Ropes of Scale developments and updates

[BenD]

Hello,

 

I thank everyone that has ordered rope from my site. I hope you all like it and can't wait to see it show up in some build logs. 

 

I've been busy working on making cable laid rope for the past few weeks. So far I've managed to make them range from 1.25mm - 2.1mm in diameter. Reaching 3mm is the goal eventually. According to my calculations, a 1/64 HMS Victory would need an anchor cable that large. 

 

The pictures below are of the 2.1mm cables. I hope to have them all available online by next week.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 8, 2022 by BenD

[BenD]

Hello All,

 

The cable laid rope should be online in a day or two. I'm still working on the background stuff on the site. They will be sold by the meter up to a maximum length of 5 meters. 

 

I recently purchased and new pair of calipers and remeasured all of my stock. I changed some of the sizes and added two. Everything should be much closer to the stated size now. 

 

I've added .5mm (0.019") right hand and .6mm (0.023") right hand to my collection.

[BenD]

[BenD]

I had a package of threads arrive from Wawak. The Gutermann Mara shade card is not made with real swatches of thread so I decided to be thorough and buy a few and see what they really look like. I might get around testing some today but I need to refill some of my cotton rope sizes. 

 

I contacted Gutermann and they got me in contact with their warehouse in Ontario. They have every size and color available to them and the minimum order sizes are reasonable.

 

If everything goes well I should have Mara Ropes available around Dec/Jan. I may also add the thread to my website for those who like making their own rope.

[BenD]

After doing some research on rope I've decided to add left hand variants to my standing rigging colors. I'm starting with dark brown and so far I have gotten to .8mm. I hope to have them all available in the next week or two. 

[BenD]

Hello Everyone,

 

January has been extremely busy! I assume everyone is buying rope for the new models they got for Christmas. I've been trying to keep up but I have so many sizes and colors it's hard to keep them all in stock. I have most of my inventory set so that when items are out of stock people can pre-order. Just know that when pre-ordering it may take a day or two to fulfill the order, if there is a longer delay I'll get in contact. 

 

No development news this month, when it calms down I'll get around to making more sizes of cable and left-hand standing rigging. The rest of my synthetic threads should be coming in at the end of the month so I hope to get the synthetic line under development too.

 

Edited January 19, 2022 by BenD

[BenD]

I've been working out the formulas for the Gutermann E thread and I have some pictures to show. I purchased the color card and bought every color that I thought would look like rope. I like this thread quite a lot. It's easy to work with, has zero fuzz, low shine, and is very strong. It's also a quarter the cost of cotton thread and I don't have to treat it with book-binders PVA. This should make my synthetic line of rope more affordable. 

 

On the left we have pale beige. In the middle we have tan which is very close to my cotton tan color. On the right we have a golden brown, I think it's close to manila hemp. The tan I'll get into production for sure. The other two however need some testing onboard some models before I go any further.

For the standing rigging colors we have the usual suspects. Black on the left. Very dark brown in the middle. Dark brown on the right, It's actually a little darker than what is in the photo as I turned the brightness up a bit. I like them all to be honest and will probably have them all available on my store.

Here is a 2.4mm cable I made with the tan color. Very crisp detail with no fuzz!

I'm going to put the dark brown and tan into production and I hope to have them online by early next month. I'm also going to look into other types of thread for the lighter colors. Amann Serafil I hope has some good options but the color card still need's to arrive. 

 

Thanks for looking in! 

 

[BenD]

I have finally finished adding all of the left-hand variants for my Cotton black and dark brown rope. With that out of the way, it's full speed ahead with synthetic rope production!

 

I've also added cheaper shipping options.

 

Edited February 21, 2022 by BenD

[BenD]

Synthetic rope is now available on my site. It currently ranges from .25mm to 1.3mm in diameter and I plan on going to 2mm or larger. Cables will be added next month when I get my next shipment of thread, They should range from 1mm to 3mm. For now though if you want synthetic cable order the cotton variant and send me an email and ask for an upgrade.

 

This rope is made with Gutermann E thread which has zero fuzz, lumps, or inconsistencies. It also has a lower shine than some polyester threads tend to have. This rope has been heat treated and won't unravel when cut. CA glue or a lighter may still be needed to fix the rope ends so it may pass through blocks, hooks, and other tight spots.

 

This rope has three strands and is right-handed. 

Thanks for looking in!

 

[Katsumoto]

I have had the opportunity to order rope from Ben (RoS) as well as from Chuck (Syren). Both outstanding quality and quick delivery. Syren has limited the amount of rope per placed order and I needed much more for my ship, so I found RoS and ordered the rest of what I needed. I am pretty overwhelmed by Ben's service and the quality is phenomenal. I mean really really good! 

 

I am not in the position to make my own quality rope and I was looking for an upgrade for my current project 

 

Let me explain a bit further, from Syren the rope I've ordered is a cotton / polyester blend or mix and so I've ordered at RoS cotton ropes (took a leap of fate because I didn't know Ben or RoS) to have sort of the same. However, Ben contacted me by pm and asked me if I would upgrade the ropes from cotton to 100% Gutermann polyester rope for free. To me poly rope has some benefits over cotton, like no fussiness, better resistance with climate changes and humidity and long lasting. So, I opted for the upgrade! Well, when received my package of ropes, I couldn't be more pleased. You should have seen the smile on my face when opening and layed out all the ropes and cable. Boy, the quality, tightness is fantastic. 

 

But, this is not the end of the story. Ben again contacted me short after sending out the package and apologized for the color of the "dark brown" batch. To him, the color was a bit too dark like almost black. He knew I didn't want black but more like a chocolate brown and so he told me that he's sending me a new batch with a lighter color for free!  This is absolutely top service I didn't expected and when I received the second package and compared both colors, he was right down to the money! The replacement batch of the lighter dark brown color was just perfect and exactly what I wanted. I know this is a personal preference, but the service and the way Ben wanted me to get the right color and not disappoint me is a service which becomes rare in this world. For me this was a done deal, and I will order again! What a more than outstanding service! 

 

I have no ties with RoS nor with Ben personally, but RoS deserves a good review so, I give one! 

 

The batch of ropes I've ordered and a comparison of the dark brown color and a comparison of cable. 

 

 

 

 

So the picture below shows cable from Ropes of Scale and Syren. This is not a comparison which one is best, because to me both are excellent quality and I love both of them and I think the best out there on the market you can buy. I only want to show you the difference between left 100% polyester and on the right a mix of cotton / polyester. (I don't know the percentage but I think it's more cotton than poly)
It's more a personal preference I'll guess.

 

 

 

 

So, for my project Cazador I will use Ben's ropes and I'm looking forward how they will look on the ship. I'll have to wait though, because I'm very busy with carving at the moment and not gotten to the rigging part of the ship.

 

I would like to thank Ben for his service and if you guys have any questions about Ben's ropes or service I'm happy to answer them. Just send me a pm!

 

regards,
Peter

Edited March 17, 2022 by Katsumoto

[BenD]

Free shipping this weekend on all orders. If anyone wants to get some samples of my polyester rope now is the best time.

 

Thank you @Katsumoto for that review! The carvings on your Xebec are really good.

 

I've also added more sizes 1.4mm - 1.8mm. I'm going to start on cable laid rope this week since my thread arrived early. 

[BenD]

Polyester Anchor Cable is now available.

 

I made them ranging from 1.1mm (0.043") to 3.8mm (0.149") in Diameter. The 3.8 cable is big enough for a 74 gun ship of the line in 1:48 scale. 

 

I've also added a letter mail option at checkout for small orders. Now people that only need a few ropes don't need to pay ridiculous shipping costs.

 

 

[BenD]

I've added Black polyester rope to my website sizes ranging from .25mm - 1.8mm. The Black rope does have a fair amount of sheen to it, more than the Dark Brown. I might look into making another product line with Gutermann Mara thread. Mara is more matt but does have a little bit of fuzz. 

 

I'll start making the cables for both black and dark brown this week or next.

[BenD]

Hello everyone,

 

I've added light beige to my polyester collection. For those who like a hemp rope that has been sea sprayed and sun bleached. Sizes range from .25m (0.011") to 1.8mm (0.070").

 

Cable laid rope will look really good in this color. I'll try and get around to making them in the coming weeks. 

[BenD]

Hello Everyone,

 

Polyester dark brown cable-laid rope is now available. They range from 1.1mm (0.043") to 3.8mm (0.149") in Diameter.  

 

Cables in Black and light beige should become available next month. I'm just waiting on more thread to arrive.

[BenD]

I've added Black and Light Beige cable-laid rope to my shop. They range from 1.1mm to 3.8mm like the last ones. As usual they are sold by the meter. The next product to be worked on is left-hand/S-laid variants for Black and Dark Brown.

 

For those of you that didn't see @James H did a great review of some of my Polyester ropes. Check it out here > product review / Rope and cable - various sizes - Ropes of Scale 

 

https://ropesofscale.com/products/polyester-black-cable-laid-rope

https://ropesofscale.com/products/polyester-light-beige-cable-laid-rope

Edited May 14, 2022 by BenD

[BenD]

Greetings everyone,

 

I've been asked a few times about dealing with the shine on my Polyester rope. My answer every time is that they use diluted matt varnish after rigging. Why after you might wonder? After using varnish the glue will no longer seep into the rope and stay at the surface making weaker knots and seizing's. I've done some testing and was surprised to find that thin CA and even diluted PVA will permeate into the core of this rope.

 

As you see below the untreated sample is on the left and the varnished sample is on the right. From left to right we have Black, Dark Brown, Tan, and Light Beige. Vallejo Matt Acrylic Varnish was used and two coats were applied. One coat was enough as the second didn't make a noticeable change. The dilution was 1/2 water and 1/2 varnish. It was very easy and quick to apply.

 

This picture was taken under bright desk lamps. Direct lighting really brings out the shine.

The picture below was taken with natural light coming through a window.

The Dark Brown has the most change compared to the rest. Not only was the shine removed but it made it darker and more like the standing rigging I've seen on ships that use traditional Stockholm Tar.

 

Another bonus for using Acrylic Varnish is that it will give some UV protection. This is especially important for people placing their models close to a window.

Edited May 21, 2022 by BenD

[BenD]

Hello Everyone,

 

Price Reduction!

 

About a month ago I finished a new ropewalk, It has increased my production speed considerably. The headstock's top speed is 12000 rpm... It sounds like a jet taking off but it sure does the job fast. Because of this, I've repriced my whole product line. It's not a huge reduction, The fact that all my threads have gone up in price and I was able to reduce prices is great. The polyester rope received the largest price reduction (roughly 20%) since the Gutermann-E thread price wasn't increased by much. 

 

In other news, work has begun on adding some new polyester colors in the future. I'm planning on adding a darker tan/light brown color for running rigging and also looking for a new standing rigging color. I'll post some pictures when the time comes. Hopefully, I can release them in the fall. 

 

Thanks for looking in

 

🔻Link to my site below 🔻 

Edited July 11, 2022 by BenD

[Katsumoto]

The ropes and cables of Ben are of exceptional high quality. I'm rigging a cannon for the Xebec Cazador with a 1.1mm / 0.043 inches cable and 0.5mm / 0.019 inches polyester rope I ordered from Ben at ropesofscale.
It's great news he offers a price reduction so hopefully everybody can enjoy these wonderful ropes on their ship!

[BenD]

I will be going on holiday next month. Orders placed from October 31st to November 11th will be processed starting November 12th. If you guys need any rope before then now is the time to buy it!

 

[BenD]

I'm back from my holiday in the Dominican. It was really hot and yes I got sunburns... 🥵

 

I've started processing everyone's orders. Look's like I'll have a busy week restocking.

[Peanut6]

You get sunburns and I wake up to the first snow of the season, something ain't right.  We had 70 degrees a couple days ago   

[Scotty W]

Hi Ben. Many here have recommended Ropesofscale.com. I am new to ship building and nearing the stropping of blocks and rigging of my vessel. My ship is 1/50 scale and the ropes that were supplied and kit shown below. The kit says these are 1 and .25mm respectively but this rope is 50 years old and being a newby, I’m sure I don’t have enough of it. Could you recommend the ropes I would need (color, size, etc) to replace these? I also need something small for whipping or sheiving and had seen to use contrasting colors for your whipping. I’m ready to order if you can assist me.  I’m in Washington State.  Thanks!

[BenD]

Hi Scotty,

 

That kit rope looks not half bad, to be honest. It has a nice tight twist to it even if it is left-hand.  It would also need to be stained. I also doubt the stated size of the rope, looks more to be 1.1mm - 1.2mm, and the small one is 0.35mm - 0.45mm.

 

I'll send you a PM and see what we can do. 

[BenD]

Hello all,

 

Gutermann E thread will now be available on my website: https://ropesofscale.com/collections/thread

 

People have been asking me where to get this thread for a while. It's hard to find on the internet, so I'm going to supply it.

 

The size most people will want is the E121 (tex 12). I will also sell other sizes, E151 and E382, for those who want them. This thread is the best for making scale rope. It's similar to using Serifil or Skala thread but with much less shine.

 

If anyone has questions, please reach out. 

[BenD]

Look's like a lot of rope makers wanted this thread! Thank you for your orders.

 

I've added two more E121 186 Tan spools to the store's inventory. I'm nearly out of stock on a few others. Im going to order some more today from A&E, it should take 2-3 weeks to get delivered.

 

 

[Dave_E]

Go man go! 👍😀

[TomShipModel]

Is Gutermann E thread polyester or cotton?

[BenD]

47 minutes ago, TomShipModel said:

Is Gutermann E thread polyester or cotton?

It's 100% Polyester. The thread is meant for an overlocking/serging machine. It also happens to make nice rope.

[TomShipModel]

Polyester lays up beautifully.  However, several of the rigging techniques involve white glue (such as making fake splices and securing knots, seizings and strops).  I also use white glue for getting the catenary droop in foot ropes and loose running rigging.  Is there a way for me to get that with polyester line as white glue doesn't soak into it like cotton or cotton covered polyester?

 

Tom