ultramarin marine translations
ultramarin.online
nl zeilmaker   iemand (of zijn bedrijf) die zeilen vervaardigt en repareert;
de Segelmacher Handwerker (bzw. dessen Betrieb), der Segel herstellt und repariert;
en sailmaker a craftsman who makes (and repairs) sails;
fr (maître) voilier  
es (maestro) velero      
it velaio      
     
en Sailmaking is a very old branch of industry in connexion with the navy and commerce, and it still continues to be important notwithstanding the enormous extent to which steam is now employed in navigation.

The operations of the sailmaker may be stated as follows. The dimensions of mast and yards and sail plan being supplied, the master sailmaker is enabled to determine the dimensions of each sail—after due allowance for stretching—in terms of cloths and depth in yards—if a square sail, the number of cloths in the head, number in the foot, and the depth in yards ; if a fore-and-aft sail (triangular), the number of cloths in the foot, and the depth in yards of the luff or stay and of leeeh or after-leech ; if a fore-and--aft sail (trapezium form), the number of cloths in the head, number in foot, and the depth of mast or luff and of after-leech. These particulars obtained, there is got out what is technically termed a "casting," which simply means the shape, length, &c., of each in-dividual cloth in the sail. These figures are given to the cutter, who proceeds to cut out the sail cloth by cloth in consecutive order, numbering them 1, 2, 3, 4, &c. ; the series of cloths thus cut out are handed over to the workman, who joins them together by care-fully made double flat seams, sewn with twine specially prepared for the purpose, with about 120 stitches in a yard. In the heavy sails the seam is about an inch and a half in width and in the British navy stuck or stitched in the middle of the seam to give additional strength; the seams in the lighter sails are about an inch wide. The whole of the cloths are then brought together, and spread out, and the tabling (or hemming, so to speak) is turned in and finished off with about 72 stitches to a yard. Streugthening pieces or "linings" are affixed where considered necessary, in courses and top-sails such pieces as reef-bands, middle-bands, foot-bands, leech-linings, bunt-line cloths; in top-sails (only) a top-lining or brim; in other and lighter sails such pieces as mast-lining clew and head, tack, and corner pieces; holes, such as head, reef, stay (luff), inast, cringle, bunt-line, &c., are also made where re-quired, a grommet of line of suitable size being worked in them to prevent their being cut through. The next thing to be done is to secure the edges of the sail,—an important operation, as much depends upon this whether the sail will stand well and do its work efficiently. Bolt-rope, a comparatively soft laid rope made from the finer hemp yarn (Italian) is used for this purpose; in the British navy it ranges from 1 inch (increasing in size by quarter inches) up to 8 inches inclusive, the size selected for each part of a sail being determined by the amount of strain it will have to bear; it is then neatly sewn on with roping twine specially prepared, the needle and twine passing between and clear of every two strands of the rope in roping. Where slack sail has to be taken in, it is the practice to leave it to the judgment of the sailmaker; but where possible it is better to set up the rope by means of a tackle to a strain approximate to what it will have to bear when in use, and whilst on the stretch mark it off in yards, as also the edge of the sail in yards, so that by bringing the marks to-gether in roping the sail will stand flat. In the British navy the largest size of rope sewn on to a sail is 6 inches ; sizes above this are used for foot and clew ropes of top-sails and courses, being first wormed, parcelled (that is, wound round with strips of worn canvas), tarred, and served over with spun yam ; the foot of the sail is then secured to it by being marled in. Where two sizes of bolt-rope used in roping a sail have to be connected, it is effected by a tapered splice. Cringles (similar to the handle of a maund) formed by a strand of bolt-rope, mostly having a galvanized iron thimble in them as a protection, are then stuck where necessary, as at the corners, sides or leeches, mast or luff ; they are required either for making stationary or hauling "taut" by tackle or otherwise certain parts of the sail when in use. Fore-and-aft sails, such as spankers, gaff-sails, and storm try-sails, are reduced in size by reef-points made of stout line (4 to 20 1b), crow-footed in the middle, a hole being pierced through every seam; one-half of the point is passed through and the crowfoot sewn firmly to the sail; the number of reefs depends upon the size of the sail, and the reefs are placed parallel to the foot. The sails-now finished in respect of making-have to be fitted, that is, such ropes have to be attached to each of them as are necessary for proper use ; such ropes may be summarily stated as follows:—head-earings, robands, reef-ear-ings, reef-lines, spilling and slab lines, reef-tackle pendant, reef-points, bow-line bridles, bunt-line toggles, bunt-becket, leech-line strops and toggles, toggles in clews, sheet ropes, down-haul, lacings, head and stay, tack-rope (gaff top-sail), tack lashing, bending strops, matting, and gaskets.

The tools and appliances of a sailmaker are not very numerous:—a bench about 7 feet long and 15 inches high, upon which he sits to perform the greater part of his work; palms for seaming and roping to fit the hand, made of hide lined with leather, a plate properly tempered being fixed in it having chambers to catch the head of the needle, thus acting as a thimble in forcing it through the several parts of canvas in seaming, and between the strands and through the canvas in roping; needles of various sizes, that for seaming being the smallest ; and fids, splicing, serving, and stretching knife, rubber, sail-hook, bobbin for twine, and sundry small articles.

 
 
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 10th edition (1902)