Sail Prep

[VTHokiEE]

I’m working on a Chesapeake Bay Flattie kit from Midwest (my first wooden ship and I’m very happy about the model so far) and the instructions (if I recall correctly) say to brush the sails in clear enamel and I’m curious what the point is and if I should do an alternative. I saw a partial build log where the builder mentioned using a diluted mixture of white glue and water. I tried to google the answer (as I’m almost positive it would have been asked), but alas my search terms didn’t seem to hit the mark. Thanks for any help!

[mtaylor]

The idea is to "billow" the sail to resemble blowing in the wind.   You'll need to jig it up horizontally such that the sides are supported and the center area hangs down, then apply your starch, enamel, or glue/water and allow to dry.

[VTHokiEE]

Thank you for the explanation! Hopefully I’m overthinking it, but this seems like an easy step to mess up (if you make the sails too firm). Are there any small tutorials about it (especially details about the mixture; ratios for anything watered down)?

 

Thanks again!

[mtaylor]

There's only one tutorial, as such, that I know of here: http://modelshipworldforum.com/ship-model-rigging-and-sails.php

 

Most of what I see in sail making is in build logs, both scratch and kit builds.

[VTHokiEE]

This is great, thanks for the guidance!

[mikiek]

If you havent already completed - spray sizing works well. Iron afterwards and while the sail is still hot you can add some shape the usually keeps when the sail cools off.

 

I am finding that running wire inside the hems from one corner to another is a great way to shape your sails - from the barely a breeze look to the 20 knots look.

[VTHokiEE]

Thanks Mikiek! For my first build I decided against shaping (mainly to simplify). I brushed some Polycrylic on the cloth and it dried into a (what I think) is a nice firm-ish sail. I think on my next project I’ll try to actually sew the sails (instead of lining with pencil) and potentially add some wire as that seems like a great idea. 

[rwiederrich]

Paper works exceptionally well...and is very forgiving.

 

Rob