Posted by Bob Read on February 24, 1999 at 09:56:00 in 206.100.37.123:
In Reply to: Rigging - I don't like the thread! posted by Dan Dalton on February 23, 1999 at 20:05:15:
Dan:
As Jason has noted many alternatives for the rigging (especially the funnel shrouds) have been put forth. My preference was very thin copper wire from a transitor radio painted black after installation.
As far as your second question, the funnel shrouds were tensioned at the deck level by bullseyes.
Bullseyes are round doughnut shaped objects with a groove around the outside. The shroud was taken around one bullseye and seized or wrapped with a line above the bullseye. On deck, there was a bullseye fastened to the deck with an iron fastener which went around the groove in the bullseye. The shroud was pulled to the correct tension with a block and tackle then the two bullseyes were tied to each other by a lanyard which was reeved through the opening in the bullseyes with multiple turns then tied off on the upper shroud and wrapped. Sailing ships used bullseyes primaily for forestays. For shrouds and backstays they used another device known as a deadeye. Can you reproduce this on the model? I won't ever say never but at 1/350 scale, I would think that only the most experienced and skillful modeler might be able to pull it off in scale.
Regards,
Bob Read
: Wow, I wish I had found this wealth of information (and inspiration) earlier. I hope you don't mind newcomers here.
: Unfortunately, I found your site AFTER finishing my 1/350 scale Titanic model. The results of just 2 weeks of work, as you might imagine, are only slightly better than the horrendous model pictured on the box. The advice given here will help me in my next attempt, but I'll wait for the "improved" Minicraft version with the etched brass railings (hopefully this will include stairways and ratlines too) and do some research in the meantime. Now that I have one complete, I hope to be able to muster the patience to do a great job on the next one.
: The most important question I have now is how to improve the rigging. The thread is out of scale, and it's already sagging where it has loosened from the funnels. Also, if you rig the thread through the boat deck, as in the instructions, it's quite visible when viewing the model from the side.
: I remember building several battleships in my youth and rigging them with plastic "thread" I made by melting the middle portion of a straight piece of sprue over a candle flame and pulling the sprue apart with both hands into a fine thread. It was possible to control the thickness of the "thread" by how quickly and how far you pulled it. The resulting thread could be easily cut, painted and glued in position. It was even possible to recreate the "sag" seen in loose lines.
: To me, this solution to the inadequacies of the thread rigging seems obvious, especially for the lifeboat and crane rigging. I MUST be overlooking something though, since I've seen nothing regarding this technique here, though site is INCREDIBLY arcane; far more so than most people would consider sane (haha, sorry - just a joke). Am I just pointing out something that's too painfully obvious? Are there easier and better ways (that are worth the cost) to replace the standard thread rigging on this model? On the real Titanic, what fittings were used to secure the funnel stays at the deck, and is it possible to reproduce these in such a small scale? I'm sure the wires didn't just run into the deck as the thread in the model does. Thanks in advance for any help!
: Uh-oh - I think I'm starting to get obsessed - and it might get costly!....