Bob Cleek

Use canned clear shellac (about a 2 pound cut - Zinsser Bullseye brand or equivalent) to cause the line to stiffen. Shellac is dissolved in alcohol. As the alcohol evaporates, the shellac soaked into the line will begin to harden and the line can be formed into any shape. Once the shellac has dried (within minutes) the line will be stiff and hold whatever shape you have given it. If more working time is needed, simply apply additional alcohol and the shellac will soften again. 
 
Results example below. Coils made on a form consisting of map pins placed into a wooden base around which the coils were wound. Coils were installed on the model, softened with alcohol, and formed in place to depict normal hanging behavior of full-size line.

QuadHands are "finestkind." You'll love them.  Nobody should waste their money on those near useless ball-jointed "helping hands" that you have to adjust by tightening wing-nuts. They are really junk. (And, like so many others years ago, I bought one, too!  ) 
 
One thing to be careful about, though, is to make sure you buy the real QuadHands fixtures. There are "carbon copy" Chinese knockoffs all over the internet, but they aren't the same quality at all. The QuadHands uses high quality alligator clips for one thing. Cheap alligator clips are a dime a dozen, and they don't hold well at all. Don't subsidize intellectual property theft. Buy the real McCoy!

QuadHands are "finestkind." You'll love them.  Nobody should waste their money on those near useless ball-jointed "helping hands" that you have to adjust by tightening wing-nuts. They are really junk. (And, like so many others years ago, I bought one, too!  ) 
 
One thing to be careful about, though, is to make sure you buy the real QuadHands fixtures. There are "carbon copy" Chinese knockoffs all over the internet, but they aren't the same quality at all. The QuadHands uses high quality alligator clips for one thing. Cheap alligator clips are a dime a dozen, and they don't hold well at all. Don't subsidize intellectual property theft. Buy the real McCoy!

Sorry about that. I got interrupted writing the above post. In the meantime, it looks like you "pulled the pin" and ordered a vise from Micro-Mark when you could have ordered it from Walmart for ten bucks less. I won't rub it in, but only to say that it always pays to shop around before buying anything from Micro-Mark. 

An excellent tool that everybody should have. However, you should shop around on the internet to find the lowest price. As usual, Micro=Mark has more tools for modeling than most any catalog, but nearly always at a considerably higher price. For example, see: Universal Work Holder Peg Clamp Jewelers Engraving Hand Tool for Jewelry Making - Walmart.com
 
This tool has a handle that can be screwed off and the base neck is hexagonally shaped so it can be placed in a bench vise. That's often a more convenient way to use it than holding it in one hand and some tool or paintbrush in the other.
 

 
Fancy articulated bench top holders are made for it, or sold with this vise, but all are of questionable utility (often too weak) and overpriced. The best option is to buy a decent small 2.5" or 3" bench vise with a clamping attachment for $30 or less. E.g.;  $23.50 Clamp-On Swivel Vise - Lee Valley Tools
 

 
Another option that is very handy to have is one of the extremely versatile QuadHands holding platforms. These are heavy iron plates with flexible arms holding heavy duty alligator clips that attach to the base plate with rare earth magnets.  Sold on Amazon and elsewhere. They are really useful for lots of applications, particularly holding parts for painting, gluing, and soldering. This is a commercial grade tool made for and marketed to the electronics assembly industry. Beware of identical-appearing Chinese knock-offs. The quality is not the same. "QuadHands" is the brand you want. See: QuadHands® - Helping Hands  Tool  They come in several sizes and additional "arms" and attachments are available, starting at around $40. Also sold on Amazon.
 

You had me check.  Yep, real McCoy.  Made in USA

QuadHands are "finestkind." You'll love them.  Nobody should waste their money on those near useless ball-jointed "helping hands" that you have to adjust by tightening wing-nuts. They are really junk. (And, like so many others years ago, I bought one, too!  ) 
 
One thing to be careful about, though, is to make sure you buy the real QuadHands fixtures. There are "carbon copy" Chinese knockoffs all over the internet, but they aren't the same quality at all. The QuadHands uses high quality alligator clips for one thing. Cheap alligator clips are a dime a dozen, and they don't hold well at all. Don't subsidize intellectual property theft. Buy the real McCoy!

QuadHands are "finestkind." You'll love them.  Nobody should waste their money on those near useless ball-jointed "helping hands" that you have to adjust by tightening wing-nuts. They are really junk. (And, like so many others years ago, I bought one, too!  ) 
 
One thing to be careful about, though, is to make sure you buy the real QuadHands fixtures. There are "carbon copy" Chinese knockoffs all over the internet, but they aren't the same quality at all. The QuadHands uses high quality alligator clips for one thing. Cheap alligator clips are a dime a dozen, and they don't hold well at all. Don't subsidize intellectual property theft. Buy the real McCoy!

Thank you Bob for the suggestions and you are right I should have looked around first. I am a bit of a mug when it comes to shopping. Walmart even has free shipping Arrg. I never thought of Walmart for this sort of tool but I see they have a comprehensive range of jewellers tools.
I have a bit of a love / hate relationship with Micro Mark. They have some inherently useful things but as you noted; their prices are a bit fierce and sometime the quality isn't the best. I have a handful of their products however and generally I'm pleased with them. I have a small bench vice similar to the one you show which is pretty reliable and a set of the magnetic hands which are definitely useful at times. 
Many Thanks for your help
Alan

that gives me a start.
 
I had the link for Quadhands work bench open when a nap overcame me.  When I woke my friend had ordered it for me.  She seen how small the blocks are and took pity on me!
 

Sorry about that. I got interrupted writing the above post. In the meantime, it looks like you "pulled the pin" and ordered a vise from Micro-Mark when you could have ordered it from Walmart for ten bucks less. I won't rub it in, but only to say that it always pays to shop around before buying anything from Micro-Mark. 

An excellent tool that everybody should have. However, you should shop around on the internet to find the lowest price. As usual, Micro=Mark has more tools for modeling than most any catalog, but nearly always at a considerably higher price. For example, see: Universal Work Holder Peg Clamp Jewelers Engraving Hand Tool for Jewelry Making - Walmart.com
 
This tool has a handle that can be screwed off and the base neck is hexagonally shaped so it can be placed in a bench vise. That's often a more convenient way to use it than holding it in one hand and some tool or paintbrush in the other.
 

 
Fancy articulated bench top holders are made for it, or sold with this vise, but all are of questionable utility (often too weak) and overpriced. The best option is to buy a decent small 2.5" or 3" bench vise with a clamping attachment for $30 or less. E.g.;  $23.50 Clamp-On Swivel Vise - Lee Valley Tools
 

 
Another option that is very handy to have is one of the extremely versatile QuadHands holding platforms. These are heavy iron plates with flexible arms holding heavy duty alligator clips that attach to the base plate with rare earth magnets.  Sold on Amazon and elsewhere. They are really useful for lots of applications, particularly holding parts for painting, gluing, and soldering. This is a commercial grade tool made for and marketed to the electronics assembly industry. Beware of identical-appearing Chinese knock-offs. The quality is not the same. "QuadHands" is the brand you want. See: QuadHands® - Helping Hands  Tool  They come in several sizes and additional "arms" and attachments are available, starting at around $40. Also sold on Amazon.
 

Sorry about that. I got interrupted writing the above post. In the meantime, it looks like you "pulled the pin" and ordered a vise from Micro-Mark when you could have ordered it from Walmart for ten bucks less. I won't rub it in, but only to say that it always pays to shop around before buying anything from Micro-Mark. 

An excellent tool that everybody should have. However, you should shop around on the internet to find the lowest price. As usual, Micro=Mark has more tools for modeling than most any catalog, but nearly always at a considerably higher price. For example, see: Universal Work Holder Peg Clamp Jewelers Engraving Hand Tool for Jewelry Making - Walmart.com
 
This tool has a handle that can be screwed off and the base neck is hexagonally shaped so it can be placed in a bench vise. That's often a more convenient way to use it than holding it in one hand and some tool or paintbrush in the other.
 

 
Fancy articulated bench top holders are made for it, or sold with this vise, but all are of questionable utility (often too weak) and overpriced. The best option is to buy a decent small 2.5" or 3" bench vise with a clamping attachment for $30 or less. E.g.;  $23.50 Clamp-On Swivel Vise - Lee Valley Tools
 

 
Another option that is very handy to have is one of the extremely versatile QuadHands holding platforms. These are heavy iron plates with flexible arms holding heavy duty alligator clips that attach to the base plate with rare earth magnets.  Sold on Amazon and elsewhere. They are really useful for lots of applications, particularly holding parts for painting, gluing, and soldering. This is a commercial grade tool made for and marketed to the electronics assembly industry. Beware of identical-appearing Chinese knock-offs. The quality is not the same. "QuadHands" is the brand you want. See: QuadHands® - Helping Hands  Tool  They come in several sizes and additional "arms" and attachments are available, starting at around $40. Also sold on Amazon.
 

An excellent tool that everybody should have. However, you should shop around on the internet to find the lowest price. As usual, Micro=Mark has more tools for modeling than most any catalog, but nearly always at a considerably higher price. For example, see: Universal Work Holder Peg Clamp Jewelers Engraving Hand Tool for Jewelry Making - Walmart.com
 
This tool has a handle that can be screwed off and the base neck is hexagonally shaped so it can be placed in a bench vise. That's often a more convenient way to use it than holding it in one hand and some tool or paintbrush in the other.
 

 
Fancy articulated bench top holders are made for it, or sold with this vise, but all are of questionable utility (often too weak) and overpriced. The best option is to buy a decent small 2.5" or 3" bench vise with a clamping attachment for $30 or less. E.g.;  $23.50 Clamp-On Swivel Vise - Lee Valley Tools
 

 
Another option that is very handy to have is one of the extremely versatile QuadHands holding platforms. These are heavy iron plates with flexible arms holding heavy duty alligator clips that attach to the base plate with rare earth magnets.  Sold on Amazon and elsewhere. They are really useful for lots of applications, particularly holding parts for painting, gluing, and soldering. This is a commercial grade tool made for and marketed to the electronics assembly industry. Beware of identical-appearing Chinese knock-offs. The quality is not the same. "QuadHands" is the brand you want. See: QuadHands® - Helping Hands  Tool  They come in several sizes and additional "arms" and attachments are available, starting at around $40. Also sold on Amazon.
 

'Searched gaskets, presumably as they were used in 19th c. square riggers, and found:
 
In sailing, gaskets are lengths of rope or fabric used for reefing a sail, or hold a stowed sail in place. In modern use, the term is usually restricted to square-rigged ships, the equivalent items on yachts being referred to by the more prosaic "sail ties".
On most ships, gaskets are made of rope. They are attached to the top of the yard and, left loose, would hang behind the sail. Gaskets should never be left dangling, however, so when the sail is set they are brought around underneath the yard and up the back of it and then tied to the jackstay (metal rod) where they originated.

 

Thanks, Bob.
 
I suspect there is no term in the entire maritime lexicon that has a single, simple meaning. I think I'll forego actually pointing the reef points since I'm working at 1/72 scale.
 
Thank you for this^^ I was confused about this because most of what I've seen on-line do indeed misuse the term.
 
--jeff

You might want to reconsider the above.  In practice, it appears that reef points on any given sail would all be of the same length in any event.
 
The "rule of thumb" from Falconer's above sounds right, but here again the maxim, "Different ships, different long splices." applies. The reef points need to be long enough to conveniently encircle the mass of gathered canvas in the sail to be secured. Therefore, the size of the sail is the determining factor. In different periods, the common square sail sizes varied. In later times, particularly with merchant vessels, the size of the sails was reduced to permit easier handling and, thus, smaller crews, which meant more profit in the operation of the vessel. Obviously, a longer square sail will require longer reef points than a sail that's half as long. Naval vessels would furl sails very tightly such that the sail gathered and tied on the spar would not exceed the diameter of the spar. On the other hand, a merchant vessel would characteristically be less fastidiously maintained, and sails might be furled less tightly, if not just making a sloppy job of it sufficient only to get the canvas under control and out of the way and so might have longer reef points. 
 
Not to make you crazy or anything, but depending upon the scale you're working in and the level of detail you are depicting, note also that reef "points" were so called because they were "pointed" by working a taper into their ends. There were general standards for the length of the reef points. (Note the term "reef points" references the pointed shape of these lines. It does not have anything to do with the gromets worked into the sail through which reef points are passed, as is modernly a commonly heard misuse of the term.) A bit of research in the appropriate sources for the period of your model will answer your questions much more specifically. For example, see "Steele's" for both the Admiralty and merchant marine practice circa 1794: https://maritime.org/doc/steel/large/pg148.php  There you will also see the number of gaskets that are required for each rate of ship (by the number of guns) to tie the completely furled sail to the yard. Illustrations are also provided. 
 
For example, excerpts from Steele's:
 
GASKETS. Braided cordage used to confine the sail to the yard, when furled, &c. ARM-GASKETS; those gaskets used at the extremities of yards. BUNT-GASKETS are those used in the middle of yards. QUARTER-GASKETS; those used between the middle and extremities of the yards.
 
GASKETS are made with three-yarn foxes. Those for large ships consist of nine foxes, and those for smaller of seven. Place four foxes together, but lay them of unequal lengths; mark the middle of the whole length, and plait four foxes together, for eight or nine inches; then double it and plait the eight parts together for five inches, and work in the odd fox. The whole is then plaited together for eighteen inches in length; then leave out one fox, and so keep lessening, one fox at a time, till you come to five. If the foxes work out too fast, others must supply their places, till the whole length is worked, which is from five to seven fathoms long. To secure the ends, make a bight, by turning upwards one of the foxes, and plait the others through the bight, then haul tight upon that laid up.
(Obviously, few modelers will actually plait their reef points as described by Steele, but an understanding of the full-scale practice better enables the modeler to depict such detail as they may wish secure in the knowledge of what it's supposed to look like.)
 
POINTS, short pieces of braided cordage, plaited together as gaskets are; beginning in the middle with nine foxes, and tapering to five at the ends, and from one fathom and a half to one fathom in length. They are used to reef the courses and topsails.
 
ROPEBANDS differ from gaskets only in their length, being from seven to nine feet long.
 
POINTING. Tapering the end of a rope, or splice, and working over the reduced part a small close netting, with an even number of knittles twisted from the same, to prevent the end untwisting, and to go more easily through a block or hole.
 
REEF. That portion of a sail contained between the head or foot, and a row of eyelet-holes parallel thereto, which portion is taken up to reduce the surface of the sail when the wind increases. Sails, according to their sizes, have from one to four reefs. A BAG-REEF is the fourth, or lower, reef of a topsail. A BALANCE-REEF crosses boom-mainsails diagonally, from the nock to the end of the upper reef-band on the after-leech.
 

 
When modeling, the best approach is to experiment with a sample of the sail material you'll be using and simply measure how much line it takes to tie the reef lines and let that be your guide for the length of reef lines and gaskets. Many will reduce the model's sail size in order to more easily depict a tightly secured sail on the spar, in which case a similarly sized sail sample will yield the proper length of reef line or gasket needed.

You might want to reconsider the above.  In practice, it appears that reef points on any given sail would all be of the same length in any event.
 
The "rule of thumb" from Falconer's above sounds right, but here again the maxim, "Different ships, different long splices." applies. The reef points need to be long enough to conveniently encircle the mass of gathered canvas in the sail to be secured. Therefore, the size of the sail is the determining factor. In different periods, the common square sail sizes varied. In later times, particularly with merchant vessels, the size of the sails was reduced to permit easier handling and, thus, smaller crews, which meant more profit in the operation of the vessel. Obviously, a longer square sail will require longer reef points than a sail that's half as long. Naval vessels would furl sails very tightly such that the sail gathered and tied on the spar would not exceed the diameter of the spar. On the other hand, a merchant vessel would characteristically be less fastidiously maintained, and sails might be furled less tightly, if not just making a sloppy job of it sufficient only to get the canvas under control and out of the way and so might have longer reef points. 
 
Not to make you crazy or anything, but depending upon the scale you're working in and the level of detail you are depicting, note also that reef "points" were so called because they were "pointed" by working a taper into their ends. There were general standards for the length of the reef points. (Note the term "reef points" references the pointed shape of these lines. It does not have anything to do with the gromets worked into the sail through which reef points are passed, as is modernly a commonly heard misuse of the term.) A bit of research in the appropriate sources for the period of your model will answer your questions much more specifically. For example, see "Steele's" for both the Admiralty and merchant marine practice circa 1794: https://maritime.org/doc/steel/large/pg148.php  There you will also see the number of gaskets that are required for each rate of ship (by the number of guns) to tie the completely furled sail to the yard. Illustrations are also provided. 
 
For example, excerpts from Steele's:
 
GASKETS. Braided cordage used to confine the sail to the yard, when furled, &c. ARM-GASKETS; those gaskets used at the extremities of yards. BUNT-GASKETS are those used in the middle of yards. QUARTER-GASKETS; those used between the middle and extremities of the yards.
 
GASKETS are made with three-yarn foxes. Those for large ships consist of nine foxes, and those for smaller of seven. Place four foxes together, but lay them of unequal lengths; mark the middle of the whole length, and plait four foxes together, for eight or nine inches; then double it and plait the eight parts together for five inches, and work in the odd fox. The whole is then plaited together for eighteen inches in length; then leave out one fox, and so keep lessening, one fox at a time, till you come to five. If the foxes work out too fast, others must supply their places, till the whole length is worked, which is from five to seven fathoms long. To secure the ends, make a bight, by turning upwards one of the foxes, and plait the others through the bight, then haul tight upon that laid up.
(Obviously, few modelers will actually plait their reef points as described by Steele, but an understanding of the full-scale practice better enables the modeler to depict such detail as they may wish secure in the knowledge of what it's supposed to look like.)
 
POINTS, short pieces of braided cordage, plaited together as gaskets are; beginning in the middle with nine foxes, and tapering to five at the ends, and from one fathom and a half to one fathom in length. They are used to reef the courses and topsails.
 
ROPEBANDS differ from gaskets only in their length, being from seven to nine feet long.
 
POINTING. Tapering the end of a rope, or splice, and working over the reduced part a small close netting, with an even number of knittles twisted from the same, to prevent the end untwisting, and to go more easily through a block or hole.
 
REEF. That portion of a sail contained between the head or foot, and a row of eyelet-holes parallel thereto, which portion is taken up to reduce the surface of the sail when the wind increases. Sails, according to their sizes, have from one to four reefs. A BAG-REEF is the fourth, or lower, reef of a topsail. A BALANCE-REEF crosses boom-mainsails diagonally, from the nock to the end of the upper reef-band on the after-leech.
 

 
When modeling, the best approach is to experiment with a sample of the sail material you'll be using and simply measure how much line it takes to tie the reef lines and let that be your guide for the length of reef lines and gaskets. Many will reduce the model's sail size in order to more easily depict a tightly secured sail on the spar, in which case a similarly sized sail sample will yield the proper length of reef line or gasket needed.

You might want to reconsider the above.  In practice, it appears that reef points on any given sail would all be of the same length in any event.
 
The "rule of thumb" from Falconer's above sounds right, but here again the maxim, "Different ships, different long splices." applies. The reef points need to be long enough to conveniently encircle the mass of gathered canvas in the sail to be secured. Therefore, the size of the sail is the determining factor. In different periods, the common square sail sizes varied. In later times, particularly with merchant vessels, the size of the sails was reduced to permit easier handling and, thus, smaller crews, which meant more profit in the operation of the vessel. Obviously, a longer square sail will require longer reef points than a sail that's half as long. Naval vessels would furl sails very tightly such that the sail gathered and tied on the spar would not exceed the diameter of the spar. On the other hand, a merchant vessel would characteristically be less fastidiously maintained, and sails might be furled less tightly, if not just making a sloppy job of it sufficient only to get the canvas under control and out of the way and so might have longer reef points. 
 
Not to make you crazy or anything, but depending upon the scale you're working in and the level of detail you are depicting, note also that reef "points" were so called because they were "pointed" by working a taper into their ends. There were general standards for the length of the reef points. (Note the term "reef points" references the pointed shape of these lines. It does not have anything to do with the gromets worked into the sail through which reef points are passed, as is modernly a commonly heard misuse of the term.) A bit of research in the appropriate sources for the period of your model will answer your questions much more specifically. For example, see "Steele's" for both the Admiralty and merchant marine practice circa 1794: https://maritime.org/doc/steel/large/pg148.php  There you will also see the number of gaskets that are required for each rate of ship (by the number of guns) to tie the completely furled sail to the yard. Illustrations are also provided. 
 
For example, excerpts from Steele's:
 
GASKETS. Braided cordage used to confine the sail to the yard, when furled, &c. ARM-GASKETS; those gaskets used at the extremities of yards. BUNT-GASKETS are those used in the middle of yards. QUARTER-GASKETS; those used between the middle and extremities of the yards.
 
GASKETS are made with three-yarn foxes. Those for large ships consist of nine foxes, and those for smaller of seven. Place four foxes together, but lay them of unequal lengths; mark the middle of the whole length, and plait four foxes together, for eight or nine inches; then double it and plait the eight parts together for five inches, and work in the odd fox. The whole is then plaited together for eighteen inches in length; then leave out one fox, and so keep lessening, one fox at a time, till you come to five. If the foxes work out too fast, others must supply their places, till the whole length is worked, which is from five to seven fathoms long. To secure the ends, make a bight, by turning upwards one of the foxes, and plait the others through the bight, then haul tight upon that laid up.
(Obviously, few modelers will actually plait their reef points as described by Steele, but an understanding of the full-scale practice better enables the modeler to depict such detail as they may wish secure in the knowledge of what it's supposed to look like.)
 
POINTS, short pieces of braided cordage, plaited together as gaskets are; beginning in the middle with nine foxes, and tapering to five at the ends, and from one fathom and a half to one fathom in length. They are used to reef the courses and topsails.
 
ROPEBANDS differ from gaskets only in their length, being from seven to nine feet long.
 
POINTING. Tapering the end of a rope, or splice, and working over the reduced part a small close netting, with an even number of knittles twisted from the same, to prevent the end untwisting, and to go more easily through a block or hole.
 
REEF. That portion of a sail contained between the head or foot, and a row of eyelet-holes parallel thereto, which portion is taken up to reduce the surface of the sail when the wind increases. Sails, according to their sizes, have from one to four reefs. A BAG-REEF is the fourth, or lower, reef of a topsail. A BALANCE-REEF crosses boom-mainsails diagonally, from the nock to the end of the upper reef-band on the after-leech.
 

 
When modeling, the best approach is to experiment with a sample of the sail material you'll be using and simply measure how much line it takes to tie the reef lines and let that be your guide for the length of reef lines and gaskets. Many will reduce the model's sail size in order to more easily depict a tightly secured sail on the spar, in which case a similarly sized sail sample will yield the proper length of reef line or gasket needed.

You might want to reconsider the above.  In practice, it appears that reef points on any given sail would all be of the same length in any event.
 
The "rule of thumb" from Falconer's above sounds right, but here again the maxim, "Different ships, different long splices." applies. The reef points need to be long enough to conveniently encircle the mass of gathered canvas in the sail to be secured. Therefore, the size of the sail is the determining factor. In different periods, the common square sail sizes varied. In later times, particularly with merchant vessels, the size of the sails was reduced to permit easier handling and, thus, smaller crews, which meant more profit in the operation of the vessel. Obviously, a longer square sail will require longer reef points than a sail that's half as long. Naval vessels would furl sails very tightly such that the sail gathered and tied on the spar would not exceed the diameter of the spar. On the other hand, a merchant vessel would characteristically be less fastidiously maintained, and sails might be furled less tightly, if not just making a sloppy job of it sufficient only to get the canvas under control and out of the way and so might have longer reef points. 
 
Not to make you crazy or anything, but depending upon the scale you're working in and the level of detail you are depicting, note also that reef "points" were so called because they were "pointed" by working a taper into their ends. There were general standards for the length of the reef points. (Note the term "reef points" references the pointed shape of these lines. It does not have anything to do with the gromets worked into the sail through which reef points are passed, as is modernly a commonly heard misuse of the term.) A bit of research in the appropriate sources for the period of your model will answer your questions much more specifically. For example, see "Steele's" for both the Admiralty and merchant marine practice circa 1794: https://maritime.org/doc/steel/large/pg148.php  There you will also see the number of gaskets that are required for each rate of ship (by the number of guns) to tie the completely furled sail to the yard. Illustrations are also provided. 
 
For example, excerpts from Steele's:
 
GASKETS. Braided cordage used to confine the sail to the yard, when furled, &c. ARM-GASKETS; those gaskets used at the extremities of yards. BUNT-GASKETS are those used in the middle of yards. QUARTER-GASKETS; those used between the middle and extremities of the yards.
 
GASKETS are made with three-yarn foxes. Those for large ships consist of nine foxes, and those for smaller of seven. Place four foxes together, but lay them of unequal lengths; mark the middle of the whole length, and plait four foxes together, for eight or nine inches; then double it and plait the eight parts together for five inches, and work in the odd fox. The whole is then plaited together for eighteen inches in length; then leave out one fox, and so keep lessening, one fox at a time, till you come to five. If the foxes work out too fast, others must supply their places, till the whole length is worked, which is from five to seven fathoms long. To secure the ends, make a bight, by turning upwards one of the foxes, and plait the others through the bight, then haul tight upon that laid up.
(Obviously, few modelers will actually plait their reef points as described by Steele, but an understanding of the full-scale practice better enables the modeler to depict such detail as they may wish secure in the knowledge of what it's supposed to look like.)
 
POINTS, short pieces of braided cordage, plaited together as gaskets are; beginning in the middle with nine foxes, and tapering to five at the ends, and from one fathom and a half to one fathom in length. They are used to reef the courses and topsails.
 
ROPEBANDS differ from gaskets only in their length, being from seven to nine feet long.
 
POINTING. Tapering the end of a rope, or splice, and working over the reduced part a small close netting, with an even number of knittles twisted from the same, to prevent the end untwisting, and to go more easily through a block or hole.
 
REEF. That portion of a sail contained between the head or foot, and a row of eyelet-holes parallel thereto, which portion is taken up to reduce the surface of the sail when the wind increases. Sails, according to their sizes, have from one to four reefs. A BAG-REEF is the fourth, or lower, reef of a topsail. A BALANCE-REEF crosses boom-mainsails diagonally, from the nock to the end of the upper reef-band on the after-leech.
 

 
When modeling, the best approach is to experiment with a sample of the sail material you'll be using and simply measure how much line it takes to tie the reef lines and let that be your guide for the length of reef lines and gaskets. Many will reduce the model's sail size in order to more easily depict a tightly secured sail on the spar, in which case a similarly sized sail sample will yield the proper length of reef line or gasket needed.

... and one shouldn't anyway now.
 
In principle, anyone with a good tool-grinder could make such tools from round HSS-blanks.

Probably.
 
For a good example of brass skeg fabrication see: 
 

I'm sorry. Maybe it's me, but I can't figure out the bend you are contemplating. A picture is worth a thousand words sometimes.
 
I'm not sure how you want to bend it. If you're trying to do what I think you are trying to do, I'd have to answer "No can do."

It's not about the type of vessel or style of hull.  He has as 10" x 1/2" x 1/8" piece of "hard" brass to use as a skeg which he wants to bend in order to make it "3/4" lower at the middle to clear the prop."  If the stock is to be a skeg, given it's dimensions, I'd expect he wants to know how to bend it 3/4" across the 1/2" wide vertical face of the skeg.  "Hard" brass can easily be annealed with a torch, but there are limits to "bending across the flat" which would seemingly be exceeded in this scenario.