Period scale sails

[Kimosubby ShipyardsParticipant @kimosubbyshipyards]

My way – with lawn cotton

[Kimosubby ShipyardsParticipant @kimosubbyshipyards]

I recently posted a eureka moment regarding print settings for colour management on my computer printer. Bob asked could I explain what I was doing, so……

Here's an example, this is the finished restoration of someones pride and joy passed down from grandparents, all the sails, flags and buntings are copied from the original material that survived, plus a few I added after some research into flags of the period.

This is the Ark Royal of 1587.

The sails are printed using a standard inkjet printer onto a material called lawn cotton. I merely had to trace and source suitable images to use for the sails. Here's the original ones as received.

Here's one of the sails ready to print.

This is A4 sized. The cotton is peeled from a paper backing sheet after the ink has dried. The surrounds of the sails are sealed with dilute PVA then cut. Hems or tabs are formed and scale size cord is folded within the tab simulating a bolt rope. On these sails, the scale being 1/48 I also used my sewing machine to stitch each seam on each sail, this really assist the shaping.

You will notice for this model, I have followed the builders sail shape, he cut his sails to exaggerate their wind filled appearance, achieved by stringing the sail up and blowing air at it to fill it whilst spraying weak PVA aerosol at it. This creates a stiff shaped sail for fitting.

The problem I had with the Thermopylae sails was the colour on the computer did not transfer in tone or shade using the standard setting. In desperation I saw and used "colour matching" and hey presto, the printer produced the desired result.

The sails on Thermoplylae are at 1/96, so printing the bolt seams was used, and the sails are made to standard shape, no distortion. They will be PVA sprayed later to attain filled shape.

Here's a finished sail below it's vacuum formed counter part, I think the cotton one is far better. I've even been able to make it appear that repairs have been made to the sail in places.

And here's another sail on a paper printout of a few more sails, 29 in all to make.

Hope this helps, Kimmosubby

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Very colourful and are just what was wanted!

They look lovely on the model

Well done, Kimmo

Bob

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Kimmo. Outstanding, simply outstandIng.

Ashley

[Amy jane SeptemberParticipant @amyjaneseptember49770]

Very clever indeed!

[Author]

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