Shrouds and Ratlines

[PeteCo]

Hoping for some hints and tips about making shrouds and ratlines using the frame provided. 

No trouble wrapping them but when it comes to dabbing with cyanoacrylate glue as suggested either they don't stick, or they need so much glue that they become stiff. It's my first attempt, so be gentle with me. Thanks kindly 

[Loracs]

Greeting, first off: nice model. It looks fantastic. You should be proud... will be a nice display piece. 

 

Personally, I would not bother using the jig for the shrouds/ratline.  It looks easier, faster and more accurate... but it is not. Setting them up to the ship will be a nightmare. Most people DON"T recommend using this type of jig.

 

I would rather set the shrouds one by one (will look better) directly on the ship and then make the ratlines. Watch video on how to set it up on the mats. There is a specific order for each shroud (in an alternating pattern), so it flow nicely from the mat to the deadeye. Here a link to a tutorial. Rigging is an integral part of modeling sail ship... can be fun to do properly.  HEY! you will get another set of skills to your repertoire.

 

(1) HOW TO START STANDING RIGGING CORRECT | Ships of Scale

 

Note: picture is a close-up. The rope is ~1.5-2mm.

 

 

The ratlines are far better done after you set the shrouds. I would do it the classical way, using clove hitch knots. At first it is intimidating... but soon it will go as a breeze.  Remember after a dozen or so, you will get the hang of it. After, few hundred knots... you could do it while watching TV.  A few thousand later, while you sleep.  Seriously, it gets that easy. Just take you time.

 

Edited 16 hours ago by Loracs

[Dziadeczek]

I would not use CA glue to reinforce the ratline knots, but rather diluted PVA glue, which dries invisible and doesn't crumble away after some years, like CA.

[palmerit]

I like this Curtis_Wooden_Shipyard video on tying ratlines. I also liked his tweezers for doing this and bought a couple.

Bernina 90 degree tweezers: https://www.universityofsewing.com/shop/c/p/BERNINA-Tweezers-8-Series-x53811611.htm

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  The difference between the last two posts is that the lower one (video) uses clove hitches all across the shrouds, which leaves the ends of the ratlines sticking straight out ... so when they are cut off after any glue fixes the attachment points, there is a little bit that still sticks out.  On ships, the ratlines went around the outer shroud (as an eye splice) and were seized ... and for most this is too finicky.

  The post further up shows a cow hitch on the end shrouds (slightly different form a clove hitch), and the cow hitch has the end of the line terminating on the inside of the shroud.  When cut off, the outside of the outer shrouds look better,  the cut end of the ratline is on the inside adjacent to the ratline as if it were seized.  

  Note that the ratlines are much thinner than the shrouds, and in the video they seem a little thick.  A main shroud may be, say, something like 2" on a full scale clipper or warship (somewhat lighter aloft), which works out to about .040 scale rope at 1:48, .030 at 1:72,  and about .020 at 1:96 ... of course, shroud size will vary depending on the size and type of ship (a range of 1.25" - 2.5" ?).  Ratlines were around 1/2" in diameter (+/-), so that would work out (respectively) at the above scales to; .010,  .007 & .005".  This means the on a 1:96 model one would use a single thread of Guttermann poly (or Metrosine thread) for the ratlines (thus sewing through the shrouds with a fine needle is an option, if you don't want to fuss with knots), whereas .010 fine scale rope (spun from 3 strands of  thread) seem OK for 1:48 or 1:72.

Edited 1 hour ago by Snug Harbor Johnny

[Kenchington]

2 hours ago, Snug Harbor Johnny said:

On ships, the ratlines went around the outer shroud and were seized ... and for most this is too finicky.

The full-size practice that I am familiar with has an eye splice in each end of each ratline, with a seizing to fasten each splice to the appropriate shroud. And that's definitely too finicky at typical model scales! But I fully agree that the pointy projections that glued clove hitches produce look wrong, while model ratlines are usually made of out-of-scale material. But fixing those still leaves another issue. So, before I have to face the problem myself, I'll ask:

 

Has anyone found a practical way to get ratlines to hang in dozens of little catenaries?

 

Bar taut doesn't look right to my eye but upward or outward curls are far worse!

 

Trevor

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  The build of the USS Tennessee used the sewing method to put ratlines through the shroud lines, then before tying cow hitches on the outer shrouds, the builder pressed each gap with a tool to put in a little droop to the ratline ... not much, mind you.  If I remember correctly, dilute PVA glue was used to 'freeze' everything in place.