How to scratch build stern lights & gallery?

[Bluto 1790]

First, I hope this is the correct forum section for this, and second ~ I DID do a search for the subject of my question but came up empty, so here's the question:-

 

When scratch building a (sailing) ship, how do you set about constructing the stern quarter lights and the stern gallery (as well as all of the fancy, ornate carvings)?

 

Seeing as there are so many styles of sterns I'll be more specific about the one I have in mind, and here's a pic of the drawings of the one I'm working on > > >

 

 

I have already carried out most of the structural work on the lights and gallery of my model, but as I've spent the best part of the last month doing so, I'm curious as to how other modellers carry out this work.

[allanyed]

Bluto,

You have asked for a whole lot of information that by rights takes pages to explain.  There are thorough explanations in Ed Tosti's book on Naiad  as well as Volume II of Euryalus (36) 1803.  These are available from Seawatch Books.  You can also get some insight from Ed's really fine build log on the Naiad here at MSWorld.

Allan

[uss frolick]

You have chosen one of the most complex parts of a ship to build. The very first thing you must do, is research how the actual shipbuilders assembled Leopard's stern and quarter galleries, and then try to replicate their techniques in a smaller scale. 

[Bluto 1790]

Bluto,

You have asked for a whole lot of information that by rights takes pages to explain.  There are thorough explanations in Ed Tosti's book on Naiad  as well as Volume II of Euryalus (36) 1803.  These are available from Seawatch Books.  You can also get some insight from Ed's really fine build log on the Naiad here at MSWorld.

Allan

 

 Thanks for your reply Allan. When I posted this question I wasn't really expecting a complete tutorial on building the stern, just some hints/tips from builders on how they went about some of the proceedures. I followed your advice and I've spent some eye-popping hours(!) trawling through Ed's buildlog of his Naiad. I'm now not sure if I'm overwhelmingly inspired or if I'm totally disheartened by what I saw there! Disheartened because I know I'll never be able to get anywhere close to that standard of work!

In case anyone is reading this and would be interested to see Ed's method of creating the stern quarters, a lot of forum page reading can be avoided by clicking here to go directly to the appropriate pages.

 

 

You have chosen one of the most complex parts of a ship to build. The very first thing you must do, is research how the actual shipbuilders assembled Leopard's stern and quarter galleries, and then try to replicate their techniques in a smaller scale. 

 

Hi uss frolick, it wasn't so much a case that I chose one of the most complex parts of a ship to build, but more a case that it picked me !!! . . . because that's now the part of the build I've arrived at. So I just had to get my head down and get on with making the best of the job that I could. It's just as I said earlier that as I spent so much time on that part I wondered how others have tackled the task.

Although I've completed about 80% of these stern lights & gallery they're not an exact replication of what is shown on the drawings but more of a mere representation.