The Ship Model Forum

Just my opinion, but if I was making a wooden model of a sailing ship I would tend not to put any sails on it at all, assuming it was a display model, rather than a diorama.

Two reasons. Firstly sails are cut and sewn to have a belly or three dimensional shape so that they hold the wind and/or develop an aerofoil shape. Unless you find a way of mimicking that shape they will always look too flat.

Secondly, sails will hide the rigging that you've spent so many hours, perhaps hundreds, researching, threading and tying, and that just seems such a pity.

If I ever start work again on my Lowestoft fishing smack or get around to doing a Thames sailing barge, then I would put the interesting red sails on those, but not on a square rigged ship.

Just my thoughts, and by the way, did you plank the hull, and if you did, how did you get on with it?

Regards,

David Griffith

Hi,

Holger Baethies shows his method of sail making here:
paper sails

You can use Google to translate the german text.

The paper is sometimes called "japanese paper" or "silkspan." I've always like old cotton pillow cases myself. I like to use a stain/wash of diluted tea. I've also heard of using coffee. It also helps to stiffen up the cloth with thin white glue (PVA); in fact, I've combined the glue and tea into a mix for the sails.

Well, I used the ones made of the paper... special paper from the RC aircraft shop - for spanning their wings. Paper was coloured by Gunze Sail color, sails (raised) were formed, and washed with brown a bit. Looks quite well in a 1/200 scale.

For larger ones I would sew them... As described in a Wolfram zu Mondfeld's book, which is a german language "bible" for a sailship modeler...

please a few tips on making sails. Thanks Dave