bhermann

Part II: Adding boltropes
 
My understanding is that boltropes are hard to get right in scale. The ropes themselves are pretty small at most common model scales, and the stitches that hold them on would be essentially invisible, certainly at this project's 1:64 scale. However, leaving them off removes clear visual interest and makes it difficult to attach lines to the sails properly. One approach in the paper-sail method would be to bury a fine line within the folded-over edging; this is the method I used on my longboat. Glue one side of the edging down, then spread glue on the rest, stretch a thin line along the seam, and fold the edging over. You now have a boltrope that's hidden from sight, but strengthens the sail and can be carefully looped at each corner to provide the proper attachment point (and it's easy to form cringles anywhere just by tugging it out slightly from the stitching). However, for my current project, I wanted to include the visual interest of stitched boltropes even if they were out of scale. I know my model isn't perfectly accurate, and I'd rather it be a visually interesting representation of a real ship. So here's how I added them.

First, I punched holes for the stitching all the way around the sail, having measured and marked straight lines of evenly-spaced points. Then I laid out my boltrope and stitched it into place with a running stitch (I used basic white sewing thread). This can be done two ways: either with a needle (as shown above) or with a deadeye/block threader like this one from Model Expo (which I love) [edit as of 2022: these are no longer sold by Model Expo but here's an example of an equivalent product from Joann Fabrics]. The former is a lot faster, but the needle's eye tends to make wider holes. The threader takes long, but leaves smaller holes that aren't as visible. The sail in this demonstration used a needle throughout, as I wanted to try it. Another benefit of pastel coloring occurs here: a bit of pastel rubs off on all the lines, inherently coloring them to match the sail.
 

I stitched the boltrope on loosely all the way around, making extra stitches at each corner to create a proper loop. There will be two loose ends of the boltrope meeting at the first/final corner; we'll deal with that soon. Just leave a few inches extra when you start. Once the loose stitching is done, I used a fine tweezer to work along the stitch, pulling out all the slack. The boltrope sits naturally on one side of the sail; technically this is accurate, but rather out of scale. The true-scale boltrope would look like it was right along the sail's edge even if slightly to one side. However, once you get all the stitching really tight, you can actually use your fingers to massage the boltrope up almost to the edge of the sail, where it looks about as right as you can get. Once each corner's loop and stitching is tight and as I want it, I applied a small drop of CA glue to the stitching binding the loop in place, ensuring that it's not going anywhere.

Now for the final corner. When the boltrope is stretched tight in all directions, cut it short at both ends and weave each end back into the stitching, overlapping itself a little. Then you can nip it off carefully near the corner, allowing for one final loop, and pull the stitching tight to hold it in place. Another small application of CA glue holds this in place.
 

This is actually a very sloppy final corner; the worse one I've done so far. I cut the upward-running rope too short, so that my joint falls down the side of the sail. I meant it to fit right in under the loop, where the extra stitching hides it. Still, it's barely noticeable from more than a few inches away.
 
This approach gives you out-of-scale, but functional and very interesting, boltropes. Personally I think they look really nice in the context of the model overall (see any of the overview photos). They demonstrate to any viewer how this part of the ship would work, and they give the sail extra texture. Again, I like that this approach demonstrates the reality of the sail rather than perfectly simulating it. Your approach, and priorities, may vary.
 
In the next post, I'll attach reef points and show the completed sail.

I've developed a method for making paneled sails from paper that works nicely to simulate the three-dimensional texture of a sail. It seems to offer a lot of visual interest, more so than a flat sail, and the procedure is pretty manageable. I like paper sails for several reasons: they hold their shape better than cloth sails (including a natural bellied curve), they have a nice texture (especially when colored by pastels), and there's no need for complicated or careful sewing. In this topic I'll walk through the method I worked out so far, starting with making the panels themselves. I haven't seen much else about paper sails on MSW, so hopefully this is of interest to some folks.
 
I first tried paper sails on my 18th century longboat build and was quite happy with the result. In that case, I just used a flat sheet of paper and drew on the seams and stitches. It worked, but was too flat. For my current build of a US Revenue Cutter, I decided to try making sails the prototypical way, assembling them from long panels of material joined at the edges. I first asked for guidance in another sail-making thread, which produced a lot of good ideas and guidance. This guide to sail-making from the Historic Naval Ships Association was a particularly useful suggestion, as it's chock full of detailed diagrams for the arrangement of panels and the overall design of sails for different craft. Following these guides, I made a few sails and was very pleased, so I finally put in the time to document each step of the process for the foresail of my revenue cutter. Here's what these sails look like on that model:
 

 
Cutting & Assembling Panels

I used bond paper, which is heavier and more textured than regular printer paper. This is commonly used for printing theses; my supply came from leftovers of Mrs. Cathead's graduate thesis. Beware of watermarks in bond paper; you don't want your sail advertising a paper company when you shine a light on it! As shown above, I mark a sheet of bond paper in scale 2' strips, then cut the strips on a small paper-cutter. Using a dedicated fine brush, I run a narrow strip of basic wood glue along the edge of each strip, then lay it out on the edge of a neighbor strip. A glue stick might work too, but I've been fine using this method. Repeating this process produces a nice 3D-textured shape from which you can cut the final sail pattern. Make sure you pay attention to the direction in which you lay out the strips; I did one of my sails backward (so that the seams ran counter to the other sails) and had to start over because it looked funny. Above, you can already see how the overlapped panels create more visual interest than a plain, smooth sail.

Next, I cut and attach any corner reinforcement panels. Then I cut thinner strips for the edging of the sails, and fold them in half. Then I brush glue along the inner surface of each one, and carefully fold it in place along the sail's edges. There are several ways to do this: you can brush 1/2 of the strip, glue it on, then brush on the other 1/2 and fold it over; or you can brush the whole inner surface at once. Although the former approach sounds better in theory, I've found that the moisture in the glue causes the paper to buckle, so that if you do the 1/2 approach, the strip bends out of true and is really hard to align on the sail's edge. If you glue the whole thing, it stays straight and is easier to handle. Incidentally, the same buckling-when-wet property works to your advantage in the sail overall; as the moisture dries between the panels, the sail inevitably takes on a bit of a curve, which nearly perfectly mimics the gently belly of a sail with wind in it. I also cut any reef-point strips and attach these.

Once the sail is fully assembled, I color it with artist's pastels. You can use your finger or a cotton swab to gently rub on color; the paper takes up the color wonderfully, and it really brings out the texture of the bond paper. The 3D nature of the assembly helps, too, as the pastel powder naturally collects a bit along seams and highlights the structural elements of the sail. You can use a mix of colors to get just the appearance you want. One important warning: don't rub too hard, and hold the sail flat. A downside of paper vs. cloth is that paper creases; if you rub too hard or otherwise force the paper to bend or kink, you'll never get that feature out again. Some folks may want to use some kind of fixative on the color, but I've never bothered; the bond paper holds pastel really well on its own. Just be careful about handling the sail with fingers coated in pastel; you don't want to leave a dark fingerprint smudge somewhere.
 
That's the first stage. You could stop here for a basic version, but I went ahead and added boltropes and reef points, which I'll cover in the next few posts.
 
 
 

Chuck (and the other Administrators too)
 
Thanks for researching the possibilities on this subject and for presenting the options clearly.  I like the option to restore the delete function and appreciate the safety net put in place to protect us from destroying our logs inadvertently.  Hopefully the trial period will go well and this will be able to be maintained.
 
Bob
 
PS:  thanks for pointing out where the preview function moved to.  I never thought to look anywhere other than where the button used to be.  What can I say, it is hard to shake off old training

Details, please, Phil.  You are just teasing us with this one
 
For instance, what is the sail being printed on?  What kind of cloth is being used?, What is the scale of the build?  Anything else we all need to know?  And of course, photos of the result, and if possible, the process.
 
Just hungry for detail on a fascinating (to me) topic.
 
Thanks,
Bob
 

Details, please, Phil.  You are just teasing us with this one
 
For instance, what is the sail being printed on?  What kind of cloth is being used?, What is the scale of the build?  Anything else we all need to know?  And of course, photos of the result, and if possible, the process.
 
Just hungry for detail on a fascinating (to me) topic.
 
Thanks,
Bob
 

Details, please, Phil.  You are just teasing us with this one
 
For instance, what is the sail being printed on?  What kind of cloth is being used?, What is the scale of the build?  Anything else we all need to know?  And of course, photos of the result, and if possible, the process.
 
Just hungry for detail on a fascinating (to me) topic.
 
Thanks,
Bob
 

Details, please, Phil.  You are just teasing us with this one
 
For instance, what is the sail being printed on?  What kind of cloth is being used?, What is the scale of the build?  Anything else we all need to know?  And of course, photos of the result, and if possible, the process.
 
Just hungry for detail on a fascinating (to me) topic.
 
Thanks,
Bob
 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 201 – Lower Mast Coats
 
When I decided to wedge the masts with pieced wedges, it was clear that some sort of mast coats would be required to cover the openings between wedges – not to keep out water as in real life practice, but to simulate the real coats and to improve the appearance at the bases of the masts.
 
Apart from terse descriptions, there was not a lot to go on in making these.  My usual search through photos gave some ideas, but ultimately the solution came from the question, "What would I do to make a watertight canvas 'flashing' over the mast wedges?"  I am comforted by the thought that many ships' carpenters asked similar questions – and came up with a variety of solutions - as the few pictures I have seen illustrate.
 
The canvas for the model coats is tissue and in the first picture a strip of this is being wound around the glue-coated main mast and its wedging.
 

 
Several strips were used with plenty of glue and not too much effort to smooth out the result.  Canvas would most definitely have wrinkles when forced into the required shape.  The next picture shows rope being tied around the top to clinch it tightly around the mast.
 

 
In practice the coat would have been caulked and tacked around the mast and deck, but rope cinches would keep it from tearing out from the nails and risking damage to the high-value cargo these ships often carried.
 
At the bottom, a flange was simulated using card and fitted around the mast at the base as shown in the next picture.
 

 
When this was glued in place and allowed to dry, a second rope cinch was added at the base.  The next picture shows the coat being "tarred" with fairly thick, dark grey, artists' acrylic paint,
 

 
After drying the coat was brushed with black, thinned, acrylic wash to highlight the wrinkles in the canvas and the ropes as shown below.
 

 
Those that have been following the project will note that the glistening brass pump wheels, by now well tarnished and lacking their original appeal, have been painted.  Next job for the painters, the equally tarnished poop monkey rail.
 
Other true followers may also notice in the picture that I have finally gotten around to adding the central posts to the fore and aft fife rails that were previously omitted.
 
 
Ed
 
 


 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thanks for all the reply's and suggestions.
 
I'm beginning to think the best solution is to try to suggest a story to the model beholder. 
 
The guns are run out. The topsail has been lowered and furled, hands are at the head sail halyards and down hauls. They look to be preparing  to lower sails. A sailor in the chains swings the lead.  One anchor is  "catted", Is it ready to drop? A sailor on a fwd bulwark points at something ahead. Another sailor aft is about to raise a flag but its design is concealed An officer directs the helmsman.
Something is about to happen.
 
 Each observer of the model could have a different opinion as to what is happening or about to happen. All of the above could make for a more interesting model display.
 
SOS
 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 200 – Lower Masts Continued
 
It is hard to believe we are at the 200th post on Young America – almost 3 ½ years into the project.  Still as exciting as ever – for me at least.
 
Since beginning work on the lower masts, most of the reporting has been on the fore mast – the guinea pig for construction, finishing and rigging – and only one version in the scrap box.  However, though mostly unseen, work has been proceeding on the other two, so here are a few pics.  The first is the most recent, taken yesterday and showing the main mast ready for fitting the deadeyes and rigging the futtock shrouds. 
 

 
The mizzen mast to the left is almost to the same state, but needs its masthead detailing.  The next picture shows the main top before fitting the deadeyes.
 

 
At 18' 6" in breadth, this is somewhat larger than the 17' fore top.  The "pre-rigging on this top includes a pair of brace blocks for the mizzen lower yard, the crojack.  These may be seen dangling from shackles below the aft crosstree.  Because of the soldered shackles, any shackled connections, including eyebolts, need to be either fitted with their blocks or left off until later.
 
The next picture shows the forward chafing batten being glued to the mizzen mast.
 

 
The batten is concave on the mast face and was rounded on the forward face after gluing.  The top, with the 9" diameter spanker mast inserted, is to the lower left.  The below-deck rings have been blackened and the ring of wedges is in place.  After this step the above deck ironwork was buffed with a clean wheel and blackened as shown in the next picture.
 

 
The sanding stick in the picture was used to clean the glue off the batten's nail heads (not shown).  The next picture shows the mizzen at this stage.
 

 
The top and the spanker mast are permanently attached in this picture.  The picture also shows small brail blocks hanging from the mast.  These will be discussed later.
 
By this time, the foremast was complete and could, if desired, be permanently installed.  The last picture its base with a mast coat fitted over the wedges.
 

 
The mast coat simulates a tarred canvas cover with surrounding rope to pull it tight at the mast and at the base.  It would also have been nailed before tarring.   I could find no standard method for these – only brief and varied descriptions.
 
Ed

Dave - I looked back at my MSW2 restart of the log and noticed that the helmsmans grating is included there in a post dated February 19.  I've been mulling over the sails for the last little bit.  I think I will attach the main and fore sails and topsails before stepping the masts, so I am trying to figure out just what I am doing with them before proceeding.  The thought of connecting the mast hoops with the masts in place doesn't strike me as a good place to be.  Hope to be starting up again soon as the weather starts to turn.
 
Bob

Dave - I like the look of your platform. I think it was my old log that had a description of that piece, using a method from Jim Lad. It was a bit different than this, I'll have to re-post. Nice job of scratching parts, by the way. Good to see you back at it!
 
Bob

Dave - I tracked down the wire and did the 'wrap around a dowel 10 times and measure" trick.  Diameter works out to .012" for the footroopes, looking at the plan calls for .010, so not too far off.
 
Bob

Dave - glad to hear you caught the jumbo bail problem.   I'm still not sure i have mine far enough forward to miss the traveler block, but it'll all work out somehow.
 
On my build the footropes are wire and the stirrups are black sewing thread.  I did use an individual strand pulled out of some speaker wire for this.  I don't know what the gauge is, but it looks thinner than the thread,  I can't locate my source material at the moment, but I'll have a look around and see if I can get more detail for you.  I am not completely happy with the result.  Getting the wire shaped properly - and then maintaining that shape - was a bit touchy for me.
 
Bob

Good to see your log resuming Dave.  I remember admiring those futtock shrouds when you originally posted them... hmmm, maybe it's not too late!
 
Bob

There are a half dozen ways to do this actually.  But first you must be willing to try some of them.  Play around a bit.   For example.  What Chuck mentioned is a great way.  You customize a "stream"  It can show you a list of only what you want to see.  Every time you click on it.  And you can set it as the default stream to make it easier to access if its the only one you use all the time.
 
-go to the activity drop down
-click on "my Activity Streams"
-at the bottom you will see "create new stream"
-here you can call a new stream...."unread build logs I follow"
-then just set up the filters including what forums like "build logs for kits" or both kit and scratch logs.   Then filter so it only shows the logs you follow and unread content since you last visited. Or whatever other criteria you prefer.  Its really a wonderful feature
-It will show you only what you want to see every time you click on that activity stream.  AND you can make it the default.  Then you can just click My activity streams and it will show you only what you set up. 
-AND you can create as many personalized streams as you want.  Think of the word "stream" as a fancy word for "automated search based on your own criteria"
 
OR....you could get grumpy that stuff has changed.
 
But the new "activity streams function"  gives you the opportunity to personalize any search for content whenever you want it and with the exact criteria you are looking for.   Its a thing of beauty.  And yes a new FEATURE thanks to the upgrade.
 
I will make a new topic with this info.
 
 

What is an activity stream?   It is a fancy word for the custom search of the content on this site, which at the click of a link you can view precisely what you want.   Currently there are only the default streams set up.  You can view these by hovering over "Activity" in the menu as shown below.  Note the "MY ACTIVITY STREAMS"
 

 
 
 
Click on "MY ACTIVITY STREAMS" and you will see the default streams.  They are pretty good but I know you will want a more targeted stream of content you are interested in.  For example you can set up a custom stream that will show you only unread activity in build logs for three people you specifically want to check out regularly.  And you can filter other restrictions.   Just click on "Create new Stream as circled below.
 

 
You will get to a filter screen where you can name your new customized search....see below
 

 
Then select the other customized features you want.  Below you can see I selected individual forums and even made it specific to just two members.....and content that I havent read since my last visit.  You can set it up any way you want....
 

 
After you save your customized stream (lower right is saved button)  it will now appear in the drop down as shown below....this is the test stream I just set up.....
 

 
If you click on it....it will show you only what you asked it to show you.  See below for my custom activity stream.  There is no content because I made it very narrow with only two members as you see.  Read the description of my custom stream below the red circle.  Also note that the icons in the red circle let you select this as your default stream or you can edit it or delete it.   It will remember your selections and now all you have to do is click on it whenever you want to see this particular stuff.
 
Even more awesome is that you can set up as many custom activity streams that you want.........

 
 

If we empty every 2 months, then it's likely that a member will realise he deleted a topic in that time, unless he only did the day before we empty. 
 
Please remember that that there is a responsibility on members for their own actions too. We have given you the tools and we ask that you use them responsibly and really look at what buttons you're pressing. 

Chuck (and the other Administrators too)
 
Thanks for researching the possibilities on this subject and for presenting the options clearly.  I like the option to restore the delete function and appreciate the safety net put in place to protect us from destroying our logs inadvertently.  Hopefully the trial period will go well and this will be able to be maintained.
 
Bob
 
PS:  thanks for pointing out where the preview function moved to.  I never thought to look anywhere other than where the button used to be.  What can I say, it is hard to shake off old training

Chuck (and the other Administrators too)
 
Thanks for researching the possibilities on this subject and for presenting the options clearly.  I like the option to restore the delete function and appreciate the safety net put in place to protect us from destroying our logs inadvertently.  Hopefully the trial period will go well and this will be able to be maintained.
 
Bob
 
PS:  thanks for pointing out where the preview function moved to.  I never thought to look anywhere other than where the button used to be.  What can I say, it is hard to shake off old training

Chuck (and the other Administrators too)
 
Thanks for researching the possibilities on this subject and for presenting the options clearly.  I like the option to restore the delete function and appreciate the safety net put in place to protect us from destroying our logs inadvertently.  Hopefully the trial period will go well and this will be able to be maintained.
 
Bob
 
PS:  thanks for pointing out where the preview function moved to.  I never thought to look anywhere other than where the button used to be.  What can I say, it is hard to shake off old training

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 199 – Setting up Futtock Shrouds
 
The lower futtock shrouds are lashed to mast eyebolts as shown in the first picture.
 

 
The picture shows the first two secured.  Before lashing the lower ends, eyes and thimbles had to be worked into the shrouds with the lengths set to provide relatively consistent lengths to the lashings.  This was done by hooking each shroud to its deadeye strap and then grasping the rope at the desired length with round tipped pliers as shown in the next picture.
 

 
The rope was then looped over the jaw to set the position for the eye.  This picture demonstrates the problems caused by a lot of handling of the masts after blackening of the copper ironwork.  All the ironwork on the masts was retreated after all the pre-erection detailing – as will be seen in later pictures.
 
The next picture shows an eye with the thimble inserted with glue applied at the splice joint – as described in the previous post.
 

 
The next two pictures show the six futtock shrouds installed on the lower fore mast.
 

 

 
The ironwork has been mostly re-blackened in these pictures. 
 
The next two pictures show a test I felt compelled to make to satisfy myself that the lower shrouds would clear the futtocks.  I felt some trepidation about this, not knowing what I would do if there were interferences.  Fortunately there were none that miniscule movement of the collar could not cure.
 

 
The next picture shows the positioning of shrouds 3 and 4 that straddle the center futtock.
 

 
The white rope used in the picture is some reject 4-strand linen rope that approximates the size of the served 10 ½" shrouds.  The uneveness reflects the difficulty of making four-strand rope without a central core.
 
The foremast is now ready for installation and work is proceeding on the other two.  In the next to last picture a mast coat may be seen at the deck covering the wedges.  This will be described in the next part.
 
Ed

Wow I just returned from being offline for a while only to find... well nothing at first. I could not find my posts, my content, and almost everything I used to.
So now I am getting used to the "new" forum. Well it looks good and works nice. Soon enough I'll find my way around it and all is well again 
In the meanwhile my Bluenose is in the basement waiting for its turn. The house is almost finished and a part of the basement will be my working area. I hope to finish that somewhere in spring or summer and look forward to be able to start modelling again.
I'll be back ;-D

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 198 – Making Futtock Shrouds
 
The lower futtock shrouds on the fore and main masts are 5 1/4" rope (meaning the circumference is 5 1/4").  This equates to a rope diameter of about 1 ¾", about .024" at 1:72 scale.  The mizzen shrouds will be 4 ½".
 
I used rope made from three strands of (.012" dia.) Barbour Irish linen suture thread for this.  I hope to use linen for all of the standing rigging – if the sizes I have will work out and if my limited inventory of quality linen holds out.  I like the hardness of the linen and its resistance to stretching for the taut standing rigging, but quality has deteriorated in recent years.  I will forgo a discussion of rope making and sizing here, but expect to fully describe the process that I use in Volume III.  Rope making methods and hardware have been well described in many sources.  I find it to be more of an art than a science that can be described simply.
 
I will instead start with the serving process.  I made my serving machine ten or twelve years ago for my Victory model.  It is shown, with some modifications since then, in the first picture.
 

 
The machine consists of large crank-driven gears at each end connected with a jack-shaft as shown.  These gears drive smaller spur gears in synchronization and at stepped up rpm.  Rope is stretched between tubular shafts through the smaller gears.  The next picture shows one of the crude collets that hold the rope.
 

 
The rope passes through the tubular shaft, allowing long lengths to be fed through at the length needed.  The picture shows the method I use to start the serving thread.  A needle is passed between the strands and the thread pulled through.  The thread used here is Guterman quilting cotton, a long-staple, fine cotton thread with virtually no fluff.  It measures about .005" to .007" diameter, equal to about ½" at 1:72 scale.  A bit thick perhaps for serving yarn, but considering that the actual rope would have been wormed and parceled before serving, not far off.
 
After several turns are lapped over the short end, it is clipped off and the serving proceeds as shown below.
 

 
The rope length between collets is adjustable by pulling the shafts through the spur gears then retightening the set screws holding the gears.  The futtock shrouds are short.  A more complete description of the process may be found in my earlier Victory log, here: 
 
http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/316-hms-victory-by-edt-196-pob/&page=2
 
A number of served shrouds for the main and mizzen masts are shown below.
 

 
Served eyes of this large size are made from the served rope by wrapping it around the thimble and securing it with darkened Titebond glue.  It is held together until well bonded using the surgical clamp shown below. 
 

 
The jaws of the clamp have been filed to form a round opening.  The eye splice in the picture has been bonded through the serving by wetting the splice before applying glue.  When fully dry, the short end is shaved back to blend with the rope using either a razor blade or very sharp scalpel.  The joint from the thimble down to the end of the splice is then coated with glue and wrapped with serving thread as shown below.
 

 
The glued serving reinforces the splice.
 
Because of the (overnight) wait time for the Titebond to fully bond, I also tried CA on the splice with Titebond on the serving.  The CA joint with the linen does not seem to be as strong as the Titebonded joint.  I may need some more clamps.
 
The opposite ends of these futtocks are spliced in the same way, but without hooks.
 
Ed

FWIW, I tossed the Model Shipways paints and went with Testors Model Masters acrylics, applied using a brush.  At the time the MS paints were thick and chunky, and I fell back on what I was comfortable with from my old plastic days.
 
Bob