Next I worked on getting the shackles done on my diorama. They are made from the 16 gauge armor plate reject pile. Mostly they were too narrow or the cut was too wavy to use on the armor. Each shackle consists of 3 piece. Two rings with a tail separated by a spacer. I tacked everything together with a small stick welder, filed the welds down, and painted it black. The loop on the breeching goes between the two rings and a bit of a nail drops through the shackle and secures everything.
Next I drilled a hole into the side of the ship and epoxied the shackles in place. There's not much room under there and I had to mount them low enough so the pin won't jam against the underside of the shield. As it is the pins are a bit too long, I might shorten them later.
With the breeching done it was time to test!!
The first shot was 10 grains FFFg and a wad of paper. The second was 8 grains with a .32 caliber lead ball, and the third was 5 grains with a lead ball. I hit a 1/8" piece of steel but it didn't dent it. I couldn't even find a smudge of lead.
I was pretty sure it wouldn't go through the plate, but I at least wanted a dent!
On the first shot the flame coming out of the vent singed my shield. I doubt I can understand just how filthy the gundeck would have been after hours of fighting. Especially considering how
one of the guns had the muzzle shot off yet they continued to use it. Apparently it caught the shield on fire each time they fired.
Anyway, that's all the progress so far. I guess there's nothing left but to finish the armor plates. I've been doing everything else because making the plates is really tedious.
