Dear Chuck! You will soon be working on the standing rigging. There is a simple rule: if the standing rigging was coated with tar, then the ratlines, lanyards, and deadeyes were also coated with tar. From 1800 onwards, the tar coating was black. Unofficially, this coating was known as "Stockholm tar." I see that the standing rigging for the bowsprit on your model is already black. That means all the standing rigging should be black. Also—to reiterate—the deadeyes, ratlines, and lanyards will be black as well.
Tarring served to protect such vital rigging from the harmful effects of water. Naturally, all elements of this rigging had to be protected—not just the shrouds and stays—otherwise, the process would have been pointless.
Tarring served to protect such vital rigging from the harmful effects of water. Naturally, all elements of this rigging had to be protected—not just the shrouds and stays—otherwise, the process would have been pointless.
