max stafford Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 One of my current railway projects involves a Cowans & Sheldon rail mounted crane of 1940s vintage. All is going pretty well, but I'm going to need a suitable thread or similar agent for the hoist/rigging cable. The stuff I use for aircraft rigging is way too fine as this crane is one with a 10t lifting capacity. Does anybody know of anything suitable. Cotton thread is a complete no-no as it's too 'hairy'! Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Gordon Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 G'day Dave, Very fine wire twisted into a single thread is my usual choice for representing wire rope.3 strands wound into 1 can give a very effective result,the trick is twisting them evenly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max stafford Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 G'day Dave,Very fine wire twisted into a single thread is my usual choice for representing wire rope.3 strands wound into 1 can give a very effective result,the trick is twisting them evenly. Thanks Alex and apologies for the late reply. This sounds like an interesting method and I will be having an experiment. I imagine the method involves anchoring the strands at one end and placing the other end in the chuck of a hand drill or similar? Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricB Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Thin guitar strings or cheese wire works well for 1/72 & 1/76 cables. Also cotton thread dipped in Klear and then pulled through your fingers- to get rid of the loose strands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Gordon Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 No worries Dave,it's not like you're throwing a sickie at work or anything.I like the sound of EricB's idea,could be a bit of mileage in it. As for my suggestion,yes that will work.Hold the free ends together while you are turning the other end with something suitable.A cordless drill nice and steady takes a lot of the ballache out of the job.Just make sure the strands of wire are straight and kink free before you start. Enjoy experimenting,it's surprisingly easy to make something that looks complex.It's also just as easy to make a balls of it,been there done that still do on a laughably regular basis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now