This model of the Golden Hind is over 70 years old. A friend's father, a dentist, built it. It was lost in storage for many years and, when discovered in horrible condition, it was questionable as to whether it could even be saved.
Bow view, note condition of masts and rigging. The strings are so brittle they break at the slightest touch.
At first, I tried to clean the sails while still mounted. This did not go too well.
What a mess!
With all the brittle rigging, there was no way to even begin cleaning this ship without completely removing her sails and re-rigging her from stem to stern.
Every inch was a complete mess.
The grime and dust was amazing. Obviously, for many decades, this model was stored in a very unclean environment.
