Pierretessier

Looking good, quick question? What scale ?
 
Keep up the good work.
will be following.

Given the crowded and complicated nature of the ornament surounding the quarter galleries, I wanted to sketch in the various elements (the mermaids, the figure if Africa sitting on her caryatid archway, the quarter piece supporting the side lantern, and the crown and flames), in order to get a sense for their relative proportions and whether I could make it all work in the space available to me.
 

 
What I found was that the 1/4" extension I was adding to the stern was not going to be sufficient, however, if I added an extra 1/8" (the dotted, parallel line that previously represented the round-up of the upper stern) - then I had enough room to make it work.
 
once all of those elements were sketched in place, and relatively close to their ideal shape and size, I was able to complete the freize layout around them.  I think that when I digitize this image, I'll be able to shorten Africa a bit, and lengthen the quarter piece just enough to seem right.  Anyway, now that I can see where the frieze falls, in the midst of it all, I am now fully confident that I can pull this project off and produce something good.
 
I can't really continue to fill in detail on this sheet of regular bond paper because the surface integrity of the paper is failing with all of the erasures and re-working of the design.  As tends to happen with this approach - the surface is also becoming too muddy with loose graphite.  I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to commit all of this time to learning software, only to discover that there are layout problems that I couldn't overcome.  An astute eye will notice discrepancies between what I am drawing and what is shown in either the black and white stern drawing or the Compardel interpretation of the same, however, there are a few small choices that were necessary for me to either include certain important detail, or omit less critical detail that overly clutters the design.  Again, the proportions of all of this are not yet ideal, but workable now, with the software.
 
here is how the frieze layout translates to the f'ocsle:
 

Beautiful kit. I will be following.

Very nice

Thank you very much Pat, effectively, some process are very long to elaborate. I will explain an example in answering vossiewulf question.
 
The first model  at 1/24 was made on a low table which was even lowered later. The main disadvantage of a table is a fixed height. I wanted to find a better solution. Next step was a beauty chair with an oil cylinder. That was an improvement with a limited height adjustment but the  horizontal stability was not great. Legs were added to help. But still I was not satisfied. There had to be a better way.
 
Jewelers work on height adjustable table. This photo allowed me to enter in a new world to help to work ‘’in the better position’’. Working on the model at the wrong height is much more tired. I had to find a better height adjustable table.  I thought to a electric dentist chair. If  the back is expanded horizontally,  you have a good base to install a table. There are 2 adjustments on the table height and angle 0 to 45 degrees. On internet, in Quebec we have Kijiji who sell all kinds of used things. There I found a used dentist chair for about $500.  I am very satisfy with this new table. The only modification I did I changed the color blue to white, I prefer the look.
 
Then this chair brought me to the next step by making me to understand that working at the good height makes a lot of difference and it is a lot easier to work and you can work  for a longer period of time. When I began the first model at 1/24, I did a small table to be use a work bench charged with tools. It became very heavy so  tools were separated from the table. All the small tools for model ship modeling were regrouped in a same place, a chest with lower drawers to lose as less space as possible.
 
Then, only one thing was missing, a height adjustable workbench. I found a mechanism on Internet for an height adjustable table it can lift 300 pounds, around 150 kilos. I made a top for it.  All these big tools often needs to be moved at the good place to work. If I have to go 100 times to the sanding belt, I do not want to have to walk 10 feet every time, I want to have the tool close to me. The easy way to do it is to install wheels and then you can work more efficiently.
 
Our friend Mike, found at IKEA, a very affordable height adjustable tables : 2 or 3 positions, adjustable with a  hand crank or electric. Knowing what I know today, this is not the last tool I would buy, it would be the first one.

The last update in the ship this morning

Have to mention that I am building this kit as Zoran (from MarisStella)  is sending me updates to his manuals. Did I mention how helpful Zoran has been, very polite and usually replies within 24 hrs. Have to remember the time difference. OK enough with the shameless plug, back to the shipyard.

100th posts! Yipeeee
Just want to hit my 100th post.
LOL.

Very interesting to see just how much time and wood goes in this. Wondering if you are keeping a time log on this project and also what the weight of the final build will be. Agree with other post regarding needing a bigger door, I was wondering about the muscles needed to move such a piece. 

If you are building in 1/24, you might as well RC it

It's of course entirely up to you to which scale you wish to build but i think one can build too large. At 1:12 the ship might start to lose it's unique charm of being a model and might be in danger of being perceived as overly large. Your Fleuron, while certainly on the large side, was a piece of the finest ship modelling i have ever seen, partly because of your fine craftmanship but also because she was still recognisable as a model and not a threat to the royal navy

Hey Achu,
 
Looks like you are off to a good start, despite having to do some truing of the keel. I am no expert here but I found the Minwax Wipe on Poly works really nice on the wood. It brings out its natural beauty and leaves it satiny looking. There are many other poly finishes out there but this one Ive used on my Batelina and was very happy with the results.
 
Good luck, I will follow your build.

Hey Achu,
 
Looks like you are off to a good start, despite having to do some truing of the keel. I am no expert here but I found the Minwax Wipe on Poly works really nice on the wood. It brings out its natural beauty and leaves it satiny looking. There are many other poly finishes out there but this one Ive used on my Batelina and was very happy with the results.
 
Good luck, I will follow your build.

Very interesting to see just how much time and wood goes in this. Wondering if you are keeping a time log on this project and also what the weight of the final build will be. Agree with other post regarding needing a bigger door, I was wondering about the muscles needed to move such a piece. 

Welcome to MSW

Welcome to MSW

Very interesting to see just how much time and wood goes in this. Wondering if you are keeping a time log on this project and also what the weight of the final build will be. Agree with other post regarding needing a bigger door, I was wondering about the muscles needed to move such a piece. 

Thank you Per. 
 
Today I celebrated the completion of decorating by doing a little turning.
 
Altair has a very nice brass wheel pedestal which the plans do not do justice to - the plan is on the left and my drawing on the right is created from photographs using the basic dimensions from the plan.
 
The pedestal is turned from 0.5" bar. The first operation was to drill the .075" hole to take the hub of the wheel.
 

 
The turning was complicated by the need to create the sweeping curve at the lower end. I couldn't be bothered to mount the ball turning tool so I formed the curve by rotating the saddle and cross slide wheels in unison. A bit tricky but it worked ok. The pedestal height is 0.85".
 

 
Now I need to face up to making the wheel. I may take a while!!!!

Very interesting to see just how much time and wood goes in this. Wondering if you are keeping a time log on this project and also what the weight of the final build will be. Agree with other post regarding needing a bigger door, I was wondering about the muscles needed to move such a piece. 

Hi Pierre,
 
I was keeping a log  but it was more for construction details, now it is just the build log on MSW.
On MSW 1.0 we saw another 74 at 1/24 and weight was 130 pounds. It was difficult to move it upstair. The guys were strong men.
Bigger door, bigger home, bigger workshop, bigger ship; it took years to be installed as now. There are a lot of wires and some heavy machinery. The most difficult to bring in was the Hardinge lathe, quite heavy. With that lathe, over 1 ton, I understood what turning without vibrations means. I am satisfied with the installation and it' s versatility. Having the medium tools on wheels is a big plus. Having the tool at the right place at the right time can save a lot of time and a lot of walking.
 
There could be another possibility  a 74 at 1/12 but made in 3,4, ,5,  or 6 parts slices, may be I should ask Karl to come to help me.

Congrats! Time to celebrate 

100th posts! Yipeeee
Just want to hit my 100th post.
LOL.

Have to mention that I am building this kit as Zoran (from MarisStella)  is sending me updates to his manuals. Did I mention how helpful Zoran has been, very polite and usually replies within 24 hrs. Have to remember the time difference. OK enough with the shameless plug, back to the shipyard.

It going to be very pretty Pierre!

Off to a good start Pierre. This is an interesting kit - looking forward to seeing how she shapes up.