Tea or coffee.
Agree, tea works well.
Found this article that you may like
blog.longancraft.com
Allan
How to Age Fabric: 10 Methods to Make the Fabric Look Antique
Learn how to age fabric for a vintage look using 10 methods, including tea staining and distressing. Transform ordinary fabric into antique-looking.
blog.longancraft.com
Some model builders say tea and coffee can cause the sail cloth to deteriorate over time due to tannins/acids etc. But I have a model still looking great after 15 years using tea to immerse my sails for that antique realistic look.
Not just bails but I wonder what the life of cloth or silk span sails may be. I worry (actually not that much) about 75 years or 100 years from now so our legacy lives on as long as possible.
To that end I put a note inside the hull of models I have sold or given to family similar to the note that George Stockwell put inside his model of the Bristol in 1774 that can be seen at AGO in Toronto. Not that mine are, or ever will be, remotely close to his quality, but I like the idea none-the-less.Allan
I've used pine tar thinned with turpentine to stain the sails on my last ship. It brings out some texture in the cloth.
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I dislike the use of tea/coffee. Sails never got to that state, they didn't last long enough!! It's not just a matter of personal taste, but rather realism. Sails in modern square riggers are generally much dirtier due to long lasting stronger fabrics that don't rot or wear out as fast. But in the days of sail using canvas they would rip or be be blown out in a gale.
What are your bales intended to represent? If they are sailcloth it's reasonable to assume they would be pretty clean. If they are bags or sacks then they would more likely be somewhat dirty, in which case either VERY dilute weak tea, or (my preferred method) a very weak watercolour wash. A warm grey mixed with French ultramarine and burnt sienna. Always test first.
