Representation of Whale Line

[Mike_In_RI]

For my whale boat project I would like to get a closer representation of the whale line. Currently, I am using .045" light brown Syren rope for the harpoon mounting which is fine for "lightly tarred". However, per the Ronnberg build manual, the whale line itself should be a "long fiber manila, not tarred... and ..  a bright straw color". I also note that the build manual photos show a right lay of the whale line. Other than the Syren .045" rope, I see no other commercial sources of that size.

 

Can line that is already light brown be died up to a brighter color? Bleached then dyed? Attached photo from the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

 

In the long haul, I don't mind "spooling" up to make my own rope but I would appreciate any tips that may help me be as in scale as possible in the short term.

 

Thanks,

Mike

 

 

 

 

 

[Dziadeczek]

Don't know much about whaling but I found this one online. Perhaps it will be helpful for your project.

I would be careful with bleaching the rope - if it is made from natural fibres, you might damage it and make it brittle. Test it on a short piece before.

As for the color, I would think that the brand new rope would be light colored, anything older would be progressively darker...

 

 

[Mike_In_RI]

12 hours ago, Dziadeczek said:

I would be careful with bleaching the rope - if it is made from natural fibres, you might damage it and make it brittle. Test it on a short piece before.

As for the color, I would think that the brand new rope would be light colored, anything older would be progressively darker...

Thank you for helping out. Yes, I will do some testing on small pieces of the .045" rope I have. Possibly with some lighting up with acrylics. I infer from the Ronnberg build manual To Build a Whaleboat that he was starting with a white or light linen provided by MSW back in the 80's then colored it to his liking.

 

Mike