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Help: Question with ratlines etc.

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  • Member since
    February 2006
  • From: Boston
Posted by Wilbur Wright on Thursday, October 5, 2006 8:42 PM
Yes Men, no top ratlines. The Instructions! Glad to see I'm not crazy!  You know I built the Revell 1/72 B-36 before this and it was my first Revell kit in years and as an adult, after maybe 150 models. I thought the instructions were crazy vague on that plane. Then the Alabama! ....and some of the illustrations are useless.  Still, that aside, that is why this forum is so valuable.  I only paid $56 bucks for the kit as well and am pretty happy with the results so far.  Hell of a lot of cleaning though.
  • Member since
    June 2006
  • From: Netherlands
Posted by Grem56 on Thursday, October 5, 2006 12:18 PM
 jtilley wrote:

My recollection of the missing deadeyes for the topmast shrouds may have been completely off-base.  (That happens with increasing frequency as the years go by.)  Or maybe Revell modified the kit slightly, by including the appropriate deadeye parts from the Kearsarge.  (That seems unlikely.  Reissues of old Revell kits seldom, if ever, include improvements of that sort; they're more likely to leave parts out or let them get distorted by age - e.g., the hole in the stern for the screw-hoisting gear.)  You mentioned that the "preformed ratlines" included only two sets of three each.  Does that mean there are none for the topmasts?  If so, that would seem to suggest that my memory wasn't entirely bonkers.

By all means, give ratline-rigging a try.  I don't imply that everybody should do it that way; some people (albeit not many) do lack the necessary manual dexterity, or physical ability to sit in one place for the necessary time, or whatever.  But I'm convinced that most people, if they have what it takes to build a ship (or aircraft, or armor, or whatever) model at all, can rig ratlines.  For some reason or other that particular part of model building has acquired a strange, almost mythical status over the years.  The truth of the matter is that it's no more difficult than plenty of other jobs in model building.  It takes a while, but nowhere near as long as most people seem to think - and believe me, once you get even a little practice it will start to go a lot faster.  Give it a try before you sell your abilities short.

Your memory is excellent as usual John, the Kearsarge I am building has no ratlines for the topmasts.

Julian

 

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  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Greenville, NC
Posted by jtilley on Wednesday, October 4, 2006 5:21 PM

Well, I just looked up the Alabama on the website of Revell Germany.  That site offers the kit's instruction book in PDF format for download.  Oh, brother what a revelation.  This most emphatically is not the instruction book that came with the kit when I built it, back in the sixties.

The first thing I noticed was the photograph of the completed model on p.1.  The idiot who "built" it had managed to put four of the sails in the wrong places.  I'm not a fan of vac-formed sails, but one would think the manufacturer could at least figure out where they're supposed to go.  It's ludicrously obvious that the sails hanging from the lower yards of that model are supposed to be the topsails, and the ones on the topsail yards are supposed to be the topgallants.  (The bottoms of the sails on the lower yards are at least thirty feet above the deck.  That's ridiculous.)

Further reading of the "manual" establishes that the modeler in question was, in fact, following the instructions (more or less).  The people responsible for "writing" them (I put "writing" in quotes because, in common with most such documents these days, these "instructions" try to get by with as few genuine words as possible) apparently didn't understand where the sails were supposed to go either.  The "illustrations" (that word also deserves to be in quotes in this case) show them in a couple of different configurations, but most of the diagrams match the disaster in the photo. 

The kit was designed (for its initial release, back in 1961) to have its topsails and topgallants - the two uppermost sails on the fore- and mainmasts - set, and the lower yards bare.  Surely somebody could have figured that out - if anybody had cared enough to try.

The "drawings" in general are awful; they're travesties of the excellent graphics in the original version.  The new ones do indeed seem to show "deadeye and lanyard assemblies" for the topmasts (parts 29 and 30, in steps 59 and 63), but no shrouds attached to them.  (Apparently there are no "pre-formed ratlines" for the topmasts - just the deadeyes.)  The original cutting diagram for the "pre-formed ratlines" has devolved into a crude sketch in step 73.  The rigging diagrams in general are a sorry joke.  It looks like Revell, whose instruction sheets used to be among the clearest and best-illustrated in the business, is trying to compete with Heller to see who can do the best job of driving aspiring sailing ship modelers out of the hobby.  (Actually it looks like Heller's won that one.  I'm sure the miserable instructions in Heller sailing ship kits weren't solely responsible for the company's recent declaration of bankruptcy, but they couldn't have helped.)

I sometimes wonder how many, if any, of the people responsible for the original Revell sailing ship kits are still around.  Those people were superb artisans.  They made some big concessions to the almighty dollar (e.g., recycling those Kearsarge parts into the Alabama), and they occasionally had bad ideas (e.g., vac-formed sails and "pre-formed ratlines"), but they obviously cared about the quality of their merchandise and did their best to help their customers turn the kits into nice models.  The original version of the Alabama, as I remember it, had crystal-clear graphics, an excellent (though inevitably somewhat simplified) set of rigging diagrams, detailed painting instructions, and genuine text identifying all the parts.   (I think the original rigging diagrams may have included the names of the lines.  The original instructions for the Cutty Sark and Constitution certainly did.)  The original Alabama package also included a separate booklet containing a fairly lengthy history of the ship and some photos of a well-executed finished model.  The "instruction manual" I just got off the web is a disgrace.  To charge $80 and up for a kit with "instructions" like this borders on criminality.  (The Alabama that my parents bought me for my 12th birthday, incidentally, cost $12.00 - which made it one of the most expensive plastic kits on the market.)  I know modern manufacturers have to make their instructions multi-lingual, but there has to be a better way to do it than this.  Anybody attempting to build a ship model on the basis of such a semi-literate mess has my best wishes and profound sympathy.

Well, at least those 20 wonderful crew figures are still there.  They're recycled from the Cutty Sark, but they're exquisite - and careful painting can make them look pretty convincingly like Confederate sailors.

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

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Greenville, NC
Posted by jtilley on Wednesday, October 4, 2006 4:30 PM

My recollection of the missing deadeyes for the topmast shrouds may have been completely off-base.  (That happens with increasing frequency as the years go by.)  Or maybe Revell modified the kit slightly, by including the appropriate deadeye parts from the Kearsarge.  (That seems unlikely.  Reissues of old Revell kits seldom, if ever, include improvements of that sort; they're more likely to leave parts out or let them get distorted by age - e.g., the hole in the stern for the screw-hoisting gear.)  You mentioned that the "preformed ratlines" included only two sets of three each.  Does that mean there are none for the topmasts?  If so, that would seem to suggest that my memory wasn't entirely bonkers.

By all means, give ratline-rigging a try.  I don't imply that everybody should do it that way; some people (albeit not many) do lack the necessary manual dexterity, or physical ability to sit in one place for the necessary time, or whatever.  But I'm convinced that most people, if they have what it takes to build a ship (or aircraft, or armor, or whatever) model at all, can rig ratlines.  For some reason or other that particular part of model building has acquired a strange, almost mythical status over the years.  The truth of the matter is that it's no more difficult than plenty of other jobs in model building.  It takes a while, but nowhere near as long as most people seem to think - and believe me, once you get even a little practice it will start to go a lot faster.  Give it a try before you sell your abilities short.

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

  • Member since
    February 2006
Posted by Grymm on Wednesday, October 4, 2006 2:37 PM

Well, I did my own ratlines for my Cutty Sark, and they came out decent enough for my first shot at it.  But, it is time consuming.  But, I always say, it is your kit.  If you want to use the kit supplied ratlines, then go for it.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with building a kit straight from the box.  As long as you're happy with your results.  If you have the time and patience and want to do the ratlines yourself, then go for it.  But, I'm sure you can be very satisfied with using the kit supplied lines.  The goal is to have fun with what is becoming a lost art/hobby.

If you have the time to see the CS while you're in England, you should also try to get over to see the Victory.  Someday I'll make it....Someday.

Grymm

  • Member since
    February 2006
  • From: Boston
Posted by Wilbur Wright on Wednesday, October 4, 2006 2:12 PM
Thanks jtilley,

The kit I have does indeed have the top deadeyes (6 sets) and full of flash (more drilling), I will contemplate the ratline issue as it sounds reasonable to do and I'm in no particular rush.  The bit I used was a indeed a #60 not a 1/16  as I first wrote.

These Alabama and Kearsarge are very interesting ships.  The model looks good. Copper paint done deck painted, most fittings in. Good thing I caught the deadeye issue (all but one) before I glued them to the hull, that would have been a nightmare!

I see the Cutty Sark is going into major restoration in November, I  do business in London and had hoped to run up there and get onboard before she goes "Under the knife" as it were.  Although I'm going over in Nov, I think I'll be too late. I am however 1 hour from the Constitution, and look forward to going onboard again soon, with modelers eye.

Cheers



  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Greenville, NC
Posted by jtilley on Tuesday, October 3, 2006 9:38 PM

The propeller almost certainly would have been bronze. I rather suspect the hoisting frame would have been bronze too; the big advantage of that material, of course, is that, though it's not as hard as iron, it doesn't rust.  It's rare to find anything made of iron below the waterline of a wooden ship.

You've found the "shroud and ratline assemblies" (or, as Revell used to call them, "pre-formed ratlines") all right.  As you can see, they're fit only for the trash.  If you do a search on the word "ratlines" in this forum you'll find quite a few posts that deal with the subject of how to rig them.  The gist of it is that ship modelers over the years have come up with two reasonably effective ways of doing it:  the "clove hitch method" and the "needle-through-the-shroud method."  In either case, you'll need two tools:  a fine-tipped pair of tweezers and a small, sharp pair of scissors.  (An X-acto knife will do if necessary, but scissors run less of a risk of cutting a line that they shouldn't.)

The clove hitch method is the more accurate - and, as I think virtually everybody would agree, better looking.  Rig the shrouds (the vertical lines).  Cut a piece of stiff paper to fit just inside the shrouds, between the channel and the masthead, and draw a series of lines on the paper, 1/8" or 5/32" apart.  (The reference books quote spacing distances of between 12 and 15 inches for ratlines.)  The lines on the paper are your guide to the spacing of the ratlines.  Take a handy length of the finest black thread you can get your hands on, and tie one end of it to (assuming you're right-handed) the left-hand shroud of the gang, using a reef knot (known to the Boy Scouts as the square knot).  Then tie it to the next shroud using a clove hitch.  (Describing how to tie a knot verbally is next to impossible, but you can find a picture of a clove hitch on any of several websites or in any book on ship modeling.  It's one of the simplest of knots to tie.)  Keep going till you get to the last shroud, and tie the ratline off with another reef knot.  Allow a little slack between the shrouds, so the ratlines droop realistically.  Put a tiny drop of white glue on the first and last knots, and when the glue's dried snip off the excess thread.

I always encourage folks to at least give the clove hitch method a try - and don't discard it till you've given your fingers and brain a fair chance to learn it.  (Say, five or ten ratlines.)  The human hand has an amazing ability to learn maneuvers like that, but it does need a little time to do it.  Ship modeling is full of short but steep learning curves.  My guess is that the first ratline will take you ten to fifteen minutes, and leave you in need of a break.  Sit back, take a deep breath, imbibe some of your favorite beverage, and try the next one.  I'll bet it will take you seven or eight minutes.  By the time you get to the top of the mast you'll be rigging one ratline per minute - and wondering why people make such a fuss about ratlines.  Many folks who've stuck it out report that, by the time they finished rigging their models, they found "ratting down" a thoroughly satisfying, and even relaxing, activity.  My personal custom is to use it as an excuse to listen to an audio book on my little workshop stereo system.

If that method does turn out to be a little much, though, try the "needle-through-the-shroud" method.  Rig the shrouds and set up your paper spacing guide as before.  Then run your ratline thread through the eye of the smallest, sharpest needle your local sewing store can sell you.  (Beading needles also work well for the purpose.)  Shove the needle right through the right-hand shroud, then through the next one, and so on, being careful (of course) to follow the line on the paper.  When you've gone through all the shrouds in the gang, put a tiny drop of white glue on the first and last ones, let the glue dry, and snip off the excess.  This method is a bit quicker than the other, and if executed carefully can yield good, neat results.

The other obvious option is to leave off the ratlines altogether.  Their absence will be quite noticeable on a model this big, but if it's your first in the genre you may well decide to leave ratline rigging till next time.

The Alabama actually isn't a bad subject for learning this sort of thing.  (Certainly better than the Revell Constitution or the Heller Soleil Royal, on which so many beginners insist on cutting their teeth.)  The Alabama has relatively few shrouds (hence fewer knots), the scale is reasonably large, and her top hamper is pleasantly uncluttered.  There's plenty of space between the masts, and the rest of the rigging, being relatively simple, doesn't interfere obnoxiously with what you happen to be working on at the moment.

I do seem to recall one inexplicable oddity of the kit.  It is, of course, a modified version of Revell's slightly earlier U.S.S. Kearsarge.  Most of the changes between the two kits made sense, but one didn't:  the omission of the deadeyes for the fore and main topmast shrouds of the Alabama.  There should be a second set of shrouds on each of those masts, complete with their own pairs of deadeyes, running from the tops (the semi-circular platforms at the heads of the lower masts) to the topmast heads.  My poor old memory may be playing a trick on me here, but I recall pretty clearly that the Alabama kit, though it recycled the Kearsarge's tops (complete with the slots for the deadeye assemblies), omitted the deadeyes themselves - and the topmast shrouds and ratlines were missing from the awful "preformed ratlines" sheet.  This makes no sense whatever; there's no doubt that the Alabama had topmast shrouds.  Something to think about when you have to cross that particular bridge.

I'll take the liberty of offering one other suggestion.  In the context of a model like this, a 1/16"-diameter drill bit is enormous.  If there's a respectable hobby shop in your neighborhood, pay it a visit and pick up a pin vise and a set of hobbyist's drill bits, #60 through #80.  They won't cost much, and they'll come in handy for all sorts of things.

Good luck.

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

  • Member since
    February 2006
  • From: Boston
Posted by Wilbur Wright on Tuesday, October 3, 2006 8:56 PM
That may be what I have in my kit jtilley. There are two netlike things........3 ratlines in each.... there doesn't look to be much cutting to get a particular ratline out......there is no paper pattern . My kit has instructions dated 2006.  I am not going to attempt to tie my own ratlines on this build as its my first sailing ship. I will ask for alternatives when I get closer. If there are any for somewhat a novice.

I appreciate your opinions and help.

I drilled out the deadeyes succesfully with a 1/16 or so bit held into my  x-acto knife. I filed the back deadeye mold pins flat then had little trouble drilling on a little block of wood, except for eye fatigue.

Wish I had a digital camera. I would post all this stuff.

Would the prop really be copper as the instructions say? Wouldn't brass make more sense.  Also haven't been able to find out anything on the prop host thing that the prop sits in (copper, brass???)



  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Greenville, NC
Posted by jtilley on Monday, October 2, 2006 2:14 PM

In the goode olde dayes, virtually all Revell sailing ship kits had plastic-coated thread "shroud and ratline" assemblies.  (The company literature referred to them as "preformed ratlines."  That's a misnomer; they represented - badly - both the ratlines and the shrouds.)They looked vaguely like pieces of netting; the modeler was supposed to lay them over a paper pattern and cut all the threads to length.  It was a lousy idea.  I have yet to see a model rigged with those...things...that looked halfway decent - and I've never met or corresponded with any other modeler who thought they looked acceptable.  (We're not talking here about one more Tilley eccentricity.  I repeat:  I've never encountered anybody who had anything good to say about those ... things.)  They were virtually impossible to set up neatly and tightly, and even if they were rigged carefully they looked phony because all the thread was of the same diameter.  In a real ship the shrouds are among the thickest lines in the ship, because they keep the masts from falling down and transmit the force of the wind to the ship's hull; the ratlines are among the finest, because they just have to support the weight of a man.

A few years ago Revell gave up on that idea in its smaller kits and started equipping them with injection-molded shrouds and ratlines - which may just have looked even worse, because they were grossly out of scale.  My impression was that the big kits (i.e., the Constitution, Cutty Sark, and their various clones) were still being produced with the plastic-coated-thread monstrosities.  The reissue of the Alabama, of course, is new; I guess I took it for granted that it would be simililarly equipped, but I may well have been mistaken.  Or maybe the "ratlines" were just missing from your particular kit.  If so, my suggestion is to consider yourself lucky.  That plastic-coated thread idea was one of the worst that anybody in the plastic kit business ever had.  I was in high school when I developed the habit, whenever I bought a Revell or Airfix sailing ship kit, of throwing out the "ratlines" and the vac-formed "sails" before I left the hobby shop.

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

  • Member since
    February 2006
  • From: Boston
Posted by Wilbur Wright on Saturday, September 30, 2006 12:52 PM
Hi EPinnger, It looks like that may be the best, yet tedious answer for this particular model. I suspect that the deadeyes are the same as the Kearsarge.  As I posted before, the hull is the same, in fact many of the holes for Kearsarge fittings are on the Alabama kit and have to be filled.  I  do have a B&D rotary tool however it tends to burn styrene and not hold very small bits. I will check out some x-acto bits at the LHS, and drill them before attaching the deadeyes. Thanks for the input.

Did you have any plastic shrouds in your Kearsarge kit? I did another inventory of my kit and there were none.

I will post progress photos, unfortunately they are on film... in camera.

Cheers

  • Member since
    January 2006
Posted by EPinniger on Saturday, September 30, 2006 7:51 AM
When rigging my Kearsarge model, I originally attempted to glue the shrouds to the deadeyes with CA, but found this method didn't work well at all, as it was very hard to get the shrouds to attach to the deadeyes without simply falling off (particularly when attempting to pull the shroud taut and glue it in place).

Hence I drilled a hole in each of the deadeyes (with a Dremel) and tied the shrouds through them, the knot being secured with a small drop of CA. The drilling process resulted in several of the deadeye/chain parts snapping off and requiring regluing, but the finished results don't look too bad.



  • Member since
    February 2006
  • From: Boston
Posted by Wilbur Wright on Friday, September 29, 2006 9:56 PM
Yes folks, the deadeyes for the Alabama are as you say, molded in one piece with the top having the pin in the back. Although unless I'm not looking hard enough I wasn't aware of plastic shrouds or plastic coated thread. There is absolutely no mention or illustration of this in my instruction booklet and or how to do it (quite vague in fact).

Also from what I am looking at in the instructions....the ratlines will also attach to the top deadeyes  next to the ones for the shrouds etc. So what to do for the attachment there???  (glueing small discs sounds like a good idea)

I have rigged a compicated Wright flyer model with thread, and it came out great so I do have some dexterity with thread rigging, and am looking forward to doing this,  as the ship is coming along nicely.

Your answers and interaction are helping a great deal. Thank You.

  • Member since
    June 2006
  • From: Netherlands
Posted by Grem56 on Friday, September 29, 2006 2:08 PM

Your memory is spot on John (I'm building the Kearsarge now). The top deadeye does have a projecting pin on the inboard side. I was planning on fixing a plastic disc on the pin and adding my own shrouds and ratlines. The plastic shrouds included are fit only for the trash can.

Julian

 

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  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Greenville, NC
Posted by jtilley on Friday, September 29, 2006 1:42 PM

My recollections are old and unreliable, but I think Revell did treat the deadeye/lanyard assemblies on the Alabama and Kearsarge differently than those of the Cutty Sark.  I may quite possibly be mistaken, but it seems to me that those of the Alabama are molded in one piec, with pins projecting from the backs of the upper deadeyes - and the plastic-coated thread monstrosities are supposed to be fastened (somehow or other) to the pins.

If you don't want to go the aftermarket deadeye route (which is pretty tricky for a first sailing ship model), a workable compromise - which I think I recall reading about somewhere or other - might be to slice the pins off the backs of the upper deadeyes and glue plastic discs, slightly smaller than the deadeyes themselves, to them.  Then you could seize the shrouds around the discs.

The method used by Heller in its Victory kit looks nice all right, but it doesn't work.  Two reasons.  One - the deadeyes don't have grooves around them.  (Only the geniuses at Imai have ever figured out how to mold a block or deadeye with a groove around it and holes through it in a rigid mold.)  Two - on a real ship, all the deadeyes in a gang are not the same distance apart.  The upper deadeyes sit in a straight line, parallel to the channel.  Since the shrouds intersect with the channel at varying angles (the aftermost ones being at a much steeper angle than the foremost ones), the deadeyes in the aftermost pair are significantly farther apart than those of the foremost pair.  This is yet another case in which the extraordinarily talented artisans at Heller, ingenious though they unquestionably were, tripped up because they just didn't know enough about ships.

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

  • Member since
    February 2006
Posted by Grymm on Friday, September 29, 2006 8:16 AM

I just recently finished the Cutty Sark from Revell.  The deadeyes on this kit are two pieces.  If your model is made the same way, there should be space to run the shroud through one side and out the other.  Now, I did have to drill out the top between each deadeye to make a little more room.  While this is not totally convincing, you can paint and drybrush the deadeyes/lanyards to make it look a little better.

The Revell Constitution is made the same way, except the molds for the deadeyes/lanyards are a little better and a little more convincing.  I'm currently working on the Heller Soleil Royale and it has a loom for the shrouds/ratlines, as well as a seperate loom for the deadeyes/lanyards, in order to get the spacing right.  The latter works very well, with a small learning curve in getting used to the loom.  The former is a bear to get right, but after some modifications, I'm conquering the learning curve.  It won't be the mark of perfection, but will look nice in it's own right.

I do like what Heller did with the HMS Victory Deadeyes.  The deadeyes are arranged on their respective sprue so that they are already the correct distance apart.  You literally rig the lanyards to the deadeyes while their own the sprue.  It seems to work well, with just a small issue of painting the deadeyes first, rig them, the take them off the sprue and trim/paint the cut mark.  I haven't tryed this yet (I'm still a year+ away from even starting this kit), but I'm optimistic.

Aftermarket parts are nice, with several companies offering a variety of deadeyes, blocks, rigging, just about anything you need for a ship model, in a wide assortment of sizes...if you can afford them.  I have found that for what you get in a package, they can be expensive.  But if you can afford them, more power to you.  They work great and I wish I could afford them.  But, you can still build a fine kit with what you have at your disposal.  If you're happy with your work, and the people who really count are happy, does it really matter what other people think?

Grymm

  • Member since
    April 2004
Posted by Chuck Fan on Friday, September 29, 2006 12:58 AM
 Wilbur Wright wrote:
First Thanks jtilley that helps me greatly with the terms..........

the shroud is siezed around the upper deadeye

Yes this is where my question is. I don't know wether to drill out the styrene molded top deadeye seems unlikely), or just superglue the shroud to its backside (toward the deck) very carefully. Instructions are typical Revell de.

Thanks again and hope to hear maybe from someone that has done the Constitution perhaps recently and run into the same dilema.

I will also check out the after market link.





If I remember from my Cutty Sark from my Junior high days, and if Revell did Alabama deadeyes the same way they did cutty sark, than you should beable to glue the plastic coated shrouds supplied with the kit between the two halves that form each dead-eye assembly.
  • Member since
    July 2006
Posted by Michael D. on Thursday, September 28, 2006 11:44 PM

Wilbur i'm not familiar with the Alabama..the Constitution has two piece deadeyes were you would feed the line between them, and around the deadeye, and sieze. Sounds like though the Alabama might be different. Check out the pics of EPinniger's Kearsarge, that might give ya an idea. Sorry could'nt of been more help.

Michael.

  • Member since
    February 2006
  • From: Boston
Posted by Wilbur Wright on Thursday, September 28, 2006 8:48 PM
First Thanks jtilley that helps me greatly with the terms..........

the shroud is siezed around the upper deadeye

Yes this is where my question is. I don't know wether to drill out the styrene molded top deadeye seems unlikely), or just superglue the shroud to its backside (toward the deck) very carefully. Instructions are typical Revell de.

Thanks again and hope to hear maybe from someone that has done the Constitution perhaps recently and run into the same dilema.

I will also check out the after market link.



  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Greenville, NC
Posted by jtilley on Thursday, September 28, 2006 3:54 PM

Let's start with a little basic vocabulary.  The near-vertical lines running from the sides of the hull to the tops of the lower masts are called shrouds.  They're made (in this case) of heavy rope, and are a key element of the standing rigging, which keeps the masts from falling over.  The lower ends of the shrouds are secured to fittings called deadeyes.  A deadeye is a round piece of wood with three holes through it and a groove around it.  Deadeyes come in pairs.  The shroud is seized around the upper deadeye of the pair.  The lower deadeye has an iron fitting called a strap, or strop, around it.  The lower part of the strop consists of an eye, which passes through a hole in the channel - the big horizontal board that projects from the ship's side.  Another iron fitting, called a chain plate, connects the deadeye strop to a bolt in the hull below the channel.  The upper and lower deadeye are then connected together by a rope called the lanyard, which runs back and forth between the two sets of three holes.  The lanyard provides a means of adjusting the tension on the shroud.  When all the shrouds have been set up, a series of light, horizontal ropes called ratlines are tied across the shrouds to form a ladder that the men use to get aloft.

I haven't seen the Revell kit in many years, but I imagine it represents all this stuff the way it did when I built mine, longer ago than I like to think about.  The deadeyes, lanyards, channel, and chainplates are represented by one styrene part, and the shrouds and ratlines are represented (miserably) by bizarre assemblies of plastic-coated thread that the modeler is supposed to "cut out" according to a paper pattern and glue to the upper deadeyes and the lower masthead. 

Lots of serious modelers find that arrangement unacceptable.  There are several ways to solve the problem.  One is to make, or buy from an aftermarket parts company (such as Bluejacket:  www.bluejacketinc.com) replacement deadeyes, discard the plastic ones, and rig the shrouds and ratlines to scale.  That isn't easy; rigging the lanyards, and keeping the tension even on them so all the deadeyes are in a horizontal line, is one of the trickier parts of rigging a ship model.  A halfway approach is to make do with the plastic deadeyes and replace the plastic-coated thread with genuine thread, seizing the lower end of each shroud around the upper plastic deadeye.  I don't remembr just how Revell made those deadeyes; some plastic deadeyes are easier to work with than others. 

Unfortunately the plastic sailing ship kit manufacturers have never really solved the problem of making it easy to rig shrouds and ratlines.  The various dodges around the problem that Revell, Airfix, and Heller have adopted really don't look convincing, and there's just no easy way to rig shrouds and ratlines to scale.  Heller and Airfix supply "looms" in some of their kits that supposedly make it a little easier, but most serious modelers find that such gadgets don't really work - and don't really make the job significantly easier. 

Good luck.

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

  • Member since
    February 2006
  • From: Boston
Help: Question with ratlines etc.
Posted by Wilbur Wright on Thursday, September 28, 2006 2:52 PM
The CSS Alabama I'm building is my first rigged ship (as an adult).  I haven't got all the terms down yet, however... Is one supposed to drill the small styrene and tie the ratlines (where they attach to the hull)???

This seems quite difficult if so, because these styrene parts (deadeyes???) are small and fragile to begin with.

Or do builders also just super glue, to glue the lines (to what I think are called the deadeyes) ??? There are 3  on each side of the ship (2 opposite each other for each mast) . What are they called?????

The reason I'm asking is that I have yet to attach the parts to the ship ,  and if  I'm going to drill them the decision must be before I attach them.

Thanks for any help.

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