Sagging Shrouds

[myavid76]

I am working on a kit from Corel of the HMS Victory. I started the standing rigging. I installed the Shrouds on all three masts. The ship then went on the back burner for about six months. When returning to the model to continue I found that the shrouds were sagging and loose. I tightened up on the dead eyes but now they are too close and uneven. So I am going to remove the shrouds and start fresh. My question is, do I need to stretch the rigging cord beforehand and if so what is the preferred method for this. Thanks, Dave.

Edited March 11, 2020 by myavid76

[mtaylor]

Did you coat the rigging, by per chance?   Humidity does affect the thread/rope.   Stretching will help some.   What I and a lot of others do is stretch the line, then pull it through some beeswax a few times.  Wipe off the excess.   There are other methods also but I'm not that familiar with them.

[Dziadeczek]

After I twist my ropes on a ropewalk, I always stretch them a bit in my hands. The ropes are like rubber bands, so they will slightly stretch and the individual strands at the same time will "lock in". Any ugly "fuzziness" I burn away over a flame.

Then I pull them through a chunk of bees wax two to three times and again pull them tightly between my fingers to remove excess wax. The heat generated will also melt the wax which will sink in.

 

I make my ropes mostly from cotton crocheting fibres, not from polyester, which is even more 'rubbery'.

 

On my Corel's "Victory" (bashed) the shrouds retained initial tightness after more than 10 years.

Edited March 12, 2020 by Dziadeczek

[myavid76]

Thanks to Mark and Dziadezcek for your responses. I will consider my first attempt as practice. I will strive to do better the second time around. I think I'll ditch the line that came in the kit and find some black rigging line from a good supplier. 

[BobG]

15 minutes ago, myavid76 said:

I will strive to do better the second time around. I think I'll ditch the line that came in the kit and find some black rigging line from a good supplier. 

Syren rope is outstanding. https://www.syrenshipmodelcompany.com

[myavid76]

2 hours ago, BobG said:

Syren rope is outstanding. https://www.syrenshipmodelcompany.com

Thanks, Bob. I just ordered some from them.

[aviaamator]

I make rigging from 100% cotton, after twisting I paint with oil paint for art works (umber Leningradskaya - dark brown color). Until the paint is dry, I hang the ropes with the load so that they stretch out, and fix them from untwisting. After drying, the rigging does not stretch!