Rigging the Vasa .... what color goes where?

[RobZorba]

I'm building the Billing Boats Vasa currently, and as you know the written instructions are sparse.  Can anyone help me identify which color (white / black / grey-brown) the various aspects of rigging should be? 

 

a) For example in 1636 did the Swedish shipbuilders use tar-stained black shrouds? 

 

Were any of the ropes actually white as per many of the spools supplied by Billing Boats? ... seems improbable to me, I thought hemp was used and it's kinda yellow-brown in color, not white.

 

At the moment I am thinking of bleaching all the threads supplied in the Billings kit, and then mixing some fabric dye to get a dark yellow-brown color, then dyeing all the threads the same color.  But maybe some of the rigging was color coded in some way?  Maybe they tarred some of the rigging e.g. shrouds.  I just don't know, so would value some advice ...

 

Many thanks,

Rob

Edited October 29, 2015 by RobZorba

[marktiedens]

Hi Rob - according to Fred Hocker at the Vasa museum there is no evidence of tar on the ropes on the real ship so it would seem that natural hemp color would be a good choice for all the rigging. 

 

Mark

[RobZorba]

@Mark@ Thank you for a most helpful reply.  So, I know what I have to do! 

[JerseyCity Frankie]

I find the news that there was no tar used on the Vasa rigging to be a great surprise! Marktledens could you elaborate on what you said about the findings at the Wasa Museum?