I think I got the heating and stretching part down but the big question now is how do you attach it? I’m building some old liners and they are covered with all kinds of rigging from the stacks all the way down to the cranes and Lifeboats.
I’ve been looking at other peoples models but can’t figure it out.
Thanks
CA at the points where you want it to attach. Don’t stretch it taunt, leave a little slack in the line. Once the CA cures you can set the tension with a hot object, not a flame. My buddy Al likes to heat his Rambo knife up on the stove and bring it close to the stretched sprue to tighten it. Works like a charm.
Just don’t set the knife down on something that can melt.
Thanks Hawk
I’ll give it a try
I’m stepping into an area which I’m not all that familiar with (ship modelling) but I think stretched sprue may be a little unwieldly for rigging purposes. Among other things, you would have issues with uniformity of thickness if you are doing extensive rigging.
My suggestion is to look at the sewing supplies area of your local supermarket (or anywhere else which sells sewing supplies) and see if you can track down a spool of “invisible thread”. Another alternative is very fine fishing line.
Either of these materials can be attached and “shrunk” as described above.
Don’t be so quick to dismiss stretched sprue - it’s all I use to rig my 1/700 ships, including radio aerials, funnel stays, and cargo boom rigging. I use it because it’s free and I can create an almost inexhaustable supply.
I don’t have much of an issue with getting consistent diameters, especially if I create all the “runs” for a specific project at the same time - I use identical lengths of sprue and stretch each one out the same length, and generally will have identical diameters over a give section of sprue no matter which piece it is. Color with a permanent marker, either black or brown, and you’re good to go. I also like the fact that, for short runs at least, stretched sprue still retains some rigidity, which makes it easier to hold in place.