Dziadeczek

Butaprem is a Polish equivalent of a common contact cement glue. Messy... I wouldn't use it for card modeling...

Congratulations Mark.
I know what it's like to have less time - one of our grandchildren is with us 2-3 times a week because our daughter is a single parent. In the meantime, our grandson visits me regularly in the workshop.

 

It all depends on what species of wood are we talking about? Certain species are less and other more difficult to bend, eg. ebony is very springy and  extremely difficult to bend, whether heat bending and/or moisture bending are applied. Also, the size of planks is important; the thicker your wood is, the more difficult it is to bend. Sometimes you have to do it several times, repeatedly water soaking and heat bending, and so on. In some cases, especially if you want to bend it sideways (edge bending) it will be impossible - in such cases perhaps it is better to laminate the strips and, before the glue dries, bend them into desired curve clamping them in some sort of a form. Or cut the entire element from a bigger piece of wood.
Generally, for typical wood and plank dimensions, found in most kits, it is sufficient to pre-wet the planks in lukewarm water for several minutes, perhaps even for half hour and heat bend them with a typical tool (I use an ordinary soldering iron with a heat control I made from a common household dimmer to prevent the wood from being burnt). If the curve is supposed to be quite tight, I repeat the process wetting the plank again, until I get the appropriate bend. In most cases, it is sufficient. It is not recommended to boil wood (damage of fibres) or soak them in ammonia or bleach (discoloration).
 
For soaking the planks, I use a piece (about 2 feet long) of a white pvc pipe with one end permanently closed by a plug  glued there, and suspended from an edge of my table, filled with water. I immerse my planks there and after a while they are ready for heat bending.
I grasp my soldering iron with one hand, and a wet plank with the other, place it on a block of wood, and while gently rubbing it back and forth with the hot tip, I try to gradually lift it from the block. When I achieve desired curve, I stop. If I cannot bend it sufficiently without the risk of breaking the plank, I resoak it and repeat the tretment. If I overbend it, I correct it (underbend it) using the same method.
 
A while ago there was an interesting article on the topic in now long-defunct magazine "Ships in Scale". This was, in fact, an interview by Email Klein with a German modeler Gebhard Kammerlander, who in detail explained the entire process. If you want it, I can find out the specific issue and let you know.
 
Also, I attached a link to a short video tutorial on You Tube, of Gebhard demonstrating, what can be achieved with this technique named Biedesystem 3000 (he speaks there in German, but the video is 'in English'  😁 ) - search the archives here for this link, if you are interested.
 
Greetings,
Thomas

I found it for you here.  Post # 4:
 

It all depends on what species of wood are we talking about? Certain species are less and other more difficult to bend, eg. ebony is very springy and  extremely difficult to bend, whether heat bending and/or moisture bending are applied. Also, the size of planks is important; the thicker your wood is, the more difficult it is to bend. Sometimes you have to do it several times, repeatedly water soaking and heat bending, and so on. In some cases, especially if you want to bend it sideways (edge bending) it will be impossible - in such cases perhaps it is better to laminate the strips and, before the glue dries, bend them into desired curve clamping them in some sort of a form. Or cut the entire element from a bigger piece of wood.
Generally, for typical wood and plank dimensions, found in most kits, it is sufficient to pre-wet the planks in lukewarm water for several minutes, perhaps even for half hour and heat bend them with a typical tool (I use an ordinary soldering iron with a heat control I made from a common household dimmer to prevent the wood from being burnt). If the curve is supposed to be quite tight, I repeat the process wetting the plank again, until I get the appropriate bend. In most cases, it is sufficient. It is not recommended to boil wood (damage of fibres) or soak them in ammonia or bleach (discoloration).
 
For soaking the planks, I use a piece (about 2 feet long) of a white pvc pipe with one end permanently closed by a plug  glued there, and suspended from an edge of my table, filled with water. I immerse my planks there and after a while they are ready for heat bending.
I grasp my soldering iron with one hand, and a wet plank with the other, place it on a block of wood, and while gently rubbing it back and forth with the hot tip, I try to gradually lift it from the block. When I achieve desired curve, I stop. If I cannot bend it sufficiently without the risk of breaking the plank, I resoak it and repeat the tretment. If I overbend it, I correct it (underbend it) using the same method.
 
A while ago there was an interesting article on the topic in now long-defunct magazine "Ships in Scale". This was, in fact, an interview by Email Klein with a German modeler Gebhard Kammerlander, who in detail explained the entire process. If you want it, I can find out the specific issue and let you know.
 
Also, I attached a link to a short video tutorial on You Tube, of Gebhard demonstrating, what can be achieved with this technique named Biedesystem 3000 (he speaks there in German, but the video is 'in English'  😁 ) - search the archives here for this link, if you are interested.
 
Greetings,
Thomas

Butaprem is a Polish equivalent of a common contact cement glue. Messy... I wouldn't use it for card modeling...

Butaprem is a Polish equivalent of a common contact cement glue. Messy... I wouldn't use it for card modeling...

I found it for you here.  Post # 4:
 

This is a corner of a sail from the "Star of India" in San Diego.

I am sure there are many different ways to do it and some members will explain their techniques, but I do it in the following faschion:
I use a very thin cotton fabric for my sails, instead of silkspan. I found it in my local fabric store  (www.moodfabrics,com)  a fabric known as cotton muslin, already factory coloured into a nice cream (eggshell) color - perfect for sails, so I don't need to color it by myself. It is used primarilly for linings for suits or similar. But my model is in 1:48 scale, so this muslin is barely thin enough for my sails. It might be too thick for your model though, if your scale is smaller.
I wanted to show all sewn details of my sails, and I feared that silkspan, being soooo thin and delicate, would not allow this...
 
After preparing my sails in the traditional way, I attach (glue) to their edges a bolt rope, making sure that it isn't attached to the edge of a sail, but instead it lays ON the edge, on the AFT side of the sail. After the glue (white glue like Elmer's),  slightly diluted with water, has dried, I sew the rope with a very thin needle and thin thread of almost the same (only slightly darker) color that the sail itself, like on the attached pic. I found out that if I leave the rope only glued there, it has a tendency to split from the sail, if you manipulate it with your fingers. Sewing it, reinforces the bond and secures it.
It is an extremely tedious and time consuming process (if you think, tying ratlines is tedious, think again!), I work with magnifier Optivisor and have a thimble on my finger to push the needle through the slightly stiffened (by glue) fabric. I place the sail on a rubber mat, like yours, but on top of that mat I place a piece of ordinary cardboard and only then I place my sail on top of it. The cardboard allows me to push the needle through the rope and the sail and a bit more (perhaps 2 to 3 mm - the thicknes of cardboard) on the other side. It is easier than, to push it all the way through. I sew through the middle of the rope and  through the sail, just perhaps 1 mm from its edge. After the sewing, the thread is nearly invisible, only from a very close distance, say a few cm, similar to full size sails.

Hi, and merry Chistmass ☺️

Hi,
I have been away from this hobby for more than two months and, it was now time to continue the stern portion of this project. 
 Here are some images of my continued work at the stern area.
 
For those of you who are kind enough to still follow or just drop in for a look (big thanks) – You may remember that I also intended to mostly scratch build the stern, as well as lowering the poop deck angle from what Sergal suggests in their instructions.
 
Here are some images, and inserted notes of the work so far.  
 
Cheers to all – enjoy your year-end holidays.

Perhaps some of the small vendors that make ropes, advertised here, might have what you need. Otherwise, I strongly encourage you to make your own ropes on a ropewalk, using commercially made thread, either polyester or cotton. That way, you can adjust the type of thread and/or its thickness to what you need. (besides, it is fun!)
Now that DMC and Anchor threads are gone, I have recently had pretty good luck with cotton thread known as Lizbeth (available online), which is Egyptian cotton, traditionally one of the best, it comes in several thicknesses and colours and is already factory presinged, so you don't end up with fuzzy ropes.
I make my ropes from this thread on my ropewalk. The thread is all factory right-hand twisted, so if you make your own ropes from it, they 'll all come left-hand twisted, otherwise, if you want them to be R-hand twisted, you'll first have to untwist factory given R-hand twist, turning in the opposite direction and continue your R-hand twist on your ropes  thereafter.
The question is, can you use this thread straight out of the spool?  (after all, it already comes R-hand twisted, like most ropes on a ship). Well, the factory made twist on this thread is a bit too loose, you want your ropes look like natural ropes, just smaller. So, it is much better to twist your own ropes from this thread, with tighter twist, rather than using it straight from the spool.
In the end, you' ll decide...   

Perhaps some of the small vendors that make ropes, advertised here, might have what you need. Otherwise, I strongly encourage you to make your own ropes on a ropewalk, using commercially made thread, either polyester or cotton. That way, you can adjust the type of thread and/or its thickness to what you need. (besides, it is fun!)
Now that DMC and Anchor threads are gone, I have recently had pretty good luck with cotton thread known as Lizbeth (available online), which is Egyptian cotton, traditionally one of the best, it comes in several thicknesses and colours and is already factory presinged, so you don't end up with fuzzy ropes.
I make my ropes from this thread on my ropewalk. The thread is all factory right-hand twisted, so if you make your own ropes from it, they 'll all come left-hand twisted, otherwise, if you want them to be R-hand twisted, you'll first have to untwist factory given R-hand twist, turning in the opposite direction and continue your R-hand twist on your ropes  thereafter.
The question is, can you use this thread straight out of the spool?  (after all, it already comes R-hand twisted, like most ropes on a ship). Well, the factory made twist on this thread is a bit too loose, you want your ropes look like natural ropes, just smaller. So, it is much better to twist your own ropes from this thread, with tighter twist, rather than using it straight from the spool.
In the end, you' ll decide...   

Perhaps some of the small vendors that make ropes, advertised here, might have what you need. Otherwise, I strongly encourage you to make your own ropes on a ropewalk, using commercially made thread, either polyester or cotton. That way, you can adjust the type of thread and/or its thickness to what you need. (besides, it is fun!)
Now that DMC and Anchor threads are gone, I have recently had pretty good luck with cotton thread known as Lizbeth (available online), which is Egyptian cotton, traditionally one of the best, it comes in several thicknesses and colours and is already factory presinged, so you don't end up with fuzzy ropes.
I make my ropes from this thread on my ropewalk. The thread is all factory right-hand twisted, so if you make your own ropes from it, they 'll all come left-hand twisted, otherwise, if you want them to be R-hand twisted, you'll first have to untwist factory given R-hand twist, turning in the opposite direction and continue your R-hand twist on your ropes  thereafter.
The question is, can you use this thread straight out of the spool?  (after all, it already comes R-hand twisted, like most ropes on a ship). Well, the factory made twist on this thread is a bit too loose, you want your ropes look like natural ropes, just smaller. So, it is much better to twist your own ropes from this thread, with tighter twist, rather than using it straight from the spool.
In the end, you' ll decide...   

Perhaps some of the small vendors that make ropes, advertised here, might have what you need. Otherwise, I strongly encourage you to make your own ropes on a ropewalk, using commercially made thread, either polyester or cotton. That way, you can adjust the type of thread and/or its thickness to what you need. (besides, it is fun!)
Now that DMC and Anchor threads are gone, I have recently had pretty good luck with cotton thread known as Lizbeth (available online), which is Egyptian cotton, traditionally one of the best, it comes in several thicknesses and colours and is already factory presinged, so you don't end up with fuzzy ropes.
I make my ropes from this thread on my ropewalk. The thread is all factory right-hand twisted, so if you make your own ropes from it, they 'll all come left-hand twisted, otherwise, if you want them to be R-hand twisted, you'll first have to untwist factory given R-hand twist, turning in the opposite direction and continue your R-hand twist on your ropes  thereafter.
The question is, can you use this thread straight out of the spool?  (after all, it already comes R-hand twisted, like most ropes on a ship). Well, the factory made twist on this thread is a bit too loose, you want your ropes look like natural ropes, just smaller. So, it is much better to twist your own ropes from this thread, with tighter twist, rather than using it straight from the spool.
In the end, you' ll decide...   

Where do you find those pdf files from Shipyard?

Where do you find those pdf files from Shipyard?

Where do you find those pdf files from Shipyard?

Where do you find those pdf files from Shipyard?

This is how J. Boudriot shows furling up sails in French ships of XVIII c.
Hope this helps.
Thomas

This is how J. Boudriot shows furling up sails in French ships of XVIII c.
Hope this helps.
Thomas

Hi,
I too am building a model with sails attached. Very tedious and time consuming work! See the link below (post # 80):
However I used thin cotton fabric - beige muslin, instead of silkspan, because I wanted to actually sew my sails and model all details on them, and with silkspan it would have been nearly impossible due to the thinness of a material. I show a sail configuration, known as "brailled up", that is only partially raised sails, instead of fully furled. I thought that fully furled sails would look too invisible, thightly wrapped up on the yards. On the other hand, fully unfurled sails would obscure some details on the decks and masts. So, I chose a compromise.
Far from being an expert on this topic, I think I partially succedded with this detail, but I accept it, it is good enough for me...
I think that the particular locations of all blocks, deadeyes and other details of running rigging, were on both, forward and aft sides of the sail, depending on the type of a ship, the time period and nationality of the vessel. These things varied considerably. See detailed instruction of your particular vessel. I am lucky that Mr. Boudriot was soo nice to include those details in his books, so I rely on him.
Happy modeling!
Thomas

Awesome models!!!
I used to live and work in S. Africa, in Natal, not too far from Pietermaritzburg and Ixopo. Worked as a medical officer in one of the Catholic missions.
Sweet memories...!
Greetings,
Thomas