"Help rigging 1:1200 ships" Topic

Hello,
I was a good boy and Santa brought me some 1:1200
GHQ sailing ships. Great ships, but how in the world
does one drill a 0.05 hole in anything? (Mast, ship, ...)

ANY suggestions would be quite welcome.

THanks
Dan

I tried rigging my first couple of Langton 1/1200 ships using a needle to make the holes and found it very difficult and time consuming. For my subsequent ships I used a hobby drill with very small drill bits to make the holes and I was given a 'machine' needle threader by my mother in law which made the rigging rigmarole so much easier. The needle threader can be obtaned at a haberdashers or department store and is very cheap.

In fact Langton has a book about rigging, an it is quit good.
Happy New Year
Ataulfo

I also rig Langton ships. For the holes I use a pin vise with a very small drill bit (hobby drills) - have no problems drilling the holes. His book is very good - worth the small(ish) investment.

Drilling the holes in the bulwarks or "chains" of the vessel is relatively easy with a pin chuck and an appropriate size drill bit. I wouldn't recommend drilling the mast or the bowsprit as this will weaken them considerably. Round turns and clove hitches are much better.

Threading the rigging thread through a hole not much bigger than the thread diameter can be a problem, but take heart, there is a fine trick you can employ.

A word of caution before we start. "Keep your fingers moving and be swift and be bold".

Put a drop of super glue, the liquid type, not gel onto a piece of scrap plastic. (old junk CD's are perfect for many uses) Trail the last inch of your rigging thread into the liquid glue until it soaks in.

Lift the thread clear of the glue and quickly pull the thread between your finger and thumb. As soon as the thread is clear of your fingers rub them together and break whatever bond is forming. I have done the hundreds of times and although you get some glue on your fingers, (which I am sure someone will tell me is highly toxic) I have never stuck them together - yet.

The thread however, as you pull it tight hardens instantly into a smooth stiff needle. Cutting the last fraction of an inch off the end will produce a point which you can thread through the finest of holes. The tip can be re-cut every so often to increase the life of your thread needle.

Incidentally, each knot can be secured with a drop of superglue applied with a cocktail stick.

As a chemistry technician I cannot resist the temptation... YES, superglue contains cyanoacrylate which is poisonous. That "cyan-" part is the same as in cyanide. However, superglue hardens very quickly in contact with moisture. That is why it stick so much better to your fingers than to the metal or plastic you are trying to glue. So fast indeed that it does not have time to spread in your body poisoning you.

Some variants are used as "suture glue", for closing cuts and stab wounds: the glue holds the wound closed and is just enough poisonous to kill germs that might have entered the wound. When the wound heals the stiff glue is expelled from the body. Amazing, really.

Maybe I'm alone here, but I cut and glue .015 or thinner wire for my rigging on my 1/1200s; looks great and is really stiffens the model and eliminates most damage from handling.

link Beadalon nylon colored wire is available in various colours and thicknesss. What I do is cut the proper length and just dip some white glue on the ends and put it in place. Easy peasy and it strengthens the sails in place.

Infini nylon rigging. It's springy so can take some handling.