This got mentioned in one older thread: maybe some new thoughts. I’m doing ships and starting a dam biplane. That means rigging. I have materials galore: threads, mono, sprue (I’ve learned to mass produce the stuff.) The one thing they all have in common is lack of memory. I was watching a youtube video on fine rigging on a model ship, and they guy used beeswax on very fine thread: because it would hold itself straight he was able to use a tweezers and insert the line through a really small … rigging deal on a ship. (Rat line maybe?) Anyway, wanted to know if anyone has tried it for rigging warships or biplanes?
Eric
Yes but the waxy residue does prevent painting the wires. Ever since I discovered Wonder Wire which is a ceramic/carbon composite material rigging got a whole lot easier. This stuff is rigid and you cut it to length to fit between attaching points, then simply bend it slightly and insert each end into those attach points. It never sags or stretches.
Rather than beeswax for stiffening thread, I use CA. Each thread I start that needs to be reeved through blocks, deadeyes, or what, I put just a drop of CA on the end, and “point” the line with my fingers. I then slice the end with a good knife at about a 45 degree angle. It will now be easy to push through fittings well with a tweezer. You only need to do the very end of the line- no need to stiffen the whole line. If fact, you do not want to- it will make it harder to tie off knots.
The main purpose a lot of folks use beeswax on the whole line is to eliminate the fuzz of thread, which is not in scale. This is particularly true with cotton thread. This is not an issue with monofilament with very small scale models, but on the larger ship models where you are using regular thread.
Don is correct, and the C/A makes the job much easier to thread through. I CA and pinch the end quickly with my finger and your ready to go.
I have an old block of carpenters beeswax that I heat with a match and run rigging thread through and it does indeed eliminate the fuzz and makes the look much better.