you have them.

Luck

Rob

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