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Thanks for your understanding, Chris. Gerard has certainly been open to helping. Based on some things I have read Mr. L. has become less so as there have been so many questions about his monograph.Yikes Paul - I totally understand your conundrum - quarter galleries on any ship, even a frigate are quite complicated. Your problem is you have built every structure to exactness which is amazing so faking these parts (I've seen some models using 3D CNC create the entire section in one piece - they look good from the exterior but are not accurate to your build)
My advice is to contact Lemineur himself or Gerard Delacroix - use the resources of the French Forum with the translation program - they may be able to help. I believe Lemineur will reply to you - I am sure you can get his email on the French site.
Do you think it attaches directly to the counter? Or is the handrail set off from the planking a few inches with a horizontal board covering any gap at the top?You're right, it's fake. It's just decoration. Although, the interior behind it is real, as it can accommodate two cannons. It ends just behind the front wheel of cariage
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Wow that's surprising - keep in mind Paul you are building a one of a kind stern model that does honor to HIS Monograph. One would think he would want to help you. Gerard on the other hand is always willing to share his knowledge. He's an amazing resource. I am sure you will figure it out - you have gotten this far right ?Thanks for your understanding, Chris. Gerard has certainly been open to helping. Based on some things I have read Mr. L. has become less so as there have been so many questions about his monograph.
Here's a clumsy translation of something he wrote to another modeler: I'm an ignorant who cannot distinguish about naval modelism what's right from what's wrong...
Gotta admire his spunk!
Anyway, my questions are legion, so I need to sort some of this out on my own or I'll risk becoming an annoyance.
Good thoughts, Chris. When I reach an impasse I just can't see my way around I'll reach out to each of them (separately). The modeler he wrote that to had perhaps outstayed his welcome - he had contacted him numerous times.Wow that's surprising - keep in mind Paul you are building a one of a kind stern model that does honor to HIS Monograph. One would think he would want to help you. Gerard on the other hand is always willing to share his knowledge. He's an amazing resource. I am sure you will figure it out - you have gotten this far right ?

Do you mean only this golden rail or whole structure which is based on?Thanks for all this, Wojtas! I apologize that my use of technical terms is faulty. I have no doubt about the walkability of the space in the quarter gallery. My question is: how about on the stern? It represents itself as a balcony but in the construction drawings it appears to be faux...
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Your thoughts?
Is there a space between the gold rail and the counter? Or does it touch the counter? And if there is a space, is the space 'closed' by a horizontal board? As far as I can tell from the plans there is no space???Do you mean only this golden rail or whole structure which is based on?
Blue arrow is the lower counter. Pink arrow is the upper counter. At least I think so. Does the faux lower balcony touch the back of the ship or is there a space?Could you mark the element you call counter. I'll try to asnwer you best I can, but it will not be quick and I need to know we're talking about the same element
















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Bravo for your perseverance and the outcome of these 6 window frames, Paul. Then building from scratch can suddenly be satisfying again.Sitting here waiting for church to start and I just realized I failed to post this update...
...from 12 hours ago...
Well, I got myself into quite a funk this past week! It is my policy to not build anything until I understand everything. While I often fail in this regard (most recently evidenced by the error uncovered by our colleague Wojtas), the exercise of figuring out every detail on the complicated stern of the Saint Philippe sent me into a tailspin.
Rather than setting this model aside I have decided to just carry on and stop being such a baby. I will certainly make more mistakes now, but so be it. This is only my third ship model and first scratch attempt, so I need to stop taking myself and this build so seriously. I think I forgot this is a hobby...
I've fabricated lights (windows) before so I thought I might be able to do that while I sorted out the quarter galleries and stern balconies. The lower level of lights are round/oval and it was my thought to build the windows as squares and then place a panel in front of them simulating their round/oval shape. The first attempt ended in the bin - a day long struggle with window frames and muntins (these divide panes of glass within a window) that left me in a lower place than I was at the start of the effort.
Renewed by a restful night I changed directions and decided to build the face panel first.
Here we go with a photo essay that should provide some sense of my workflow...
This is where we begin - these openings need to appear round/oval:
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A template:
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The resultant rough-cut panel (still needs to be curved into place):
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Each circle/oval needs to be framed. I decided to do that with a molding. I traced each circle onto a bit of fake boxwood and roughly cut out the inside with a hand saw (ooh, look at me rack up points with the we used to do everything without power tools crowd):
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These rough-cut moldings were then glued to the panel (no small challenge getting them centered):
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Next, the excess was removed from the inside of the molding using a spindle sander (thus forfeiting all my accumulated points):
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That looked good but not great - which led to spending a really unthinkable amount of time making these moldings look more delicate:
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Next up - back to the workbench to create light divides (muntins) and get them into these openings...
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Thanks for visiting.
Onward!
I like that word. "Delicatizing""Delicatizing" the window frames is the kind of attention to detail that makes your work so special.
Those hours are well worth it!
Thanks for sharing your work, effort and methods!

