I am running out of black rigging thread. I have found several websites that sell it. My ship came with small, medium and large thread. Most websites list it in 5-6 diameters. What would correlate to my small, med. and large? Any one brand recommended over another?

Hey Darrell,

If you can measure the thickness of the thread, you should can easily find a replacement I would think. The kit might have supplied common thread for the rigging...if so, Michael's, AC Moore or someplace comparable would carry similar threads.

Two other sourcing for rigging off the top of my head are:

Model Expo - http://www.modelexpo-online.com/search.asp?SKW=cat1_II

Syren - http://www.syrenshipmodelcompany.com/miniature-rope.php#!/c/6029025/inview=category11571019&offset=0&sort=normal

The Syren site has a small chart at the top of the rigging page that can be downloaded and printed...might help narrow down a size you are looking for.

Good luck!

thanks. I don't know any way to measure existing thread.

Hello;
Mark a round dowel with 2 marks one half inch apart. Wind the thread around the dowel tight and count the turns. Then divide the number of turns into 500 wich is a half inch in decimal. The numder is the thread size in thousands of an inch. Example 25 turns divided into 500 is 20 or .020

Bill

I assume you mean a 1/2" dowel.

Yes a half in dowel but you could use any diameter dowel just as long as you know the diameter.

Bill

You may also want to check out Cottage Industry Models website. Their cordage looks very similar to actual rope. Hope this helps out. Here's their link:
http://cottageindustrymodels.com/?page_id=153

BlueJacket Shipcrafters http://www.bluejacketinc.com has offered a meticulously researched 1/96 CONSTITUTION for decades and there are a lot more than three sizes of thread used. You could contact them and describe where the different sizes go or send them a short sample of each and they could probably provide you with what you need.

Al Ross

If I could make a small suggestion. I've rigged a dozen or so ship models in the past 10 years for commission builds. One of the best tricks professional shipmodelers use is to buy plain, high quality silk thread in various colors and sizes from any standard sewing shop or craft store, and then wax and cut it to suit the needs of the model. Model Expo carries wax and a threading device to wax lines. However I prefer natural beeswax I buy in a local farmers market. I've repaired a couple of ships for an insurance claim (they were damaged in a break in) which had been rigged with wax coated thread that had been in place for 50 years. With this method, you can buy as much thread as you need in any size you need for a fraction of the cost. Waxed thread is strong, and will last a long long time.
VR, Russ