How does one "grungy" up a furled sail ?

[Senior ole salt]

Progress on my whale boat is coming along. Will work on my case tomorrow. I was wondering about methods of making the furled sail look "grungy". I can imagine this kind of sail received a lot of abuse other sails of the period didn't experience.  Any hints ?

 

Thanks 

 

S.os

[Intasiabox]

I'm sure if this what you are after but staining the sails in tea give them a more weathered, natural appearance.

[wefalck]

Depends on the scale and what material is being used. There are many methods for making sails and making them look worn. Real cloth, though usually is not a good starting point for scale appearance ...

 

wefalck

[CaptainSteve]

SOS,

When recently making the boats for my USS Constitution, I soaked a piece of cloth in tea for several hours and then left it to hang outside for almost a week. The colour came out quite good, but there was less of a streaking effect than I would have liked. However, as my sails were also rolled, this did not really concern me too much.

Might I suggest trying a mix of very strong black coffee ??

 

Also, as Wefalck mentions, be mindful of the thickness of cloth which you use. I chose a piece of white cloth cut from a child's dress.

Finally, cut back on the amount of cloth you use. Your piece should only be approx 1/4 to 1/3 of the actual sail area.

 

Here's a link to where I was making my sails.

 

Hoping this helps you with your excellent boat !!

Edited March 8, 2014 by CaptainSteve

[Jaager]

One problem to think about - tea and coffee are acidic and contain tannins - they may react with the cloth over time and break it down.  Woodcraft and similar sell wood finishing products - especially water based and alcohol based dyes.  They tend to be more stable over time.

[dgbot]

Another thing you can do is try a wash on your sail.  Experiment with a solution of dirty water and paint.  When cleaning my brushes I would dip them in some water to clean them.  After awhile that water would become to dirty.  Experiment with this and stain, dye or tea.  That would give you an of what you want.  Either brush it on or soak it piece.

David B

Edited March 8, 2014 by dgbot