Cleats

[Jezza]

I'm building my first model, the Amati Rainbow yacht. Completed hull but now puzzling over little wooden cleats and how to thread the cotton through them. Any hints? I've already widened a hole but can't see how to get thread through.

[Dsmith20639]

Try putting super glue (ca) on the end of the thread and wipe off the excess between your thumb and index finger. That stiffens the end of the thread so it is easier to insert thru the hole. Or use a needle threader.

[mtaylor]

Moved to appropriate sub-forum.... rigging.

[allanyed]

Jezza, First, welcome to MSW, glad to see another new member!!

Are speaking of cleats or blocks?   Wooden cleats usually did not a hole.  Metal cleats often have an opening between the legs but the line does not go through this opening if secured properly.  Which cleat of the below do yours look like?  Sorry for the size disparity, I just grabbed these off a Google search for wooden and metal cleats.

 

 

 

 

 

[Bob Cleek]

4 hours ago, Dsmith20639 said:

Try putting super glue (ca) on the end of the thread and wipe off the excess between your thumb and index finger. That stiffens the end of the thread so it is easier to insert thru the hole.

This is also a really good way to permanently cement your thumb and index finger together. In short order, at best, your fingers will be coated with a tenacious film of cured CA adhesive (to which some become sensitized and react with severe contact dermatitis symptoms.) It will also tend to make a mess of your workspace and your model. Far better, if one must, to dip the end of thread into a bottle of thin (not "gel") CA, which the thread will readily absorb, and remove any excess drop at the end by rubbing it on the inside of the lip of the bottle, taking care not to . 

 

An alternative to CA, an occasionally useful adhesive otherwise best avoided at all costs, is to use acetone-based clear nail polish or, less noxious still, clear ("white") shellac. Both alternatives dry quickly and, if need be, can be removed easily by dilution with their respective solvents, acetone in the case of the former and alcohol in the case of the latter. 

 

I find the "wipe it off with your fingers" approach cringe-worthy because the earlier every beginning modeler develops the techniques of a surgeon, the better their modeling work will become. Maintaining a "sterile field," and learning the knot-tying skills of a surgeon are prerequisites for good model building. Unrelenting attention to detail and the highest level of cleanliness are essential. Fortunately, thanks to the magic of the internet, today anyone can learn all they may wish by searching YouTube for instructional videos. Surprisingly, many medical schools have reduced such basic skills instruction to videos which are readily available on YouTube. Tying most knots required for rigging is surprisingly easy once one learns to do it with a forceps as surgeons tie sutures and the proper technique will save one's spreading glue all over their work and themselves. 

[bartley]

I agree wholeheartedly, Bob.  I have worked in the chemical industry and so know a little about these chemicals. All acrylics are made small monomers which are derivatives of acrylic acid.  However, as members of the general public we do not meet these because we only see the polymers (in fabrics, paints, plexiglass etc).  It is generally only the workers in the industry who are exposed to these acrylate monomers.  However, CA polymerises by contact with moisture in the air and the bottle actuually contains the acrylate monomer.  These acrylate monomers  are highly volatile, have an unpleasant odour, are lachrymatory  (make us cry) and about 5 % of the population have an allergic reaction to them.  Others develop an allergy after a period of exposure.

 

I agree avoid CA as much as possible.

 

John

[glbarlow]

Not sure why or what type of cleat your referring to, but generally a cleat hitch like in this photo is the way to go. 
 

 

Edited May 23, 2021 by glbarlow

[Roger Pellett]

Like most things involved with traditional seamanship, the shape of a cleat follows its function.  First, the two horns allow a single figure 8 locked with a single half hitch to secure a line.  The line can be secured anywhere along its length.  And perhaps most important, in an emergency it is quick and easy to release the line, even when it is under tension.  Since everything on the deck of a boat gets wet sooner or later, trying to untie a knot in a wet line  under tension can be nearly impossible.

 

When handling a boat at the dock, I have seen more than one person standing on the dock holding a dock line and engaged in a tug of war with a boat under power.  100% of the time the boat will win.  By slipping the line under the “upstream” horn of the cleat on the dock, it is remarkable how this little bit of friction allows the situation to be brought under control.

 

Threading the line first through the hole in the cleat is both unnecessary and in some cases can defeat the features of the cleat.

 

I second the concerns regarding CA glue.  In the Shore Leave Posts you will find an account of a CA accident last January that ended with a trip to the Emergency Room.  A bottle of nail polish can be bought almost anywhere for less than $1.00.

 

While I agree with Bob above that it is easier to not make a mess in the first place than to clean it up later, this is a goal that I have been unable to achieve.

 

Roger

[Markus16]

Dear Jezza,

I also agree to Bob‘s reply. The small 2mm-holes of the Rainbow are really a challenge. I’ve re-drilled the holes and used super glue on a needle and wiped off the excess. I’m also working on the Rainbow right now and would love to see some pictures of your progress.

[Markus16]

Mistake, I meant 2mm blocks, not holes!