Suggestions for ship sails and or flags

[Golgotha]

I am currently busy with scratch building a 25mm sloop and need suggestions for sails. Namely:
1. I want to have all the sails unfurled (that is not tide up but all deployed ready to sail).
2. Must be cheap, quick and easy (my budget is a shoestring which is why I need a ship so that I can get some treasure).
3. Sails must be ideally billowing in the wind as I can't stand limp sails (as often seems to be the case with cloth options, also cloth requires stitching and that requires time and it often looks out of scale).

I had a recent maybe crazy idea to use paper covered in masking tape the reason being that I have had much success of late with paper flags and the way one can shape those. The reason for the masking tape is two fold namely:
1. It helps adds strength and thickness.
2. Given that one can shape paper flags I figured sails should be the same just on a larger scale.
3. Sturdier material should allow for rigging to be stitched in and attached.
4. Colour - masking tape is normally an off white linen sort of colour which always makes me think of sails.

In terms of the flags, I have had success with, it is the sort one prints off for free from for example warflag and then using gluestick to paste the two sides the flag is easilly shaped and maintains its shape afterwards. I then just paint the edges to match the flags colouring as these often appear white, which seems to also add to the shaping process. Indeed these have proven to be easilly shaped and surprisingly sturdy for paper. infact better I have found than metal foil alternatives which rip and tear and painting one's own designs is far too time consuming. Perhaps foil covered in paper would work for flags and sails. But I am not sure where one would get foil large enough for sails. May need to past numerous sheets together. At any rate any suggestions would be most welcome.

[Cherno]

I used this technique a year ago on my LEGO ships:

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=3351&view=findpost&p=57808
http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=3351&view=findpost&p=871521

[Mako]

Paper is the way forward, especially given your criterion.

I'd recommend going to the craft store, and finding a nice, mottled tan-ish, linen color.  You can go with a white and gray mottling, if you want to represent later, more modern sail materials.  I think both would work for the 1700's.

One of the guys posting pics on this site, of the large pirate game back east, doubled this craft paper up, by gluing two sheets together, with white glue, and then rolling it a bit, to give it shape.  

Not sure if he drew on the sail panel section lines and wind tell-tales (short bits of string for seeing how the wind is blowing on the sail) before, or after he glued them together.  Doing it before would seem easier to me, since once you glue the pieces together, you want to shape the sail while the glue is wet, so it can dry to the desired shape.

He punched fine holes all along the top and at the bottom corners, to be able to rig it for attachment to the boom, and the rest of the vessel.

Before attachment, I believe he sealed the paper with a gloss, and then flat spray, to give the paper added strength.

You could also do the same with very thin styrene sheeting, but it will probably be a bit more difficult to work with, and getting it to stay curved might be a challenge.

Can't recall if Wingnut used this process, or used styrene sheeting for his, but I've read about it somewhere.  Here's a nice example of what it should look like:

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=28261.0

[Wingnut]

Break down on the Wingnut Sail process:

The sails are made of .005 thickness evergreen polystyrene. The same stuff that model railroaders and scratch builders use. I size them to fit the masts and use various sizes of thin strips of the same material for seams. Sand the sails with fine grain sand paper to get texture. To get the curve of the sails I glue thin flat brass strips to the backs of the sails on each side. To lash the sails to the yard arms I use a tiny whole punch I found in the "Scrap Booking" section of a local craft store and wax string from the jewelry section. After assembling but before attaching them to the yard arm paint the sails.
Painting the sails is a matter of spray painting it an off-white then washing it with antiquing medium and cheap craft paint. The medium allows you to re-wet the wash the sail to get the stained cloth effect you want. I'm considering making a tutorial on crafting the sails.
More on sails

The brass strip can be put on flat before you paint it, then bent. The problem being that it tends to need a touch of glue where it breaks loose. The advantage is it looks more like the seems and less noticeable. If you put it on after the sails are painted it never really matches the color of the sails.
I use CA glue and ZIP-Kicker to speed up the process but be careful not to get it on your fingertips because finger prints on your sails really stand out after staining.
hole punch:
http://www.paper-source.com/cgi-bin/paper/item/Round-Hole-Punch-1-16/2904.011/471009.html
Staining medium:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM6014301107P?sid=IDx20101019x00001a&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=SPM6014301107

Flags:

The flags are made from the same .005 styrene, I just hand paint them then use a heat gun on them. That takes some practice as I never really know how they will curl.
I've been glueing the flag to steel craft wire and attaching tiny magnets to the masts, painted to match. I then  have the option of switching out flags or striking the colors. It also makes it easy to remove for transport.

Wingnut

Paper is the way forward, especially given your criterion.

I'd recommend going to the craft store, and finding a nice, mottled tan-ish, linen color.  You can go with a white and gray mottling, if you want to represent later, more modern sail materials.  I think both would work for the 1700's.

One of the guys posting pics on this site, of the large pirate game back east, doubled this craft paper up, by gluing two sheets together, with white glue, and then rolling it a bit, to give it shape.  

Not sure if he drew on the sail panel section lines and wind tell-tales (short bits of string for seeing how the wind is blowing on the sail) before, or after he glued them together.  Doing it before would seem easier to me, since once you glue the pieces together, you want to shape the sail while the glue is wet, so it can dry to the desired shape.

He punched fine holes all along the top and at the bottom corners, to be able to rig it for attachment to the boom, and the rest of the vessel.

Before attachment, I believe he sealed the paper with a gloss, and then flat spray, to give the paper added strength.

You could also do the same with very thin styrene sheeting, but it will probably be a bit more difficult to work with, and getting it to stay curved might be a challenge.

Can't recall if Wingnut used this process, or used styrene sheeting for his, but I've read about it somewhere.  Here's a nice example of what it should look like:

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=28261.0

[Ninja]

I demand you make a tutorial for your sail process that is then created into a sticky! If I can get a second on this?

[Golgotha]

Thank you both for these detailed responses   for which the results look most aggreable   I will certainly be experimenting soon and can hopefully be setting sail with the results...

[warrenpeace]

Most of my flags are printed on paper, folded over with a layer of white glue between, and shaped while wet. I'm sure that sails could be done the same way, and an office supply store would have light tan or off-white quality paper for resumes or nice looking letters. I used to work at a firm that used off-white/tan paper with a linen texture for letters.

I didn't think actual linen cloth was very expensive at a local fabric store, so I bought some in various shades, including off-white, tan, black, dull green, and rust red, for use as sails. But I think I'm going to have to use glued on wire or thin metal strips the way Wingnut does in order to give the sails some shape.

Is the hull of your ship done?

[Golgotha]

Hull is done just needs paint and some detailing as well as some provision for attaching rigging I also scratchbuilt some canons. Mast still needs work need to attach 2 more beams. Watery base also needs doing so any ideas for water would also be good.

[Mako]

Thanks for the clarification on your process, Wingnut.

Must have been another nice looking sloop that I'm remembering the process from.

Your process looks, and sounds very good as well.

Yes, I'd like to see this added as another topic, at the top of the lists too, for future reference, since no doubt a number of people could use the process.