Coiled rope

[Johnnymike]

Originally I posted this under Rigging as Line Coating
but then thought is was more of a technique so here it is.

I like to form a coiled rope to hang around cleats and belaying pins.
I found it easy to coil the string separately and hang it after tying off a line.
You can place it in such a way that you can not see it is separate from the main line.

I tried, and now use a basting glue to temporarily hold tied knots and
found that if you coat a line with a watered down basting glue it holds together.

I soak the line then wrap it around Teflon dowels to get the coil.
It leaves the line natural looking and with no fuzz it looks clean and you can still see the detail wrap of the line.
The wrap shown is 0.5d line.
Once the glue sets it is easy to slide off the dowels. I have 3 different dowel sets for different
coil sizes.

It worked so good here I started coating all the line with it.

 

[TheGatzby]

There appears to be a lot of visible residue in that bottom picture..

 

[AllanKP69]

I think your idea is worth a try. I tried to think where a tarred (dark) line would have a coil but cannot think of any. You have an untarred line for the stay but a dark line for the cart falls so I am totally confused.

 

[Johnnymike]

Good eye. The bottom picture was just an example of how I use a coiled rope. This was done when I used a non diluted basting glue and CA glue.
The top picture is what it looks like now. I just tried this new idea yesterday
for the first time. The look of the bottom picture has bothered me and is why I was playing around with trying to improve.

You are correct on color. I often just use what I have.

 

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

Does basting glue remain tacking or dry solid? If it stays tacky to the touch, it will attract dust over time, especially of you display the model without a glass case to cover it.

 

[POPEYE_DA_SAILOR]

Basting or fabric glues will work, but they are sometimes "permanent" and not reversible at all and, even the "reversible" types require washing in soap and water to remove them. They are intended for temporary use and cannot be considered archival. For this reason, I would not favor them for any use on a scale ship model. The most important two properties of any adhesive for ship modeling are 1) easy reversibility without damage to the surrounding areas and 2) good archival properties. For use on rigging line, I've found clear thinned (3 pound cut or less) shellac to be preferable. It is easily dissolved and blotted up with ordinary alcohol if one requires disassembly to correct a mistake in building or to effect repairs. Shellac is also compatible with all other coatings and, if not applied excessively, is virtually invisible, making for a very neat appearance. Modernly, many restorationists and conservators are using Paraloid B-72, an acetone-soluble thermoplastic resin for sealing and adhesion. Reports are it works similarly to shellac, but better. It takes some learning to mix it yourself, although it is also available now in a somewhat more costly pre-mixed form. Most dissolve the less expensive dry crystals in acetone to customize its available properties.

 

[Johnnymike]

Basting glue dries hard but stays flexible.
I found you have to use the clear glue and dilute it.

I use this glue for holding a knot or loop I am working with.
It is not a permanent glue so once I have the line placed I use a very
small drop of CA applied in critical spots with a glue loop.
This way the line looks natural and not stiff which can happen
If you only use CA.

 

[AllanKP69]

This way the line looks natural and not stiff which can happen

My problem with CA is that it makes the rope rock hard and discolors it. In addition to shellac matte medium is a good alternative as is diluted white PVA.
Allan

 

[POPEYE_DA_SAILOR]

Basting glue dries hard but stays flexible.

One significant advantage that the professionals have found Paraloid B-72 when used as an adhesive offers over shellac (and, of course, CA, which is widely rejected by professionals) is that Paraloid B-72 has greater flexibility when fully cured. This isn't to say that it's "rubbery," but rather that it will bend more than a rigid fully cured adhesive before it cracks. This flexibility gives Paraloid B-72 much greater shear strength than the "brittle" adhesives. CA has very little shear strength, which is why they always advertised it with some guy hanging from his hard hat glued to a beam. If somebody whacked that joint sideways, it would snap in short order.

... I use a very small drop of CA applied in critical spots with a glue loop.

That additional step would not be required at all if you used shellac instead. (Just sayin.') I know some people use nothing else but CA as an "all purpose" ship modeling adhesive. To each their own, I suppose. The limitations of CA have been discussed at length in other posts over the years, but its use inexplicably persists in hobby ship modeling. CA arguably does have very limited application in ship modeling, but for most all purposes, a combination of sound engineering (e.g., mechanical fastenings where required) and appropriately chosen adhesives will do the job much better and easier. The strongest adhesive isn't always the best and, almost certainly, will be far stronger than it needs to be. Neither is the speed of curing much of an advantage. Here again, good engineering should provide easily clamped joints, or even joints that need no clamping at all.