Ratline Size?

[Bud-J]

This question pertains to the ZHL Le Royal Soleil ship. The shroud & ratline sizes designated on the plans are - Black, U2, U3 & U4.
U3 is being used for the lines on the lower shrouds and as shroud lines on upper section. I need to purchase more U3 but there is no designation for what size that is.
It appears to be 1mm but not positive. Also is the material poly? Has a bit of a sheen to it.
I contacted ZHL but received no reply.
U3 size?

 

[Jeff T]

Try sending a message to ZHLModel (aka Max) here on SOS.

 

[threebs]

Hard question to answer without photos and a ruler with mm graduations. These cotton thread sizes are available from Blue Jacket Ship crafters.

 

[Bob Ellis]

This question pertains to the ZHL Le Royal Soleil ship. The shroud & ratline sizes designated on the plans are - Black, U2, U3 & U4.
U3 is being used for the lines on the lower shrouds and as shroud lines on upper section. I need to purchase more U3 but there is no designation for what size that is.
It appears to be 1mm but not positive. Also is the material poly? Has a bit of a sheen to it.
I contacted ZHL but received no reply.
U3 size?

I have no idea what U3 etc is but as a modelers guide I aim for the rattlins to be .25 to .3 of the shroud diameter, if that helps.

 

[danielsje]

I use black sewing thread for all ratlines in the mid scale range of 1/48 to 1/54 or so. Get it from any sewing accessories store like Joann Fabrics or even Amazon. I find regular cotton/polyester blend sewing thread works nicely and maintains scale…

 

[Bhill]

To get the size, wrap the line around a pencil or other cylinder 10 times, measure the width and divide by 10....

 

[threebs]

I use black sewing thread for all ratlines in the mid scale range of 1/48 to 1/54 or so. Get it from any sewing accessories store like Joann Fabrics or even Amazon. I find regular cotton/polyester blend sewing thread works nicely and maintains scale…

This is a glazed cotton thread. The coating keeps the thread stiff and gives a better appearance to the ratlines. Yes ideally the ratlines would sag, but, there is simply not enough weight to the thread for gravity to assist in the sag.

 

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

Diluted PVA applied to the ratlines and shaped with your thumb and forefinger to form downward hanging curves for slack ratlines. If the heat from your fingers isn't enough to stiffen the ratlines and make them hold their shape after 20 seconds, you could apply masking tape to the inboard side of the shrouds and stick the ratlines to the tape to hold their shape until the glue dries. You may not think so at first, but having the ratlines hang down in catenary curves evenly really improves the look of the model. The extra work is worth the improvement in appearance.

 

[Don Case]

This is a glazed cotton thread. The coating keeps the thread stiff and gives a better appearance to the ratlines. Yes ideally the ratlines would sag, but, there is simply not enough weight to the thread for gravity to assist in the sag.

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I noticed that the ratlines don't go to the foremost shroud except for every sixth one. Is this normal? I'm not anywhere near rat lining so I know nothing but this kind of jumped out at me

 

[threebs]

Yes, only on the Mizzen lower shrouds do the ratlines go all the way across. Earlier ships than, say, 1775 may not be so rigged. Just FYI, and if it is OK to do so here, if you go to my thread on the USS Merrimack 1855, I have started a series of U Tube videos on scratch building sailing war ships. Right now I am serving the shrouds and stays. Perhaps it would assist you in your own build? I will be doing ratlines in a few weeks if things go as they have.

 

[Vfordyce]

I noticed that the ratlines don't go to the foremost shroud except for every sixth one. Is this normal? I'm not anywhere near rat lining so I know nothing but this kind of jumped out at me

Different ships do things differently. That picture is of a different model than the SR. The SR has ratlines tied to each shroud.

 

[Vfordyce]

This question pertains to the ZHL Le Royal Soleil ship. The shroud & ratline sizes designated on the plans are - Black, U2, U3 & U4.
U3 is being used for the lines on the lower shrouds and as shroud lines on upper section. I need to purchase more U3 but there is no designation for what size that is.
It appears to be 1mm but not positive. Also is the material poly? Has a bit of a sheen to it.
I contacted ZHL but received no reply.
U3 size?

Bud, I ran out of shroud thread early on and had to substitute or just make do. You'll need a lot more line if you're doing sails as well. I used a lot of sewing thread for some of the areas because it looked to be better scale. The discussion about wrapping around a dowel 10 times, measuring with a micrometer, and dividing by 10 works well for determining thickness. Then you can order some. Except for the shrouds, I only used half the thread supplied. I often substituted. I think ZHL skimped a little on the thread and on a few of the stick sizes. If you look at my build log by clicking on the model name in my signature block below, you'll notice I ran out and either ordered some from another source or contacted ZHL for more. It was during the height of covid, so it took some time to reach me.

 

[eldrin83]

Yes, only on the Mizzen lower shrouds do the ratlines go all the way across. Earlier ships than, say, 1775 may not be so rigged. Just FYI, and if it is OK to do so here, if you go to my thread on the USS Merrimack 1855, I have started a series of U Tube videos on scratch building sailing war ships. Right now I am serving the shrouds and stays. Perhaps it would assist you in your own build? I will be doing ratlines in a few weeks if things go as they have.

Do you have a link to the YouTube videos please or maybe a Title to search for? Thanks in advance