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What do I use to "fix" the rigging?

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  • Member since
    November 2005
What do I use to "fix" the rigging?
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 18, 2005 1:06 PM
I'm making the Airfix HMS Prince, and using the supplied frame. I've acquired different diameters of thread to approximate the correct differences in shround diameters for upper, mid, and lower-mast rigging, but none of the glue/fixative products I've tried is able to hold the thread securely to other threads once I start cutting it off the frames. I even tried using fishing line with plastic cement, still to no avail. I'm really about at my wits' end. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!
  • Member since
    December 2003
  • From: 37deg 40.13' N 95deg 29.10'W
Posted by scottrc on Tuesday, January 18, 2005 1:55 PM
Try a glue called CyanoAcrylate. Better known as "superglue". I have tried a few and found that a brand called "ZAP" works the best for monofilliment "fishing" line. ZAP also works well with styrene and you may want to get the "accelerator" spray call ZAP KICKER.

Your LHS should carry it as well as on-line distributors like Tower Hobbies.

Scott

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 18, 2005 4:50 PM
Thans, I have some CA, but not that brand. I'll try to get hold of some.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 18, 2005 5:01 PM
Smile [:)]Hi, DrGeorg:

You might try a couple of tactics meant for fastening fine thread:

1. Visit a fly-fishing tackle establishment and try some of the cement developed for fly-tying;

2. Enter the haunts of the "feminine world"Evil [}:)] and check out a milinary supply or fabric store for Sobo glue or similar white or clear glue variants used to fasten fabric, thread and feathers. These have properties useful for a range of model making.

"Should we prosper it shall be as is our custom...by Miracle!"Captain [4:-)]
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Greenville, NC
Posted by jtilley on Wednesday, January 19, 2005 11:45 AM
Cyano-acrylate (otherwise known as superglue) does have lots of uses in rigging a model. One trick I've found very useful: use it to give the rigging line a "built-in needle." Put a drop of CA on the thread, wipe the drop (quick!) with your finger so it covers an inch or so of the thread, and then slice the stiffened part of the thread off at an angle. It will now be much easier to shove through blocks, deadeyes, or whatever.

In my opinion, though, the best adhesive for rigging purposes is plain old Elmer's white glue. It's a convenient consistency, has about the right drying time, and shrinks a little as it dries. One other huge virtue of Elmer's: it can be "unstuck" by the application of a little water. That comes in mighty handy if a line ever gets broken and needs to be replaced.

Elmer's does take a little while to dry. The key to making it work for rigging is to leave the lines long and, if necessary, under tension until the glue dries, and then trim them to their final length. Spring-type clothes pins make good temporary weights.

I'm not familiar with the frame DrGeorg refers to; no such thing was included in the Airfix kits I remember building years ago. I imagine, though, that it's some sort of device to line up shrouds and ratlines. DrGeorg - if you've already finished rigging your shrouds and ratlines with the frame, better stop reading here. If not, though, I'll take the liberty of offering an unsolicited suggestion: throw the thing away.

The Great Ratline Problem is a persistent - and, in my opinion, silly - myth of ship modeling. The manufacturers seem to have convinced generations of beginning modelers that rigging ratlines to scale (or nearly so) is impossible. It isn't. In fact it's relatively easy - easier than lots of other tasks involved in building a ship model.

There are two good ways to do it. The most accurate, of course, is to tie the ratlines to the shrouds with individual clove hitches. That isn't nearly as difficult as a lot of people seem to think (though it is time-consuming - especially on a vessel like the Prince that has lots of shrouds). On smaller scales (like that of the Airfix kit) you can get really nice results with the second method. This involves using a small, sharp needle to run the ratlines through the shrouds. That may sound a little odd, but if the shrouds are made of heavy thread (as they should be; the lower shrouds are among the heaviest ropes in a ship) and the ratlines of the finest thread you can find (you're never going to make them too small for the scale), it's actually quite simple.

Rig the shrouds first, and make sure they're reasonably taut. Cut a piece of thin cardboard (e.g., file card stock) to fit behind the gang of shrouds, and draw a series of parallel lines on it to indicate the spacing of the ratlines. (The prototype spacing is usually between 12 and 18 inches.) Then thread a long length of the ratline material in the needle, and have at it.

If you're right handed, you'll probably find it easier to work from right to left. As you finish shoving a ratline through the whole gang of shrouds, pull it through till there's about half an inch remaining on the right, cut the thread off about half an inch from the lefthand shroud, and start on the next one. When you're done, put a drop of Elmer's on each end of each ratline. Let the glue dry, then snip off the ends with a sharp pair of small scissors. (A razor blade will let you cut them a little more neatly, but at an increased risk of cutting through the shrouds by accident.)

People often get discouraged from trying stuff like this because there seems to be a short but steep learning curve. Rigging that first ratline may take ten or fifteen minutes. The second one will take six or seven, and by the time you're done you'll be doing more than one ratline per minute. And the results will be vastly superior to what you'll get from any jig or other supposed shortcut that some manufacturer has dreamed up.

One other tip. When I laid out my workshop I gave great prominence to a small but listenable stereo system. When I'm getting ready to tackle a modeling job that involves lots of repetition I put on a CD of some really good music or an audiobook. At the moment I'm halfway through the Naxos Audiobooks version of Moby Dick. (Things are looking bad for Captain Ahab.)

Hope this helps. Good luck. It's a great hobby.

Youth, talent, hard work, and enthusiasm are no match for old age and treachery.

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, January 20, 2005 5:06 PM
Thanks so much for all these great suggestions. I'll let you know how they turn out.
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