Posted by Lee Lambeth on June 27, 1999 at 21:36:41 in 209.138.147.10:
In Reply to: Loose rigging posted by Robert Adamson on June 26, 1999 at 23:37:15:
: After seeing some of youall's work, I thought someone might have some insight on how to keep the rigging tight after the model has aged? With the climate changes here, in the winter it stays tight, and in the summer it gets real loose! Any sugestions? HELP!
Hi,
Here is what I did for funnel stays on my Lusitania.
I got a length of shielded computer serial cable,
stripped the covering and extracted the individual
strands of the shielding wire with tweezers.
I twisted 3 strands together at one end and clamped
that end to a wall shelf with a c-clamp allowing the
other end to hang free. I put a rubber band around
a pair of needle-nose pliers, and clamped it on the
other end after pulling the strands taut. Then, spin
the pliers clockwise until you have the appearance of
a nice twisted wire cable. (This takes practice, you
will break a few at first)
I installed them unpainted, then after all were in
place I painted with Floquil Engine Black model
railroad paint.
This gives a MUCH finer appearance than the stupid
threads, and is totally unaffected by humidity. They
are still as taut as the day I installed them, 5 years
ago. It's tedious & a major pain, but looks great.
Hope this helps,
Lee