HM Armed Cutter Sherbourne by Dan Poirier - Vanguard Models - 1:64

[Dr PR]

Dan,

 

What material are you using for rope and seizing? Every material I have used (cotton, silk, polyester) is a bit springy, and knots will try to come undone. However, silk becomes totally limp when wetted with white glue, and this prevents unwinding while the glue dries. Cotton is not quite as good, but it does lose most of its springiness when wet.

 

Polyester rope is very springy, and knots will come untied if they aren't fixed with some type of glue. Unfortunately, the only glue I have found that will stick to polyester is CA (cyanoacrylate, super glue), and I am not sure just how good that bond is. White glue will not stick to polyester!

 

I glue the larger rope strands together with a small drop of CA and then wrap the seizing, with a bit of white glue after the seizing is done to hold it.

 

I normally dilute the white glue 1:1 with water, but I have also used about 70% glue and 30% water.

[Dan Poirier]

The rope and seizing materials I'm using came with the Vanguard Sherbourne kit, and I can't find anything in the instructions to say what they're made of. I can't tell by looking at it.

 

Maybe someone else familiar with this kit knows what the thread is made of?

 

[JonVonWeston]

Hi Dan,

 

I've just finished the Sherbourne as my first wooden kit build and experienced the same issues as you - planking issues and lashings coming undone - Planking I think is just practice, practice and then a bit more practice. (Thank goodness that the hull was painted). For the lashings, I found that a tiny tiny dab of CA gel (I found the gel easier to apply rather than the thin stuff) was enough to stop it unravelling. I used Gorilla Glue Gel (Green cap)

 

Jon