Le Soleil Royal by Bill97 - FINISHED - Heller - 1/100

[Hubac's Historian]

I don’t think the running rigging will be an issue, Bill.  It was just the stark contrast between the ratlines and shrouds that didn’t work as well.

 

If it’s any consolation, on my first build I also went for high contrast with my deadeye lashings, jeer block lashings and lower mast tackles:

 

This is actually stark white line, though, as opposed to tan, which would have been a better choice.

[Bill97]

Is this your first Soleil Royal Marc?  Very nice as well. In the first photo are the lines that look dark running rigging, braces maybe?

[Ferrus Manus]

What!? How! 

Definitely a hellerism. They should be tied above the yard or at the actual last top, once again above the yard. 

[Bill97]

Got the majority of he running rigging on the mizzenmast completed. Still have quite a bit of rigging to do on the lateen mizzen to include the special design parral, and the lift. Right now I have the lateen held in place with a pin into the mast and a simple lashing I will remove when I put the parral on. I think I am getting close to the time when I will start making my sails. 

[kirill4]

Helo Bill !

She looks nice!

Are You planning to install sails after completion of all your rigging works, correct ?

All the best!

Kirill

 

 

[Bill97]

Yes kirill4 that is correct. All the best to you as well. Want to compliment you on your language translation. Very good. 
 

Очень мило. Будет ли это правильно?

[kirill4]

perhaps an easier option would be to install the sails on the yards in advance, with all their running rigging, and then install the yards with the sails in place and move the running rigging in places... due to the abundance of running rigging, in my opinion of course, it will be fantastically difficult to install  sails on already installed yards...

however, I wish you successful overcoming of difficulties if such appear on the horizon, and completion of construction

 

Edited November 25, 2023 by kirill4

[Bill97]

Took a break from miles of running rigging today. Since sail production is on the horizon I decided to work today on making the paper patterns. A measurement of the lines on the plastic kit sails shows an approximate 3/8” distance between them. To begin my sail making process I transferred that 3/8” measurement to lines on a sheet of copier paper. I then made numerous copies. I then drew the sails on the copy paper by transferring the perimeter measurements of each sail and keeping the lines on the paper running the same direction as the lines on the plastic sails. After some adjustments to the drawings to mirror the actual yard length I cut out the paper patterns. I will later use the patterns to make the actual sails on the material I use for the sails and sew all the lines. 

[Bill97]

Final rigging of the mizzenmast completed. I left the lines loose at the belay points since I will most likely untie them when I put the sail on the lateen. 
Now I am for sure in the sail production stage. 

[Bill97]

Got a few of my sails made. Thought I would send a photo of the foremast top sail. I opted for a light weight cotton. Made a paper pattern that I then transferred to the cloth. Sewed all the seams and reef lines. Added loops at the corners and side where the pattern showed. The hen stretched it over the plastic mold and painted on diluted white glue. Clamped down the top edge to insure it stays straight and then put tension on the two bottom corners to get the appearance of tension. After it dries completely I will weather it with a little airbrush. 

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  The Admiral showed me a 'magic' marker for cloth (bought in a sewing or craft store) that lays down a fine, light blue line for marking where button h oles or whatever goes.  Then after sewing, by dabbing the blue marks with a water-moistened cotton ball ... the blue simply disappears.  I find this better than using pencil.

[Hubac's Historian]

Sails look very impressive, Bill!

[Bill97]

Thanks Marc. 
Snug Harbor I thought about using something like that but decided since I plan to airbrush the sails using one of the 100’s of pencils around my house was more economical 😊

[Jake Groby]

Following, I too have this beauty and hope to build her one day.

[Bill97]

I have not posted an update or photos for a few days. Not to be concerned. I have my shoulder to the grindstone making my sails. Paper pattern, transfer to sail cloth, sewing all the seam lines and hems and adding rigging ropes, shaping to the plastic mold with white glue to achieve billowing, and adding the reef lines to the sails that have them. 
 

I do have a question. How should I treat the four sails that hang from the stays?  I know they have a nautical name. There is one forward of the foremast. Two between the fore and main, and one between the main and mizzen. I see in a number of model builds that builders just leave them out. I know it is obviously personal preference. 

[Ian_Grant]

Stay sails (stays'ls).  They're named by prefacing "stys'l" by the name of the stay they are set on. You could omit them, or have them furled (peaks hauled down by the "downhaul" lines and furled to the foot of the stay. Might look a little odd with no fore topmast stays'l set?  Maybe that's ok if the sprit-topsail is set? But I don't know about this century's practice. Builders' preference.

[Bill97]

Thanks Ian. So example would main stys’l’ or main top stys’l’?  Got it. Will do some more thinking about them and look a a bunch more pictures. Kind of like some photos earlier in my log, I am going to set the topsail and top gallant sail on both the foremast and main. I am going to partially pull up the course sail on both masts. I am also going to set the he topsail on the mizzenmast. Still need to make a command decision on displaying the lateen sail on the mizzenmast and the two spritsails. 

Edited December 8, 2023 by Bill97

[Bill97]

This is one I have always liked since I started mine. The builder of this one eliminated the stay sails. It also appears that he or she pulled all the sails up a bit. Not completely furled. I especially like the mizzen mast lateen yard. Interesting that Caldercraft appears to have added a mizzen top sail and top gallant. That may just be my misinterpretation of the photo. The second example is also without stay sails and all other sails set. Decisions decisions. 

Edited December 8, 2023 by Bill97

[Bill97]

Wow. I looked back at a couple of my last post. Not sure if it was me and a little bourbon or auto correct on my device, but some sentences made no sense.  😊

Went back and edited. 

[Bill97]

Gradually adding sails as I make them. Have had to remake and sew 3 that I was not completely satisfied with the way they fit the yard and mast.  Once I have the foremast sails fully set to the yards I will start the rigging. Also doing the same with the bowsprit. 

[Ian_Grant]

God Bill, do you work non-stop? Sails look great!

[Bill97]

No Ian, not non-stop, but several hours a day. I have to force myself to do something productive each day before I go to the “ship yard”! 😊  That is for sure my happy place. I will most definitely say it is infinitely more enjoyable with the MSW community following each other’s progress. Fantastic community!

[Bill97]

Sails up on the bowsprit and foremast. Bowsprit sails rigged. Now on to rigging the foremast sails to include partially pulling up the fore course sail. 

[Bill97]

A few more photos in different light. 

[Bill97]

Guys what are these rigging lines called and what is there purpose?  They are on each of the three sails on the fore and main mast. The course and top sail has a crows foot type of rigging where it attaches to the side of the sail. The top gallant is a simple fork. The lines go forward through blocks and eventually belay different places at deck level. 

[Ian_Grant]

Bill, those are the bowlines, used to haul the windward side of the sail hard forward when sailing "close to" (as close as a square rigger can get) the wind. They can prevent the sail being taken aback and perhaps damaged if there's a gust from a little more upwind.

Edited December 15, 2023 by Ian_Grant

[Bill97]

Thanks Ian. When “we” built the HMS Victory and I used the Longridge reference I was able to identify the majority of the rigging lines. Since I did not put sails on the Victory I am learning some new ones now. As we have discussed above, I plan to some what pull up the sides of the main sail and fore sail. I would think the bowlines will stay attached to the sail and just be neatly pulled up loosely for an attractive display?

 

One additional sail question if you don’t mind. I added all the “reef lines” (I think that is their name) to the appropriate sails. I think they look great and add to the look of my sails.  Again, what is there purpose?  I understand the reef(s) on a sail are points at which the sail could be tied in some fashion?  Would these have been used to furl the sail?  They don’t look as if they are long enough for that purpose. When I partially pull up the main and fore sail would these little lines come into play or just the lanes attached at the clew?

[Bill97]

As is usually the case, after being puzzled by an issue and asking you guys for advice, I pulled out my trusty Anderson book. Now that I know the name of the lines in question I can at least research the bowlines in Anderson. Of course I can also research a formula in a calculus book but that does not necessarily mean I will have a clear understanding 😊.  
I need to read and reread Anderson’s book and Longridge’s book to fully understand nautical names, purposes, and descriptions of all the different rigging lines. Especially if this continues to be of such interest to me. Quite a few years in so far and still learning, and frankly still asking dumb questions. 

Edited December 15, 2023 by Bill97

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  'Learning the ropes' (lines, actually) is quite a process - and they continually evolve in nomenclature, purpose and configuration all throughout the history of sailing ships.  I'm grappling with spaghetti now, seeking to reach a happy compromise on how to deal with the restoration I'm into now.  Just thinking about how to proceed with restoring a scratch-build with no instructions often delays me many days while I just keep thinking of alternatives ... not wanting to do anything rash.  Measure twice, cut once.  Think before gluing.

[Ian_Grant]

Bill,  the reef points are used to tie the sail to the yard when reducing sail. Crewmen standing on the foot rope bring the front and rear ends of the reef points up over the yard (after gathering the unwanted sail neatly) and tie them in a - wait for it - reef knot.

 

To help the men pull the sail up with the wind blowing, there are also "reef tackles"; ropes which attach to the leech (side) of the sail at the end of the reef band (horizontal reinforcing strip sewn along where the reef points pierce the sail). Men hauling on these tackles pull the sail up to the yard to let the men on the yard gather it and tie it off.

 

I do not know how multiple reef bands were handled; did the reef tackle just attach to the lowest band?  ... did they take in a reef, tie off the reef points, then shift the tackle connection down to the nest lower band (implying they had to take in sail one reef at a time even when wanting to reduce sail drastically?). Might make sense since I expect they would want all the successive rows of reef points tied off. Which begs the question of how, when loosing sail, would the men on the foot rope know which knots in front of them were for which set of reefs?  We need a greater mind than mine to answer this.