Seizing loops

Yeah, it was oversized ships(real) I was thinking of. I remember the first time I saw one I thought, "That will never hold." and then I kept seeing them so I thought I'd better ask.
 
Don Case said:
Yeah, it was oversized ships(real) I was thinking of. I remember the first time I saw one I thought, "That will never hold." and then I kept seeing them so I thought I'd better ask.
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You'd be surprised how much extra friction is provided by wrapping a bight around something. Seizing for to form eyes is still used, using metal fastenings for seizing metal cable, and traditional line for seizing rope. Multiple seizes are much stronger than single ones.
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I can remember being in a logging camp when I was a kid and watching a guy splice an eye in a 2" diameter wire rope. He used a 1' long marlin spike and a two pound hammer in place of the needle. It was hard work even watching him.
 
J Merton said:
As one who has formal training in rescue rigging (which is quite similar to that on ships) I can confirm that Darivs has the correct answer here. Although long wraps are perhaps more frequently used than several short ones.
Also: Tar has a bonding function, which also adds to the friction coefficient.
Tar can be used at scale. Real ships did not use CA glue.
Get some 1/2" hemp rope, make a simple loop eye and seize it tightly for a foot or so with twine. Hook it over something and try to pull it loose. See for yourself.
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"Real ships did not use CA glue".........you're suggesting the use of actual tar for modelling ship rigging?
 
J Merton said:
Absolutely! This is both scale and material appropriate. Scale rope can be tarred by thinning the tar with pine turpentine (or perhaps other solvents). If you cannot find real tar, musician's rosin (a refined pine tar) can be blackened with charcoal or candle soot.
You may need to experiment with your method. But model making contains a lot of trial and try again, does it not?
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I'll stick with CA (no pun intended.....)
 
I worked at US Steel for 3 summers during college in their management trainee program, and as such, worked in all areas of the plant, including the riggers. I was surprised how steel cables could be spliced together to form loops and such, similar to that shown above but much more complex, rather than using "U-bolts" to connect them. I learned how to do it myself, finding it fascinating. Unfortunately, 55 years and poor eyes later, I find it impossible to do to a ship model.
 
ONT1780 said:
Be careful with the CA it makes the area brittle. I prefer head cement, used by anglers who tie their own flies.
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I have a LOT of head cement (including UV cured) but never considered it for ship building. Its expensive. I'd use Titebond PVA's if they cured quicker. I've tied a few flies....DSC_2309.JPGDSC_2306.JPGDSC_2305.JPG
 
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J Merton said:
Absolutely! This is both scale and material appropriate. Scale rope can be tarred by thinning the tar with pine turpentine (or perhaps other solvents). If you cannot find real tar, musician's rosin (a refined pine tar) can be blackened with charcoal or candle soot.
You may need to experiment with your method. But model making contains a lot of trial and try again, does it not?
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I have a bottle of pine tar that I use for staining sails (diluted). I can verify that it's pretty sticky stuff and will probably harden with age. As for replacing glue with it, well, unless you are actually trying to simulate the conditions of a prisoner of war model ship builder while working on your model, I wouldn't choose it.
 
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