Heater for sealing the end of rigging rope.

[DaveBaxt]

I came across a video on Tiktok ( sorry  but unable to upload the link) of an electric tool which looks like a pencil and is hollow, with two wires which go into the bottom of this tube like structure. I am assuming there is no switch so the end of this tool, so could possibly be a constant heat source and perhaps not the safest tool out there .I have not seen this tool for sale anywhere. I have a couple of questions regarding this tool First off ,Would this tool work on cotton thread or only synthetic, or not at all? Second question, Are these for sale anywhere? Third question, Is this something worth making  or perhaps adapting  a soldering iron could be used. If you can get a cordless one I think this would be ideal, if it would work that is.

           In the past I have been using shelac as well as PVA and super glues for sealing knots but all have different issues . Personally I don,t think sealing the ends of running rigging using such a tool as above would work as surely it would leave burn marks? and last , How come I have not come across this before now? Any advice on the above tool would be appreciated. Unfortunately there are a lot of videos out there which don,t use best practices and perhaps this is just another one. Best regards Dave

Edited March 11 by DaveBaxt

[allanyed]

28 minutes ago, DaveBaxt said:

First off ,Would this tool work on cotton thread

HI Dave,

Cotton does not melt, but dry cotton will burn at about 420 degrees F. (232.22C).  Once lit,  cotton thread can act like a fuse and continue to burn.   Cotton will ignite spontaneously at about 760F.   Other sealing methods that you mention have been discussed ad infinitum and each method has its fans and detractors.  Whatever you find works best for you is the way to go. 

Allan

[DaveBaxt]

2 hours ago, allanyed said:

HI Dave,

Cotton does not melt, but dry cotton will burn at about 420 degrees F. (232.22C).  Once lit,  cotton thread can act like a fuse and continue to burn.   Cotton will ignite spontaneously at about 760F.   Other sealing methods that you mention have been discussed ad infinitum and each method has its fans and detractors.  Whatever you find works best for you is the way to go. 

Allan

Thank you Allan for your quick response and confirming what I was already thinking myself but you put some meat on the bones sort of speak. I did however notice that on the video that the rigging in question were the ends of ratlines and wonder if the were indeed made of cotton or something synthetic.

[Gregory]

Dave, I have used a small soldering iron with a needle-like tip to get rid of the little nib on knots.

This is with polyester rope.  Doesn’t work for cotton for the reason Allan mentioned.

The soldering iron has a temp control.  I set it for about 300F.

I can dig up some pics if you are interested.

[allanyed]

3 hours ago, DaveBaxt said:

ends of ratlines

Snipping off the end of any line can be tricky.  I prefer using professional barber shears as they are so sharp, but many folks love nail clippers to snip the Irish pennant once the knot is finished. 

Allan

[DaveBaxt]

3 hours ago, Gregory said:

Dave, I have used a small soldering iron with a needle-like tip to get rid of the little nib on knots.

This is with polyester rope.  Doesn’t work for cotton for the reason Allan mentioned.

The soldering iron has a temp control.  I set it for about 300F.

I can dig up some pics if you are interested.

Definately interested as I am looking for a new soldering iron anyway. Cheers

[DaveBaxt]

1 hour ago, allanyed said:

Snipping off the end of any line can be tricky.  I prefer using professional barber shears as they are so sharp, but many folks love nail clippers to snip the Irish pennant once the knot is finished. 

Allan

Cheers Alan. I have a small pair of shears but quite often cut too close to the knot and it can be very frustrating epecially if I haven,t practiced in a while. I might try and get some very sharp nail clippers and see if I have bettr luck with those. Thank you to all who have tried to answer my questions and have given me a few ideas for the next time I am attempting the rigging again. I always find this the most frustrating part of the model build. Best regards Dave 

[Nirvana]

Dave, 

I am using a unit which can be found craft stores.

This one will do the poly/cotton combination and create a nice cut, but also to be used as a thread sealer.

[mgdawson]

7 hours ago, DaveBaxt said:

I might try and get some very sharp nail clippers

I noticed these a little while back, the description says they're for cutting plastic sprues but they look like they'd be good for rigging, I haven't used them so can't comment further. $US19:99 each.

 

Fine Precision Trimmer

Ultra Fine Precision Trimmer

 

[mgdawson]

11 hours ago, Gregory said:

I have used a small soldering iron with a needle-like tip

I have a couple of gas powered soldering irons which come with a knife tip for cutting synthetic ropes etc. Probably a bit clumsy for model work but a small flat or chisel tip, say 1mm, should do the job nicely and you've got a multipurpose tool into the bargain.

[paul ron]

11 hours ago, mgdawson said:

I noticed these a little while back, the description says they're for cutting plastic sprues but they look like they'd be good for rigging, I haven't used them so can't comment further. $US19:99 each.

 

Fine Precision Trimmer

Ultra Fine Precision Trimmer

 

i have a couple of these from different manufacturers and both are junk. it crushes the thread instead of clipping it. 

 

the nail clippers work great and are alot cheaper to replace. another good clipper is a cuticle cutter. i found a tiny one at rite aid years ago and are still working fine.

 

a nice pair of sugical iris scissors that cut to the tip is hard to find but work the best once you find a good one.  i like the sharp tiny angle scissors to get in tight places. 

 

 

[DaveBaxt]

Thanks again everyone for trying to help me. Looks like a bit of trial and error which seems to be a lot of what this hobby is about and more pleasing when you eventually overcoem something.Best regards Dave

[Gregory]

Sorry Dave, I got sidetracked and forgot about getting you some info on what I use.

 

I use this soldering iron from Amazon.

 

                                         

..and a tip like this.  It has a little dial for adjusting the temp fromm 200 to 450 C..  I use about 350 on the polyester thread/rope.  A little lower might work.  I would set it as low as you can and still have it melt. Too hot and it really discolors the rope.

Here are a couple of different knots I made on my ratline practice jig.

The excess snipped off with a little nib left behind. that bottom knot is not as small as I would like, but I was just putting together a quick demo.

Here is after I melted the nib with my iron.  There can be some dark discoloration, but you can minimize that by setting the iron as low as you can while still getting melt.

Also, cut the nib as close as you can while leaving something to melt.  If the nib is too big you end up with a blob that detracts from the knot.

Needless to say, you have to be really careful not to melt any other rigging.  Don't ask how I know this..

 

This method is good for almost any place where you want to minimize a loose end sticking out if you haven't managed to hide it in some other way.  

Edited March 13 by Gregory

[DaveBaxt]

8 hours ago, Gregory said:

Sorry Dave, I got sidetracked and forgot about getting you some info on what I use.

 

I use this soldering iron from Amazon.

 

                                         

..and a tip like this.  It has a little dial for adjusting the temp fromm 200 to 450 C..  I use about 350 on the polyester thread/rope.  A little lower might work.  I would set it as low as you can and still have it melt. Too hot and it really discolors the rope.

Here are a couple of different knots I made on my ratline practice jig.

The excess snipped off with a little nib left behind. that bottom knot is not as small as I would like, but I was just putting together a quick demo.

Here is after I melted the nib with my iron.  There can be some dark discoloration, but you can minimize that by setting the iron as low as you can while still getting melt.

Also, cut the nib as close as you can while leaving something to melt.  If the nib is too big you end up with a blob that detracts from the knot.

Needless to say, you have to be really careful not to melt any other rigging.  Don't ask how I know this..

 

This method is good for almost any place where you want to minimize a loose end sticking out if you haven't managed to hide it in some other way.  

Thank you gregory for taking up so much of your valuble time and laying that out for me . Also appreciated the link on Amazon and will get one ordered soon as. Nice looking rope work too and can definately see an inprovement on what I produce. Best regards Dave

[modeller_masa]

 

[wefalck]

On 3/12/2024 at 2:21 AM, mgdawson said:

I noticed these a little while back, the description says they're for cutting plastic sprues but they look like they'd be good for rigging, I haven't used them so can't comment further. $US19:99 each.

 

Fine Precision Trimmer

Ultra Fine Precision Trimmer

 

These are actually cutting tweezers from the watchmakers' arsenal. They are used for cutting watch-springs and such.

 

I have had a pair for some 30 years now, bought from a watchmaking supply house. I use them all the time to cut fine wires and other thin hard materials, particularly when a close cut is needed, as the outside is flush.

 

As the two cutting faces close on each other, but do not pass each other in a shearing motion, you cannot cut soft materials, such as threads. For this I also use Castrovejo-type micro-scissors, as used in eye-surgery.

 

Over the past couple of decades hobby-suppliers have discovered these tools, but they may be buying industry 'seconds', so one cannot be sure of the quality. There are also traders (ebay et al.) who supply such tools that have not passed the quality requirements of brands and that can be a good deal (no hobby mark-up ...).

 

The original question made me think and perhaps it would be possible to design some kind of heated tweezers, that would allow to fuse polyester thread to form eyes and such without having to make (fake-)splices (which are a challenge with very thin 'ropes'. The tweezer would need to have grooves in the end to shape the 'splice' without squashing the thread ...

[Gregory]

@wefalck

Great idea but challenging at our level.  Think “curling iron “ with a .5mm tip.

Polyester melts at about 250c.   Perhaps some shaped tweezer-like tools with insulated handles that you keep in a small heated cauldron, then you use the tools and return to the heat source as needed.

[wefalck]

Could be, like the solid soldering irons that one kept on a gas-cooker or similar.

 

However, I have been more thinking in terms of the battery-operated hand-held gadgets for sealing plastic bags. They look a bit like a stapler, you press the ends together and the heating-wires are turned on, while you move the thing along the bag. 

 

I am thinking of prongs with a flat resistance-wire (as used in styrofoam cutters) inlay. I may have some suitable flat wire that I bought for a different purpose.  Could be very simple and operated from a transformer with a foot-switch, so almost no moving parts - think of a glorified clothes-peg with very narrow tips.

 

Perhaps I shouldn't have said this, but rather ran and patented the idea ...

Edited March 13 by wefalck