so i am back after a hard time of study and…agony caused by school im back with some maybe roockie questions. my current build is hms victory 1/180 by airfix. unlike wasa im putting A LOT of effort in to this one. it has become my favorite ship of all time and im trying to capture as many details and features that i can,that not many do in this scale.
so…
Is there any book you would recommend that shows running and (?) rigging …aah its hard to explain in english…one type on one page and the other on another page?
the following questions aren’t necessary to the ship itself but it would be nice to have those features:
how do you make the stripes on the sails…should i find a striped cloth or are there any method to make it like that (suspects there’s not).
how do i get the right dimensions on the “extra sails”,that’s put besides the original sails,i see them often on 3rd rates on the top and top gallant yards.
and finally,i would want a royal yard,you have any suggestions to how to do one?
may be tough questions,but if you never ask you’ll never know.
thanks in advance.
CoreTech
I was recommended two books that have both served me well.
From John Tilley:
"1. John McKay, Anatomy of the Ship: The 100-Gun Ship Victory. This is typical of the Conway Maritime Press’s “Anatomy” series: a set of incredibly detailed drawings accompanied by a brief text and a decent assortment of photos. This particular one has drawn some fire from naval historians due to some gaffes in research - most of which aren’t particularly relevant to the modeler working from the Heller kit. But in terms of draftsmanship the drawings - especially the isometrics - are absolutely superb. I consider myself unworthy to sharpen Mr. McKay’s pencils.
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Allan McGowen and John McKay, H.M.S. Victory: Construction, Career, and Restoration. This is a big, coffee-table-type book, but a real mine of information about the history of the ship herself. For this project Mr. McKay augmented his “Anatomy” drawings with a considerable number of new ones; the goofs of the earlier book are corrected, and the new drawings actually cover the rigging more thoroughly than the first set. There are also more photographs, and a great deal of material about the ongoing restoration and preservation of her as a “museum ship.”
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C. Nepean Longridge, The Anatomy of Nelson’s Ships. This is an old classic, dating from the early sixties. (It’s currently out of print, and used copies, unfortunately, are pretty expensive. But it’s worth tracking down - maybe in a library.) The title notwithstanding, it’s a detailed account of how Dr. Longridge built his famous 1/48-scale model, which is now in the Science Museum in London. Much of the text on building the model will be only of curiosity value to anybody starting with a kit, but the biggest virtue of the book from the plastic modeler’s standpoint is its verbal descriptions of the rigging. Longridge describes the run of each line in his text. The book also comes with a fine set of drawings by George Campbell, which undoubtedly would be regarded as the standard plans of the ship if Mr. McKay hadn’t come along. For builders of the Heller kit, this book is my first recommendation."
I bought items 1 and 3; they’ve been so valuable. You can get Longridge used for around $ 25. Mine has the big drawings bound in, I’ve heard it was also published with them loose so make sure you get them.
one thing you will find is that using cloth sails at this scale is hard to use. the weight of the small cloth will actually pull your rigging and make it droop. it will also pull on your masts and yards causing them to bend and look un-natural.
another option is to try silkspan. i have heard of modelers having success with this material in making realistic looking sails at smaller scales. best of luck to you on this.
thank you for the quick answer.
i have been considering to buy longridge’s book,in sweden atleast they have started to print new…well i dont know what its really called but lets say versions of it.same content,new book.
but the problem is,it costs well over 25 dollars,about 60.
even used one’s are very expensive.
so if you had too choose from one of the ones you got,wich would you pick?
I’ll look at the rigging plans in McKay when I get home. But it’s hard to beat Longridge. Supposedly you can buy the Campbell plans from the Museum.
thank you enemeink,i sure need that 
well i can say that the glue im using is extremely strong,so no worries for yards falling off or something,secondly the cloth i use may be as you say silkspan,cause its much thinner and lighter than common cloth,but yet still strong.im not sure but its plausable.
what i also want is the wind in the sails,and i know a way to accomplish this,i only need a final…method to make it stay that way.my mom (yes my mom,16 years old still living at home 
suggested varnish…if thats the correct word…or lacker…lacker sounds more like the swedish word,to make the sail firm and “keep the wind in the sails”
i wonder if you have any other recommndations for stuff that could ensure wind in the sails?
many thanks bondoman!
I’ve used tissue paper cut to shape and sealed with a mixture of elmer’s glue and water with good effect. It is light and looks like scaled-down canvas. It can also be bent to shape.
Bill
On smaller scale sailing ships many modelers use a fine pencil to draw in the seams between panels, whether on cloth or paper. One must use care on lightweight cloth to keep the point from being too sharp or it will snag the cloth. If you are good on a sewing machine you can just stitch in a fake seam.
i have considered sewing the seams,but since its so many lines on such a small scale maybe it would look better if i drew them. well,many thanks for your answer!
bill:what kind of glue is elmers glue?
CoreTech,
Elmer’s Glue is the trade name of water-based white craft glue, at least in the US. When diluted, it makes a nice “wash” when using tissue paper for sails. It can also be used to make paper mache. Jig Saw puzzle enthusiasts use it as a “plastic” sealant when cementing their puzzles together. When used full strength, or undiluted, it can be used to adhere PE parts and clear plastic parts to models. It is very versatile!
Bill
well it sounds pretty much like the glue i have right in front of me.
mom has a lot of experience in hobby stuff like papier mache so im gonna ask her what kinda glue that is,since im across the world im still not 100% certain of wich type you mean,allthough i will find out.
wallpaper glue is what she uses,so i guess what you mean is something in between…i just remembered (i have a guppy’s memory) that the glue in front of me as i said,didnt work out,so it must be some sort of,middlething or whatever you should call it.
ill look into it,but thanks for the tip!
another method to try for making sails is this:
Soak the paper you are going to use in water and drape the paper over the vacu-formed plastic sails. Press the paper down against the plastic sails to make an imprint on the paper. let the paper dry while on the plastic sail. once dry, lightly spray the paper with a clear coat out of a spray can. Be careful not to soak the paper too much with clear coat. again let dry on the plastic sails. once that dries, cut out the paper sails and install the sails to the yard arms.
thanks for the tip!
we dont have completly white tissue paper,mom said she would fix some,so in the mean time i’ve been trying the other method with cloth.its currently drying up after being painted with a coat of lacker.
but just as im starting to feel good about my build,guess what? i lose my lower fore yard…its absolutely frustrating,i’ve turned my room upsidedown to find it but it doesn’t seem to be anywhere. im coming to the point of asking around for spare parts,but i suspect its hard to find that.im also thinking of doing a new one myself,wich is a h*ll of a job. but i atleast will get back my yard if i do that.
i found my yard! what a relief…
so no need to fix a new one. but i still have some questions about yards.
as i said i woul like royal yards,i think it makes the ship look more “complete”.
does anyone know or know a place where you can find the dimensions of the individual royal yards?
also im curious about the sails that are put on the yard arms,wich would not just make the ship look complete but also absolutely stunning!
This brings up an old thing I read about when I was much younger, which apparently is an old idea- that you display naval ship models with all yards up and all running rigging, but no sails, but put sails on merchant ships. I have seen enough models to know that some folks go by this recommendation.
I am assuming the idea is that the in-place running rigging adds detail, but the sails would make it more difficult to see that detail, but that is only my assumption. Anyone else ever hear of that idea? I read it in a couple of places, but sure don’t remember where- it was at least forty years ago.
i actually read that in another forum a few days ago,model ship world the name is i believe. it was about the airfix/heller 1/100 hms victory,the builder folded his sails to show the detail of the rigging.it sure looks nice,but i think i’m more of a sail guy. my vision is to have my victory as it was when it sailed towards trafalgar.about 40 sails total if i dont remember wrong. ofcourse i wont make 40 sails,but i want to include the royal sails and the yardarm sails on the top and top gallant yards on the fore and main mast. maybe even the extra sails on the lower yards if i can find out where these yards are placed since they stick out of the hull and not the masts.
Ok, the “extra yards” finally clicked for me, along with the fact that you are not a native nautical english speaker.
The term in english is “studding sails” (also referred to as “stun’sails”).
The studding sail yards (called “booms”) are carried in iron hoops forwards and above the yards when stored (stowed) away and not in use. In use, the booms were run out through the hoops so that half their length extended past the supporting yard’s end.
Depending on the wind and sailing direction, these could be run out on one or both sides of the ship. The actual studding sail sometimes had a yard at its head to hoist it, sometimes not.
In all cases, the rigging for studding sails is considered “flying” in that all the parts were set up to need. So, the booms were pretty simple, no real complicated blocks or fittings. Sailors slithered out to the ends and tied off the sails, and the yards were braced around to the wind, and off you went.
The lowest studding sails were set from booms on the course yards, and on booms hinged from the deck. Those lower booms required considerable work, and the lashing and handling of them was right in the way of the upper gun deck or carronades–so, it was something you did only when speed was more important than tactical advantage.
Royal yards were often set “flying” as well (I forget if that’s the case with Victory). The yard and furled (folded) sail would be hoisted to the topgallant top. A block would be attached below the mast truck, and a halyard (:haul yard) tackle used to carry the royal yard to the peak. The clews of the royal sail would be lashed to the yard arms of the topgallant yard. Then, haul in the tackle to lift the yard up, and give it a parrel lashing to hold it to the mast. Some navies used braces on the royal sails, others counted upon the wind and topgallant braces to set the correct sail angle.
Core Tech,
One possible source for the reference books you need is your local library.
Writing paper that is made for international air mail is very light and fine grained. I’ve never tried this myself
but you may be able to print seams and stripes on paper sails using your computer and an ink jet printer.
Good luck with your project and, please post pictures.
All the best
Ray