Make your rope on a rope walk

Steef66 said:
English ships are indeed a little different. But keep in mind that 1" is about 0,007 inch diameter on scale and 1,5 inch is about 0,010 inch diameter. 3x2 with 0,013 is to thick. Better keep them the same. The effect will be better visible.

Olga got a very good video.
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I'm thinking about that. I also have some Tex 70 thread that is .005. I could use that as is. From more than a few inches it's tough to tell the difference. But that would be cheating :) ;) .
I was watching Olga's videos a couple of minute ago. I was trying to see if she ran both motors as she was spinning rope or if she shut off the main motor and just ran the tailstock motor. I couldn't tell for sure as she kept moving the camera as she went. I'm thinking seriously of adding a tailstock motor to my walk. I would only need it for really small rope like this so it may not be worth it.
 
On youtube you can read the comments, I did asked here and both motors run till the end. Start with one till 10% and then both motors. This is how I do it too.

When you knot the ratlines, rope of 005 or 007 gives tiny knots. 3x2 013 gives thicker knots. Personally I would choose the tiny knots. Visualy much better. Try a test shroud/ratline like Archjofo did.
 
It's the first time I've heard about baking ropes... You say 175 degrees Celsius for 5 minutes, but can you bake the same rope twice?
I mean, bake a few individual pieces and then combine them into one thicker one and bake them together again? or, is it better to twist several lines at once to the target thickness and only then bake them together ?
 
kuba91nt said:
It's the first time I've heard about baking ropes... You say 175 degrees Celsius for 5 minutes, but can you bake the same rope twice?
I mean, bake a few individual pieces and then combine them into one thicker one and bake them together again? or, is it better to twist several lines at once to the target thickness and only then bake them together ?
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I bake the final. Just once. But it is posible to do it twice after Collins down and make a cable for example. Just test it. It's no hard sciencefiction. Everything is by experience, type of yarn and thickness.
 
I decided to build a motorized tailstock. I used the motor from a cheapo 3 volt fan and some HO trucks from my Dad's stuff. I connected the motor to the rails with brass brushes so I can turn it on by shorting the rails anywhere. You can see the brushes faintly right under the motor. I tried it with 2x1 tex12 Gutermann 240 and it worked first try. I doubt I will use any 2x1 as it's only .002 smaller than 3x1 and it doesn't look quite as good but I wanted to test the extreme.

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Today I did an upgrade on my rope walk. I build an, yes how do you call this thing. Half a egg. You see this more, like Dubz ropewalk got one. I hang mine on 2 ropes that are between both ends of the walk.
I made it of plywood and sealed the wood with UHU Hart. So the rope will glide through it easily. This works better for sure.

IMG_4326.JPGIMG_4327.JPGIMG_4328.JPGIMG_4329.JPG

I also buy so fishing lead, what I sealed in plastic powder. Heat the lead and put it in the powder and reheat till the plastic forms a cover. That is safer for your health when using lead.

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I use more weight when turning rope to solve a problem I got.
I made a video of it what happens when I put tension on the rope. The rope turns around?????

What is it I'm doing wrong? I made at this moment a 3x2 rope of Serafil and put 100 gram of weight on it. So with double of weight the problem is not solved.
 
You need to make sure that all the excess twist is out of the rope before using it. Also baking the polyester will reduce twisting like in that video. You can also add some counter twist if you need to while adding the ropes to the ship.

I like your ropewalk setup.
 
BenD said:
You need to make sure that all the excess twist is out of the rope before using it. Also baking the polyester will reduce twisting like in that video. You can also add some counter twist if you need to while adding the ropes to the ship.

I like your ropewalk setup.
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There is no twist, even after backing it. Then when I start rigging and I put tension on it, it start to twist. So strange. Looks like the rope is elastic. I give it tomorrow more weight. Maybe that is a solution. Another could be the Serafil.
 
Hello, agree with @BenD. I think the rope is unraveling a little under tension. If polyester, baking the rope at 375 Fahrenheit for 4.5 minutes on a metal ring (longer it changes color and higher the temp. it will melt). If I don't "bake" my rope, it will unravel when I work with it... even if not on the spool. Hope this help!
 
Another two cents: are you giving the initial strands (by themselves, not with each other) a counterclockwise twist to build tension (roughly same number then final strands together).... followed with ropewalk of all three/four strands together clockwise? I find out the hard way that I need to get a lot a tension initially, to compensate with the one that will build up when doing the final rope. As reference, I'm using the "syren" ropewalk (https://syrenshipmodelcompany.com/ropewalk.php). Chuck has some video using it.
 
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@Loracs thanks for your tips. Unraveling is not the problem, I bake the rope in a oven. Look to the first page of this thread where I explain how I make rope.
The problem is the turning of the rope when I put tension on it. See video. It only happens with 1x3 /2x3 or 3x3 rope.
 
BenD said:
You need to make sure that all the excess twist is out of the rope before using it. Also baking the polyester will reduce twisting like in that video. You can also add some counter twist if you need to while adding the ropes to the ship.

I like your ropewalk setup.
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Still learning myself and have done lots of rope making experimenting while deciding to start work on my 'San Juan Nepomuceno" I had lots of twisting issues but recently found that 3x2 using 100gms weight worked well as long both motors were stopped approx 10% from the finish and the excess twist was out before baking. Also had some good results using 50gms weight for 3x2 & 2x2 Serafil and/or Gutermann E120. Maybe try lighter weight instead of going heavier. As mentioned, being at the bottom of the 'Rope Making Ladder' I may not know what I'm talking about but Lighter may be worth a trial. ----BTW< Love your work and updates. Cheers.
 
@Loracs no problem, we all in the learning stage. You said something interesting about counter look wise twist them to build tension. Mayby I give it a try to have more weight before I start twisting.
@ConsNZ thanks, maybe you're right. I make different test with different weights. Label them and see what happens after baking.
 
I was wondering where the stretch in the yarn came from? So the Serafil lock yarn tested over a distance of 50 cm.
I put a sticker on a single yarn. At 50 cm.
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Then I held it near my cutting mat and watched how far the sticker moved along its length.
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What turns out I can stretch it about 1.5 cm. with little force.
Bingo! That's the problem, must be. With few yarns 3x3 or less, then this plays up in the twine by twisting. With more yarns in a strand, this problem does not play out because you can then pull harder on the rope before it stretches. Because the yarns are twisted together into a strand and then into a rope, the rope thus twists when you stretch it.

Question for Skala yarn users. What is your experience with that? Can you test this for me. (If a single yarn could be stretch). I don't want to buy it before I know for sure.
 
Hello Stephan,

Not sure what your source thread budget is...but I was using Gutermann E151 (and E121) for my ropes. Finding that in the US was difficult so I had a Polish builder (Matt) purchase some and send it to me when he traveled once to the US. I bet you can find it in Europe. A forum sponsor (Ropes of Scale) also sells it now at a slight mark-up:

ropesofscale.com

Polyester Thread

Miniature Rope for the scale modeler. These products are designed for rigging model ships but can be used for most scale modeling or dioramas.
ropesofscale.com

I did not experience this twisting issue.
 
dockattner said:
Hello Stephan,

Not sure what your source thread budget is...but I was using Gutermann E151 (and E121) for my ropes. Finding that in the US was difficult so I had a Polish builder (Matt) purchase some and send it to me when he traveled once to the US. I bet you can find it in Europe. A forum sponsor (Ropes of Scale) also sells it now at a slight mark-up:

ropesofscale.com

Polyester Thread

Miniature Rope for the scale modeler. These products are designed for rigging model ships but can be used for most scale modeling or dioramas.
ropesofscale.com

I did not experience this twisting issue.
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Thanks Paul, I found a shop in England.
www.williamgee.co.uk

Gutermann Skala 360 Threads - Fast Delivery | William Gee UK

20000m cone. Gutermann Sewing Thread Skala 360, 100% Gutermann Thread, Buy Gutermann Skala 360 Sewing Threads Online and other products at williamgee.co.uk
www.williamgee.co.uk www.williamgee.co.uk
But the sending and import will be more then the product. :(

On Etsy it was cheaper but not the colours I need. Out of stock. Have to wait.

Question is there any stretch in a single yarn of yours? You can test that easy. Just pull on it. You feel the elasticity or not.
 
I made 3 type of rope. all 3 types are 3x2 (0,39 mm) and I used for them 50, 100 or 150 grams. The twist stays after baking the rope. That is not the solution. It is the type of yarn. So I will look for Guttermann.

But I discovered something else.
When I just turned the rope. With 50 grams counter weight the rope twist together after I got it of the walk. Pretty normal. Just need to untwist it before baking. I did this before by hanging the rope on a hook in the ceiling and let it hung till twist was gone.
But with 100 grams there was less twist. And with 150 grams no twist. So twisting after turning can be solved with more counter weight.

I tried 200 grams, but that was not a success, the yarn broke during turning. To much weight, there is a border you can't pass Alien.
 
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