The colors are beige or tan or light colored, Brown or Dark Brown and Black.
Why would one use the brown color? Thank you,
Why would one use the brown color? Thank you,
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I have a few pictures that might help with this question.
The first picture is of the Hermione la Fayette with fresh shrouds. You can see they are light brown as they have only had a few coatings of pine tar. As more coats are added over time they will become darker and more of a black/grey/brown color. If they were using 100% coal tar (much cheaper) it would be black/grey from the first coat.
The first picture is of the Hermione la Fayette with fresh shrouds. You can see they are light brown as they have only had a few coatings of pine tar. As more coats are added over time they will become darker and more of a black/grey/brown color. If they were using 100% coal tar (much cheaper) it would be black/grey from the first coat.
Thank you Ben. I was sorting out my stash of your ropes and couldn't remember why I bought dark brown. So.... Guess I can use it to replace black when I want to. Right?
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I don't see why not. I've had a few people use both colors on their builds. John Aliprantis on YouTube has been using both my black and dark brown ropes.
I would like to add dark grey and a lighter brown to my inventory, as well as a darker tan for running rigging. The thing is I'm having trouble keeping up the stock levels on my normal ropes. Someday perhaps.
That must be terrible. Trouble keeping up with your stock of ropes. 
and to be honest to ourself
it is also a question of personal taste modelers are deciding, independent of the technical correct colour
it is also a question of personal taste modelers are deciding, independent of the technical correct colour
Here's the thing: looking at an object up close (e.g. a full-size vessel), the colors look one way. If you look at it from a distance, the colors look different. Artists call this color recession. Take a look at a good landscape painting and you'll see the color of the trees in the foreground is different than the color of those in the background. In the real world, this is caused by particulates and water vapor in the air. In general, warm colors (red and yellow) drop out with distance and objects look cooler (more blue) and lighter. What has this to do with model ships? To your eyes and brain looking at a model ship up close is like looking at a full-size ship at a distance. Therefore, to look "realistic" the colors should be somewhat lighter, muted, and dull. This is where Uwek's reference to personal taste comes in (what does your eye tell you about realism?) And please, no glossy paint.
Fair winds!
I use the rule standing rigging black, running rigging brown.
I guess this is just personal taste...
I guess this is just personal taste...
Depends on the look you’re going for. In the scale model world we typically shy away from true black on models or dioramas because it is too much contrast for a realistic look, so some will use brown ropes for a more “weathered” appearance. However, IMO, some black on a ship (standing rigging, cannon, blackened copper fittings, etc) tend to give a model some pop that is, at least to me, pleasing to the eye.
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The "tar" used on standing rigging was a dark reddish brown before the late 1800's when petroleum/asphalt was being used which was much closer to black.
Hemp is a dull yellowish tan color, a bit like modern manila, but most of it would get quite darkened from handling, running through greased blocks, bulls-eyes, fairleads, etc. The spars too were greased, and this got on everything; the sails, the decks, the men, and everything else. They call the men "Tars" for a reason.
Pretty much all recreations/restorations are rigged with synthetic materials, which doesn't stain or age like natural materials would. Many also use wire rope for shrouds which can be be half or less the diameter of the hemp line the represented vessel would have used, where using wire of that diameter would add a lot of unneeded weight.
Basically, be careful of using existing vessels as examples of 150+ year old practices, because they aren't the same, unless your model is of the vessel as they are now.
When I was (much) younger, I was into building and correctly painting plastic model aircraft. At the time, those of us in IPMS (International Plastic Modeler's Association) were very much into "Scale Color". The idea that the smaller the scale (like 1/144) models should have consistently faded-looking paint compared to larger scale (like 1/32). I and others felt very strongly about this, but it has mostly seemed to be lost to time to most (or considered a terrible hoax by some). I ALWAYS lightened the paint on my models, based on scale, even after I thoroughly researched the exact and proper shade of paint, lightening with white, or sometimes light gray.
One of the better articles that I have been able to find is on the Scale 1/72 Site, which gives some background information as well as quite a bit of other information. In summary, it recommends adding:
- 7% white added to achieve 1/32 scale
- 10% white added to achieve 1/48 scale
- 15% white added to achieve 1/72 scale
- 23% white added to achieve 1/144 scale
IMHO, pure black rigging on a model is too stark, stands out too much, and looks artificial on a ship model. I prefer a lighter color, and as others above have mentioned and show in pictures, many ships have standing rigging more of a dark brown than black. My personal opinion is that pretty much ALL older ships (18th century or so) would have sufficient pine tar to make the standing rigging dark brown, but almost never black. I also prefer a darker tan than the almost white ecru color sometimes used. The more subtle contrast just looks better to me. That part is personal choice, of course.
But I think that Scale Color is one thing often lacking on even excellent scale models. The further away things are, the more subdued the color. And the smaller scale the model, the larger the apparent distance. To me, a really bright, glossy model looks like a toy. Rear ships and other objects have a least a bit of weathering in addition to the Scale Color Effect, and to me, look better when using it.