Making Sails for Ship Models from Silkspan, Part 3
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- Опубліковано 18 жов 2017
- Part 3 is finally up. If you haven't seen Parts 1 & 2, go to • Making Sails for Ship ... Please remember to hit the like button and subscribe. Visit my website at tjlauria.com/. The silkspan has been available from Bluejacket Shipcrafters in Searsport, Maine, www.bluejacketinc.com/ Thanks
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Great tutorial Tom.
Fascinating video for a modelling newbie.... clear & easy to follow, mercifully unsullied by the endless music tracks which many seem to favour. Thanks for sharing this 😀🤗
There are very few videos out there that have sound tracks I can tolerate. So, the chances are pretty good you won't run into one on mine. It's much harder to do than people (including video producers) realize. Thanks for writing.
Gee Tom, this has been an absolute revelation! I have been mucking about with thin cloth trying to get realistic looking sails (they weren't too bad) but you have taken it to a different level. Can't wait to get some silkspan and have a go at it.
I'm gluing on the sail "hem"s today. The sails look great. It takes a little practice. Thanks so much for the videos.
I've long wanted to build models in the worst way; due to congenital retinopathy, that's how I built them, as I could not measure, mark, cut, and drill accurately or precisely. I ruined mostly plastic car models. I had as much fun watching you make those sails as I do watching a professional athlete, singer, or dancer do amazing things. Having worked to build 1950s-1980s, I'm glad to see new materials making well-furled sails a possibility; bare spars look unfinished on a rigged ship. Thanks for the 2 videos!
Tom - many thanks for posting these videos on making furled sails. I've been working on an old Scientific Bluenose kit as my 1st build and I wanted my schooner to have furled sails. Not a lot of information out there to help a beginner along on this subject. Thanks again!
Thanks for your comments. This furled sails stuff is not an exact science, so keep at it till you get what you're looking for. Good luck.
You do make that look very realistic.
they are terrific videos. i never really used a lot of sails on my models because they always looked not right. silkspan is a way to go. Thanks !
Glad you like them. For me, silkspan has it all over cloth for sail making. Thanks for writing and watching.
Hi Tom, Great videos.
Can you do a video on how you achieved that great, authentic color for the sails?
Just a short video would be pretty cool?
thanks for posting this, ill try it out on my next project!
Let me know how you make out.
will do, though i should have said, "ill try this on my next sailing ship project, starting a fletcher destroyer in 2 weeks.. I will however recommend my customers (have a weekend job in a LHS) to have a look at your videos and try it out aswell. it looked quite convincing.
Loved this video set. I'm building a large ocean liner (Normandie at 1:160) and looking for the right material/technique for making life boat covers for 26 of her lifeboats. It looks like adapting Silkspan and using the boat itself as the mold just might be the perfect combination. Thanks for the inspiration! Would love hear your thoughts. BTW used your technique to make harpoons and lances .... thanks for that too! They were perfect.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for the feedback.
I sped the video up to move things along a bit. So, if you notice my hands moving like I just drank a gallon of coffee, that's why. Enjoy and leave a comment below. More videos to follow about rigging, making blocks, mast hoops and weathering.
Really looking forward to the mast hoops. Thanks so much for sharing.
Tom - You have always been a great resource and inspiration. I wanted ask what you think of cutting down the size of the sails if you are going to furl them so that they are less bulky. I have seen recommendations to cut the amount of sail material by 1/3 to 1/2 when furling. Also, when working at scales of 1:24 do you use multiple layers of silkspan to approximate the correct scale of the material?
You're right, Floyd. If you're furling, it's a whole lot easier with less mass. I don't think I'd go as far as half, but 1/3 is totally reasonable.
If you're working at a larger scale, you can "glue" two pieces of silkspan together. When you are preparing to paint the silkspan and you've mixed your color, mix a little bit of Elmer's Glue in with the paint. Roll the paint on one piece, then put the second piece down on the first and paint again. That works very well at bonding the two sheet together. Of course, I would only do this for sails that are going to show. I wouldn't bother doing it for furled sails. It would only make the process more difficult.
@@shipmodelguy Great! thanks for the quick response. There is a thread on MSW that suggests 4 layers for 1:24. To me that seemed to defeat the use of Silkspan in the first place. Last question - On your models I don't see a Bolt rope. Shouldn't there be a bolt rope for reinforcement along the edges that are lashed to a spar?
@@floydkershner6591 You're right again. Four plies would be way too thick-even for 1:24 scale. It would next to impossible to get the stuff to flake down for furled sails. If the sails were set you could get away with it, but why would you bother going through all that hassle and waste of material? Just use something thicker.
As for bolt ropes: If the sails are furled, no bolt ropes. They would not handle well, if at all. If the sails are set, it would be on a case by case basis (i.e.; a 1:48 Beetle Catboat-no bolt ropes. A 1:32 Emma C. Berry=yes).
@@shipmodelguy Tom all of this is great info. So here are my last 2 questions - First, do you do anything to reinforce the material around the holes for the lashings on the Gaff, Boom, or Mast? And secondly, I am building Chuck's Medway Longboat from 1742. And as you can see, I am adding sails. Can you offer any suggestions on what to use for Hanks on the foresails?
@@floydkershner6591 First, reinforcements. I don't do anything extra except to put a tabling strip on each side of the sail for any side that gets lashings, hoops or hanks. the three layers of silkspan should be enough as long as you don't rough-house it.
As for the Medway Longboat, I am hesitant to suggest anything more specific than to find a copy of Steele's Elements of Mastmaking, Sailmaking and Rigging. The book was written with a strong bias towards that time period and you should be able to find some guidance there.
Having said all that, the thing I would try first is to use a bit of 28 or 32 gauge wire. Bend it into a "u" shape, run it through the sail, bring it up to the stay and close the legs by crossing them over each other and snip off the excess.
If you contact me through my website (tjlauria.com/contact) I'll send you a photo of what it is I'm trying to explain.
I followed this series of video's for making the sails for my current project and am very pleased with the results. I made a wood block as you describe in shaping the sails and formed the a sail carefully using water with a small amount of white glue in it. I let it dry about 3 hour and was able to remove it carefully from the waxed block. The sail has an unnatural pronounced sheen to the side that was resting on the waxed block. Since the sail doesn't retain it's shape as well as it seems your's did, I feel that maybe I didn't use enough glue. What about the sheen? Any suggestions? I used Minwax Furniture wax instead of Butchers wax but I can't detect any evidence of wax removal from the block. Any suggestions would be welcome.
The brand of the wax shouldn't be an issue, but can't say for certain. I've never used anything else, so my experience is sadly limited. But, I will say I've never run into the problem that you are having. The only thing I can think of is that there might too much wax left on the form. Try buffing with a soft cloth until you get a nice smooth sheen. The friction from the buffing will cause the wax to soften a bit, so let it sit for an hour or so and give it another try. If you still have the problem, then perhaps it is something in the Minwax that does get along with the white glue (Elmer's?). As for dealing with your existing sail, I would try coating the shiny side with a very weak water/glue mix and hang it somewhere to dry. Then you can try the process again once your sail form is good to go. Make sense? Keep me updated.
Thanks, I'll try this. I really appreciate your videos. They 're saving me a lot of futile experimentation. Keep them coming.
Sorry to ask such a newb question. After watching your videos on sails I wanted to place a order for silkspan as I am getting ready to work on some models which have been sitting around for a long time. What I am finding is several forums and sites which state that this material is no longer sold anywhere. Is this true or am I not understanding what silkspan is? Is there a source that sells this stuff?
Actually, I am seeing it now on Bluejackets site. Not sure how I missed it earlier.
@@368engbn I was just going to suggest that. They call their stuff Model Span. I don't know why they felt the need to rename it, but there it is. If they sell various weights, try the lightest they have. If it's too light for your purposes, you can always double up the sheet to make it heavier. But you can't go the other way.
Do you ever use flocking on a sail (to give it texture)?
No, I don't. At the scales I work at, there's really isn't a need to try to impart a texture. When you look very closely at the silkspan, you will actually see a slight texture. It doesn't really show up on cmera, but it is there. If I were working at larger scales, say 1:12 and larger, I would probably be using linen or cotton material for sails and they already have the woven texture, so again, there really would be no need
I just realized that I neglected to rub the final coat of wax with 0000 steel wool. Do you think that's the problem? Maybe the very small abrasion of the steel wool will break up the sheen.
When you read my reply to your first comment, you'll see great mind really do think alike.
Mr.. Lauria, I have just started working on a Revell 1:96 plastic model of USS Constitution. This is my very first attempt to build any model. Well, I remember, I was given a snap on model of a ship with sails about 60 years ago, and I enjoyed it very much. But this time it is different. Some of the things that I want to change, are that I want to give it a weatherized look,, instead of museum look, and also, I am not happy with the plastic sales that came with the kit. So, I was watching your video clips about making and installing the silkspan sails. What I want to do is to install them furled. Is it okay to cut out each plastic sale from the sheet, and then size silkspan to its size, or there is a calculation needed to make them to scale, so that they can be unfurled if needed. Third thing I want to do is replace the display pedastals with ocean surface. Do you have any suggestions, and any instructional video clips. Thanks.
Wow! Your first model ship is USS Constitution. That's a really ambitious subject. But, since you have it, here are some suggestions for you.
1. As far as weathering the ship, go lightly with the effect. This is a naval vessel. And, you know what they say about the Navy: in peacetime they divide their time in half; half the time scraping and half the time painting. In wartime, it's divided in thirds. Scraping, painting and fighting. So, there was never much of a chance for wear and tear to take hold. A light touch is needed, here.
2. The Revell kit is 1:96 scale. If I were to make furled sails at that scale, I would make them about 15%-20% undersized to cut down on the bulk when furling. The reduction would be for the width and the height only. The length would remain the same as the sail still has to reach across the yard. Once the sail are in place and furled, it would be nearly impossible to unfurl them without causing damage to other parts of the model. And yes, It seems like using the plastic sails as templates should work. If not as a direct replacement, it will certainly get you very close. Thereby eliminating a lot of trial and error. I say go for it.
3. I would advise you against putting this model into a sea. The main reason is this is a plastic model. The hull is cast in two halves that you glue together. Its interior is hollow. If you cut the bottom half of the hull off to let it sit in the sea, you will be eliminating much of the structural stability of the model. you would have to substantially reinforce the interior of the hull.
If you choose to leave the hull in tact and just make a display deep enough to accommodate the entire hull, that increases the size of your finished display. If space is an issue, this is something you have to think about. Also, you have to fabricate this whole thing. If this were a simpler subject, I'd say, "Yeah, go for it". But I have a feeling that the build of the model will be challenging enough to not have it compounded by a very complex display. Hope this helps.
if you care to share it, could you please do a video on rigging techniques.
I have a couple of videos planned that deal with making rigging fittings (thimbles and shackles, etc) and making eye splices at small scale.
Tom Lauria, Thats great. Its allways interesting to see how different people solve different problems. Im allways looking for new methods of dooing things.
Looking forward to seeing your video.