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Taming the mixture: Achieving a repeatable, weathered hemp color for running rigging

R

RC Model

Joined
Dec 19, 2020
Messages
94
Points
113

Hello everyone,

Well... they said modeling chemistry was safe!

It took some time, but finally, the results are tangible and – most importantly – fully repeatable! Lately, I’ve been focusing on developing my own custom impregnat/stain for ropes to achieve a natural, weathered hemp color, specifically for running rigging.

I must admit, things got a bit wild while working on the mixture itself... As you can see from my "portrait" here, experimenting with temperature and pressure left some distinct marks. But in the end, I managed to tame the process without any permanent damage to my health!

In my opinion, the effect is great, though a smartphone camera or a monitor screen might not fully capture the exact shade. To be clear, this applies exclusively to cotton ropes made on a ropewalk. Unfortunately, polyester ropes cannot be treated with this mixture due to the lack of micropores in synthetic fibers – they simply won't absorb it. This method works only on natural materials.

How do you like this shade? Was it worth sacrificing a bit of my workshop and my "face" for the sake of art? ️‍

Right now, I am already working on a version for standing rigging (shrouds and stays).

Best regards,

Roman





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It’s simple — I spent quite a bit of time developing a proper impregnation mixture for cotton ropes. It took some time, and there were even a few dangerous moments (self-ignition of the mixture), but I managed to make it work.

Currently, I’m working on a formula for standing rigging — stays and shrouds. The first rope impregnation tests will begin soon.

Best regards.
 
You are working with cotton. This is a natural fiber. Natural fibers accept dye.
For our purposes - in the EU:
In the EU, Van Dyke walnut crystal dye is typically sold as Van Dyck Crystals (or Kasseler Braun / Kasseler Earth / Walnut Crystals)

Play with the concentration to get new running rigging, abused running rigging, glopped on Pine tar standing rigging.
No explosions. The bugs in the sewer or septic will eat the leftovers.

For foot ropes - pretending that those who used them had a say:
white was impossible until 20thC. polymer chemistry
tarred as heavily as the stays - stains feet too much - is probably too hot for bare feet in Summer -
not tarred - probably rots too quickly - a pain to replace - a danger to life and limb for the one whose foot breaks a rotted foot rope.
So darker than new rope.
 
Hello

I have a question regarding standing rigging on ships from the 15th–18th centuries.


What color was it actually?


It is commonly assumed that shrouds and stays were black, but I have some doubts about this. At that time, the primary method of preserving ropes was wood tar, most often pine tar. One of the most valued types was tar produced in Sweden, widely used on European ships.


The problem is that wood tar is not black. Its natural color is brown or dark brown. Because of this, it seems to me that freshly tarred stays and shrouds could not have been pitch black, but rather brown or dark brown.


I am currently facing a dilemma while preparing an impregnation mixture for standing rigging in a model, and I am trying to determine what color would be historically accurate.


I also read that rigging maintenance used mixtures consisting of:


  • pine tar as a base,
  • pitch to improve elasticity and protection against fungi and moisture,
  • animal tallow or linseed oil so that the coating would not become too hard and would not crack in low temperatures.

What is your opinion on this? Have you come across any reliable sources, historical descriptions, or conservation studies that define the actual color of standing rigging during this period?

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