Stranded copper wire for standing rigging? Bluejacket Friendship sloop 1900

[gsdpic]

Hi all.  I am building the Bluejacket 1/12th scale Friendship sloop from around 1900.   For the standing rigging, the kit supplies very fine stranded copper wire.   I am not a fan of the stuff....it is difficult to work with and I am not sure I like the look.  For one thing, it seems undersized.   The wire is a quarter millimeter in diameter so that would only be 3mm full size, which is less than an eighth of an inch.   Two questions....

1. Any idea why the kit would use stranded copper wire?  Would a sloop from 1900 have used some sort of metal cables for the standing rigging?

2. Any suggestions for working with it, particularly fastening it?   The instruction say it does not solder well so they suggest just using CA but that also seems not very secure.

 

Perhaps Nic or Al ( @MrBlueJacket or @alross2 ) can provide some insight.  Anyone else is welcome to chime in as well.  Thanks for any help or suggestions.

 

 

[MrBlueJacket]

Yes they did use wire. 3mm dia wire is VERY strong. personally, I use CA when I cut the wire so it doesn't unravel. To fasten, I loop the wire through an eye, when use a 1/4" piece of 1/16 aluminum tube to crimp the wire in place.

 

Nic

[wefalck]

 

 

Wire for standing rigging became more prevalent from the 1860s or so on, initially iron and then steel. I am quoting from memory, but wire rigging has about half the diameter for the same strength as hemp rigging.

 

I would suggest to consult some contempory literature on yacht rigging for the dimensioning of the rigging and how the wire was worked. A diameter of 3 mm for the standing rigging of such heavily canvassed boat seems a bit too thin for the time.

 

I have the feeling that crimping wire for standing rigging would have come into use much later than the early 1900s, but I am not so familiar with yachting practice. On commercial shipping more traditional methods with bound loops around deadeyes or hearts would have been used. Such arrangement is also easier to repair and does not require heavy tools.

 

If traditional set-up methods were used for rigging, these can be easily reproduced in 1/12 scale. I don't see the need for any soldering.

[gsdpic]

Thank you both for your replies.  I recall using some beading wire and crimp tubes for a previous project.   Perhaps I'll pursue that option.

[wefalck]

If that is according to prototype ...