rotten rigging

E

ESSEX

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I purchased two ships at an estate sale; 1878 Whaleship Wanderer and 1799 Frigate Essex. As near as I can determine they are early-mid 1950's solid hull models. They are by no means museum quality but a testament to the diligence of the original modeler who is unknown. I purchased the Wanderer for a family genealogy project and felt sorry for the Essex so bought it too.. They needed a good cleaning which I gave them and turned out nicely.

Only one problem, unknowingly to me the cotton rigging rotten. I should have known better as I'm 74 and some of my rigging is rotten too.

I need to replace what is broken and looking for a rigging source I also need to know if there is any possible way to stabilize the rigging still intact.

Any suggestions and source referrals are appreciated

Thanks
 
If the rigging line has decayed (as is often the case with models of this age which were exposed to direct sunlight and not kept in a glass case,) it must be replaced and replaced correctly with material that appears a close to the original as possible, which may take a bit of detective work.

As Allan advised, Syren Ship Model Company's rigging line is very fine. Another similar option is Ropes of Scale. https://ropesofscale.com/ Another option is laying up your own rigging line. Syren also sells a reasonably priced "rope making machine" that is powered by a standard drill motor. If you are going to be doing any amount of rigging, "rolling your own" is far more economical that the store boughten stuff and you can make up exactly whatever lays and sizes you want and never have to wait for a mail order to be delivered in the middle of a project because you ran out of the line you need.

Depending on the quality and scale of these models, they may not require accurate scale cordage and ordinary thread from a sewing store may suffice, in which case you should look for a synthetic or synthetic blend thread rather than cotton. In the natural fiber line, linen would be first choice and silk perhaps a distant second in terms of archival quality, but synthetics have rendered these natural fibers obsolete, and they are quite difficult to source these days.

You are correct that some rigging thread has a relatively short lifespan. You may be able to rejuvenate what's intact by applying a single coat of thinned shellac to it with a fine brush. This will make the line somewhat stiff but should not affect the appearance of the line and will add considerable strength to the thread. It will also seal knots and prevent them from coming loose. Pre-mixed canned shellac is widely available in paint and hardware stores. You should look for Zinsser's Bullseye brand clear shellac. (It also comes in "amber" color, but you don't want to change the color of the line when you apply it.) Bullseye is, IIRC, a "three-pound cut," which means that three pounds of shellac flakes are dissolved in one gallon of denatured alcohol. Applying it straight out of the can should be fine, but in case you need to thin it, and for cleaning brushes, etc., also pick up a can of denatured alcohol which is the solvent used in shellac. If the liquid shellac thickens due to the alcohol evaporating, simply add more alcohol and mix well. Only apply a single coat and it will soak deeply into the thread. Don't add additional coats or, as the coats build up, the shellac will form a glossy finish on the line. If for some reason you want to remove the shellac or clean up a drip, use alcohol on a cotton ball or piece of paper towel and the alcohol will dissolve the dried shellac and it can then be blotted up and wiped off.

If the models are not now in cases and you wish to preserve them, you should make (or have made) cases to protect them.
 
ConsNZ - Your signature reminds me of Silent Disco...... :) Sorry to go off topic, but when I saw it, it brought back memories of recent nights participating in it.
Allan
 
Bob Cleek said:
If the rigging line has decayed (as is often the case with models of this age which were exposed to direct sunlight and not kept in a glass case,) it must be replaced and replaced correctly with material that appears a close to the original as possible, which may take a bit of detective work.

As Allan advised, Syren Ship Model Company's rigging line is very fine. Another similar option is Ropes of Scale. https://ropesofscale.com/ Another option is laying up your own rigging line. Syren also sells a reasonably priced "rope making machine" that is powered by a standard drill motor. If you are going to be doing any amount of rigging, "rolling your own" is far more economical that the store boughten stuff and you can make up exactly whatever lays and sizes you want and never have to wait for a mail order to be delivered in the middle of a project because you ran out of the line you need.

Depending on the quality and scale of these models, they may not require accurate scale cordage and ordinary thread from a sewing store may suffice, in which case you should look for a synthetic or synthetic blend thread rather than cotton. In the natural fiber line, linen would be first choice and silk perhaps a distant second in terms of archival quality, but synthetics have rendered these natural fibers obsolete, and they are quite difficult to source these days.

You are correct that some rigging thread has a relatively short lifespan. You may be able to rejuvenate what's intact by applying a single coat of thinned shellac to it with a fine brush. This will make the line somewhat stiff but should not affect the appearance of the line and will add considerable strength to the thread. It will also seal knots and prevent them from coming loose. Pre-mixed canned shellac is widely available in paint and hardware stores. You should look for Zinsser's Bullseye brand clear shellac. (It also comes in "amber" color, but you don't want to change the color of the line when you apply it.) Bullseye is, IIRC, a "three-pound cut," which means that three pounds of shellac flakes are dissolved in one gallon of denatured alcohol. Applying it straight out of the can should be fine, but in case you need to thin it, and for cleaning brushes, etc., also pick up a can of denatured alcohol which is the solvent used in shellac. If the liquid shellac thickens due to the alcohol evaporating, simply add more alcohol and mix well. Only apply a single coat and it will soak deeply into the thread. Don't add additional coats or, as the coats build up, the shellac will form a glossy finish on the line. If for some reason you want to remove the shellac or clean up a drip, use alcohol on a cotton ball or piece of paper towel and the alcohol will dissolve the dried shellac and it can then be blotted up and wiped off.

If the models are not now in cases and you wish to preserve them, you should make (or have made) cases to protect them.
Click to expand...
Hi Bob
Thank you and all others for the information. I have seen some mention of shellac and also wax but wax was used more in new cotton rigging. I was considering the use of wax oil products like Osmo, Roxio et al and applying with a detailing cotton swab. Shellac is not a problem for me though as it seems like the best solution.

Neither ship was kept in a case. In fact, they were both covered in cobwebs when I rescued them. Apparently for quite some time as the gentleman's wife who passed and never seen them and she said they had been married for 40+ years. Took quite a bit of effort to clean them up but they look great to me. Stabilizing the rigging would be a big plus for me.

I have researched cases and I found a couple in my budget I calculated the size I need for the Wanderer is 29" long x 12" wide x 22" tall. I'm thinking 3/16" material.

https://www.tapplastics.com laser cut panels only. I would have to dress edges for solvent welding.

https://www.acrylicjob.com is click/snap no solvent welding required

Do you have any experience with these or others.

Thanks again
Jamie
 
Over the years I have built a dozen cases to house my ship model collection. My first effort was a plexiglass case to house my one and only kit built model; a 1;144 scale Model Shipways Harriett Lane. The case was a sad affair with adhesive smeared on the Plexiglass. The model is now housed in a glass case.

My glass cases use single strength glass. I have found ordinary window glass to work well. The glass is set in a wooden frame built from cabinet grade lumber. I have used cherry, teak, mahogany, and native black walnut (my favorite) the frame pieces are grooved with a table saw. The blade cuts a groove that fits the glass. I use epoxy to glue the frame together.

Hint: Brown poster paint powder can be mixed with the epoxy to color it.

The glass is not glued into the frame. First, this is unnecessary. Second, the case should not be airtight. These old models that you have likely will have some lead alloy cast parts. Lead in a sealed environment will corrode.

My system does not involve complicated precision cabinetry. My cases are neat but simple and protect the model. One model has been in its case for 40 years.

BTW: I would be most interested in a photo of your Wanderer model. AJ Fisher once advertised a Wanderer Kit. A J Fisher was once the Rolls Royce of ship model kit manufacturers. Their small fittings were exceptional; small turned brass parts, boxwood ladders, etc.

Roger
 
seems regardless of what we used for rigging, they all break down over the years, cased or not. i have a couple ships that are 50+ years old and rigging is breaking down. its fine as long as i dont fiddle with them, but they are brittle. i don't t see any viable solution other than replacing them. yes maybe Shellac n oils... etc may work for now, but thats just a band aid on an infection. it will buy you a few more years... then what?... replacement!
 
If your goal is to just preserve the old cotton rigging, you might think of soaking in very thin CA "super glue" which will lock in fibers, but make the lines stiff.
 
Many many years, when Model Shipways sold ship model kits in yellow boxes, I bought several sizes of rigging line from them. It turned out to be linen Cuttyhunk Hard Twisted fishing line. It’s great stuff and looks like real rope. It sometimes shows up on EBay.

Roger
 
Roger Pellett said:
Over the years I have built a dozen cases to house my ship model collection. My first effort was a plexiglass case to house my one and only kit built model; a 1;144 scale Model Shipways Harriett Lane. The case was a sad affair with adhesive smeared on the Plexiglass. The model is now housed in a glass case.

My glass cases use single strength glass. I have found ordinary window glass to work well. The glass is set in a wooden frame built from cabinet grade lumber. I have used cherry, teak, mahogany, and native black walnut (my favorite) the frame pieces are grooved with a table saw. The blade cuts a groove that fits the glass. I use epoxy to glue the frame together.

Hint: Brown poster paint powder can be mixed with the epoxy to color it.

The glass is not glued into the frame. First, this is unnecessary. Second, the case should not be airtight. These old models that you have likely will have some lead alloy cast parts. Lead in a sealed environment will corrode.

My system does not involve complicated precision cabinetry. My cases are neat but simple and protect the model. One model has been in its case for 40 years.

BTW: I would be most interested in a photo of your Wanderer model. AJ Fisher once advertised a Wanderer Kit. A J Fisher was once the Rolls Royce of ship model kit manufacturers. Their small fittings were exceptional; small turned brass parts, boxwood ladders, etc.

Roger
Click to expand...
Roger,

Thanks for the information on your glass case information. It's easy enough to get glass cut so I'm interested. Could I get more information. Do you make and sell "some assembly required kits" or would I be making a total DIY. If DIY do you have plans for sale. When my dad passed away I inherited a late 19th or early 20th Century captains chest my grandfather purchased for my dad. I believe it is walnut and would like finish to match.

Is there a particular area or section you would like to have to identify who the kit manufacturer was. I tried to identify and can not find any match.

Jamie
 
Roger Pellett said:
My glass cases use single strength glass. I have found ordinary window glass to work well.
Click to expand...
I have found the same, but for the last couple of cases I've built, I've used "picture framing glass" from a picture framing shop. This is easier to source, for one thing. If you go to the framing department in most craft stores (e.g., Michaels) they can cut you any sized sheet of glass used for picture framing. This glass is perfectly clear but has UV filtering and non-glare properties. It's designed for picture frames where distortion, glare, and UV protection is desired. I haven't noticed that it's any more expensive than plain window glass and it has the added feature of usually being available "while you wait."
 
ESSEX said:
Hi Bob
Thank you and all others for the information. I have seen some mention of shellac and also wax but wax was used more in new cotton rigging. I was considering the use of wax oil products like Osmo, Roxio et al and applying with a detailing cotton swab. Shellac is not a problem for me though as it seems like the best solution.

Neither ship was kept in a case. In fact, they were both covered in cobwebs when I rescued them. Apparently for quite some time as the gentleman's wife who passed and never seen them and she said they had been married for 40+ years. Took quite a bit of effort to clean them up but they look great to me. Stabilizing the rigging would be a big plus for me.

I have researched cases and I found a couple in my budget I calculated the size I need for the Wanderer is 29" long x 12" wide x 22" tall. I'm thinking 3/16" material.

https://www.tapplastics.com laser cut panels only. I would have to dress edges for solvent welding.

https://www.acrylicjob.com is click/snap no solvent welding required

Do you have any experience with these or others.

Thanks again
Jamie
Click to expand...

A few thoughts in response. My own opinions:

I always consider the archival qualities of any material I put into a model. I follow the Specifications for Construction of Exhibition Models of U.S. Naval Vessels issued by the U.S. Navy's Sea Systems Command, Curator of Models: https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/Wa...ications-for-Building-Exhibition-Ship-Models/ These specifications are the "state of the art" for fine ship models. Most serious modelers follow them as much as possible and most museums and serious collectors demand them. Some deviation is possible but modern synthetic materials, particularly adhesives and coatings, should be avoided not simply because they may not meet the threshold hundred-year archival requirement, but also because the Navy standards produce a model which, if and when maintenance or restoration is required, will be amenable to disassembly for repair as needed with minimal impact to the rest of the model. For this reason, I would not use anything other than shellac on rigging cordage.

Like most modelers working for over fifty years in the game now, I once considered waxing rigging cordage to be mandatory. I no longer do. Bees wax is quite acidic for one thing, and for another, it seems to attract and hold dust like a magnet does iron filings. Microcrystaline "museum wax" is ph neutral but still poses the dust problem and is more difficult to apply to the cordage than bee's wax. The modern synthetic and synthetic/natural blend thread at this point seems sufficiently archival and doesn't present the problem of "fuzz" that natural threads often do. Linen thread, once the standard, is no longer readily available and, for modeling purposes, relatively extinct. I now defer to the opinion of the conservators at a number of major museums who are specifying Gutermann Mara polyester thread for rigging cordage. There are different grades of this stuff for the professional and the home sewing markets. Spools of the quantities and the colors one needs for laying up their own scale cordage can be ordered online from Wawak tailoring supply house: https://www.blog.wawak.com/post/gutermann-mara-thread-color-chart

Based on my own experience, which is to say my assessment may be biased by my own lack of skill, I would not consider an acrylic or polycarbonate case for a ship model. I have found getting a perfect joint glued to construct a plastic case to be near impossible unless one is a trained professional with the shop equipment to get the job done right. Acrylic and polycarbonate sheet is a rather expensive material as well and some of it isn't scratch proof. Plastics will outgas to some degree and outgassing can create an environment in a case which will promote degradation of the model. While admittedly a matter of personal taste, I've never thought an unframed case benefits the aesthetics of a model's presentation. I feel this is particularly true with period ship models. There's just something "solid and traditional" about a wooden framed display case.

Again, it's just my own personal opinion, but I've always found built cases to be outrageously overpriced for what they are. I suppose the high prices are an indication of what the market will bear, more than anything else, and the challenges posed by shipping the finished product, of course. Anyone who can build a ship model, or even assemble a ship model kit, ought to have no problem building a case for it. In terms of tools, all that is required is a table saw, a means of precisely cutting forty-five-degree angles and a means of clamping the mitered joints for assembly. The glazing for a case is easily held in a groove cut in the frame pieces with the table saw. If one doesn't have a table saw, it should be easy enough to find a friend who does or a local junior college manual arts class shop where a table saw can be accessed. The building of a case couldn't be simpler in terms of woodworking skills. There must be any number of practicums online for case building. It's simple enough that one doesn't even need plans and can just "wing it" freehand, although a few measurement notes never hurt! :D On the other hand, there's nothing preventing building a case that does credit to the fine custom furniture maker's art.
 
Bob Cleek said:
into a model. I follow the Specifications for Construction of Exhibition Models of U.S. Naval Vessels issued by the U.S. Navy's Sea Systems Command, Curator of Models: https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/Wa...ications-for-Building-Exhibition-Ship-Models/ These specifications are the "state of the art" for fine ship models. Most serious modelers follow them as much as possible and most museums and
Click to expand...
it's interesting the link you posted; recomendations for rigging

"Rigging...
Layed rope shall be represented with first-quality, twisted, linen line. Wire cable will be used to represent wire cable. Wire will be used to represent wire. Care shall be given to insure the proper color of all rigging. Knots and seizings may be secured with thinned white glue."

yet most people here are using synthetics these days because linen has become so hard to find.

does anyone know of any studies or have a link to articles for what the longevity is for the different types of threads we use?

i can say cotton and maybe some linen threads on my 50 year old ships are brittle now. my newer ships have a mix of synthetics and cotton only because good quality is hard to find in colors n weights needed. the way i figure it at this point, i wont be around to worry about it when it rots. :eek:

then on the otherhand... how long do you expect or want your ships to last sitting on a shelf in your house collecting dust... forever?
 
Last edited:
paul ron said:
it's interesting the link you posted; recomendations for rigging

"Rigging...
Layed rope shall be represented with first-quality, twisted, linen line. Wire cable will be used to represent wire cable. Wire will be used to represent wire. Care shall be given to insure the proper color of all rigging. Knots and seizings may be secured with thinned white glue."

yet most people here are using synthetics these days because linen has become so hard to find.

does anyone know of any studies or have a link to articles for what the longevity is for the different types of threads we use?

i can say cotton and maybe some linen threads on my 50 year old ships are brittle now. my newer ships have a mix of synthetics and cotton only because good quality is hard to find in colors n weights needed. the way i figure it at this point, i wont be around to worry about it when it rots. :eek:

then on the other hand... how long do you expect or want your ships to last sitting on a shelf in your house collecting dust... forever?
Click to expand...

The U.S. Navy NAVSEA model requirements have been around for over twenty years that I can remember and probably longer than that. I believe they reach back to the beginning of the "Gibbs and Cox" era when that firm's model shop was providing a model for every navy hull they designed beginning around WWII. At that time, linen thread was the longest-lasting available with silk coming in second. In the intervening years, synthetic fibers took over and, ultimately, linen thread of the quality required for ship modeling ceased to be produced other than, perhaps, on special order at a price premium that precluded continued retail sales.

Reliable reports are that major maritime museum curators and restorationists have determined that polyester thread is the best option available at the present time. Specifically, Gutermann Mara brand. Alan Smith linked an interesting article on thread longevity to his post immediately above: https://www.threadart.com/blogs/lea...threads boast an,heat, sunlight, and moisture. The lifespans indicated in the article were surprisingly short, but these are addressing thread life in its usual environment and employment to sew cloth together. As one of the primary degrading factors is ultraviolet radiation, in modeling applications that consideration becomes somewhat moot as it is standard practice to display ship models outside of direct sunlight. One notable good feature of polyester thread is that because it is made from extruded filaments, it doesn't have any fine "fuzz," so when laid up into miniature rope, the appearance is very sharp and crisp without any fuzziness.

I suppose it's up to every individual modeler to determine the standards of quality to which they will aspire and that determines how long their models will last. There are those who maintain that "perfect is the enemy of good enough." I am one who strives for perfection in such things, seeking always to "do the common thing uncommonly well." For myself, at least, it's a challenge to make each one better than the last.
 
Just a caution on adding shellac to rigging. I have a model built by an ancestor about 150 years ago. About 100 years ago, a friend of the family re-rigged it. When he finished, he treated the lines with shellac, which caused them to tighten up and break quite a few parts. He was so discouraged that it has remained that way since. I got into ship modeling to learn enough skills to feel confident about restoring it, but 10 years in I am still learning and will probably never touch it.
IMG_1499.JPG
 
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