rope twisting

[george kidd]

hi all  this is my first model and i need some advice.    i am up to the rigging and when i try to tension the the lines from the blocks they twist around themselves so they are ravelled how do you stop this happening ? hope someone can help

many thanks george kidd

[SKID]

George, what ship is it?

Can you post a picture of what is happening?

 

I think I get what you are saying.. I would recommend running your lines through some bees wax. This helps to straighten the line so it will relax from being coiled up and will also help with all the frays on the line.

 

This is a handle tool to have. The lines run right through the groves.

http://www.modelexpo-online.com/product.asp?ITEMNO=SA622

Edited May 10, 2013 by SKID

[george kidd]

hi SKID thanks for the reply. the ship is A/L cutty sark..

i use bees wax on the lines so that is not the prob.

[druxey]

Looks like you're doing a nice job on your model, George. I assume the line is what was supplied with the kit. That is the problem, by the look of it. I can suggest three possible solutions.

 

One, before you rig, take the length of line and stretch it under tension. This might 'set' it, so that it loses the tendency to twist. If the fibre is synthetic it will have a 'memory', so this may not work for you.

 

Two, make your own rope from cotton thread. There are various simple ropewalk designs (probably you can find designs for them elsewhere on this site). It is not too difficult, and will supply stable line in different sizes as you need them. The raw materials are not expensive, either! My own ropewalk is made from an old electric drill and my childhood Meccano gears, among other ingredients.

 

Three, there are companies that supply commercially made rope for model makers.

[Stockholm tar]

George,

 

The twist is usually inherant in the rope itself, but can be made worse by coiling in the wrong direction. One thing you can do is to cut the length you need for the job in hand, and pull it with one hand through the forefinger and thumb of the other, removing as much twist as possible. As has been suggested, you can also hang it by one end for a short while with a light weight attached, which should help in untwisting it. I'm not sure beeswax will help, but apply it after you have first tried to remove the twist by the other methods.

 

When you come to reeving the line through the blocks most of the twist should have disappeared, but there are ways to help the process further. Most rigging line is laid up or made right handed, which means the strands will run from bottom left to top right as you look at a length it. Therefore reeving it clockwise through the blocks, if possible, will help. Another tip is to try to prevent the blocks themselves from turning as much as possible, whilst reeving the line. It doesn't always work, but just occasionally you get a nice untwisted block and tackle!

 

Btw, you have a very nice looking model there.

 

[george kidd]

thanks for your replies.   brian c   yes i have tried that. even wetted the line first as well.

 

                                      druxey the line that came with the kit for the blocks and running rigging  is usless any small preasure and it breaks

                                     so i bought some more from cornwall model boats. the ropewalk is for the future

 

                                    stockholm tar i have tried holding the blocks when reeving the line but when i let go it twists but i will try reeving it in a clockwise         

                                    direction and see what happens            thanks george.

[twintrow]

I solved this by running the rope through both blocks (each end), apply the needed tension for the fit you want, then see how she sits before tying off.  If it wants to twist, I rotate the block at the bottom until the rope is untangled, then tie off.

Tom