At the last model meeting someone mentioned using Lycra thread to rig models. Obviously, being elastic, it has an advantage in staying taunt and not snapping. I've found a few online build articles that mention it, but no source. Anyone know where to find some? How thin is it?
Thanks,
Greg Reynolds, IPMS
Greg, About a month ago, while my wife was looking for some fabric to upholster a hope chest, I wandered over to the thread display and found a couple of spools of sewing nylon thread. This thread is a mono filament (only one thread makes up the strand) and it is great for rigging because of the stretching capability. I got one spool in transparent and the other is a smoky gray color great for rigging A/C and small ships. The transparent will be used to hang some A/C from the ceiling in our crafts room, the gray is for some 1/72 scale two wing A/C. The spool has about 300 yards and the diameter is .004. This type of thread is used for hemming pants and skirts and where you want to sew something and don't want the thread to show.
Hope this helps.
Ray Austin, TX ===
Rigging for what kind of models?
I've had excellent results with tippet line. It comes in some very fine gauges and it's very stretchy material. I use it on any aircraft that need it, whether WWI rigging lines or WWII antennae etc. Usually it's green or brown and sort of transparent. It's probably invisible under water, which makes it so good for fly fishing. So I drag the line under a Sharpie (permanent ink marker) using either black or silver.
As for sizes, the finest I've seen is .001" (it resembles human hair) which I have used in 1/72 WWI biplanes. Usually I use .003" stuff for
1/48 biplanes and any airplane antennae. With 1930's aircraft rigging, you have to be careful since tippet line has a round cross-section; those planes used airfoil shaped wire. It's flattened. There's another product which I have, but haven't used yet, called EZ-line which I ordered from bobes hobby house. It's rubber and had a flat profile. That will work great for those 1/48 1930's biplanes.Sewing monofilament is not nearly the quality that tippet line is, and I can't comment on EZ-line until I've actually tried it. It has an accurate cross-section that is difficult to find in any wires or lines out there.
--- Stephen
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