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Rigging Screws

- by Marcus Schormann

dagmar aaen1.jpgEven in a very small scale it should be possible to show small details, so I found while building the two models I want to take as an example. From the beginning of the last century rigging screws came in use on sailing ships. But how to construct them in the scale of 1:200 or smaller? Using thin pipes was the solution.

reca3.jpgThe only way to get pipes in such a small diameter is to buy them or find. You can find them by using injection-needles from your doctor. By using a very sharp knife you can cut them into small pieces in the same way like a plumber does it with his pipe-cutter. Just "roll" them on  the position of your measure on a hard surface.

On the position where your shroud or stay has to be fixed you need a small ring on deck or on top of the bulwark. These rings are made of a very thin brass-wire, formed in a loop and glued into a hole. I usely take an 0,3mm brass-wire.

reca2.jpgThe very thin thread we are using for the shrouds or stays will be led from top through the pipe, through the ring and then back through the pipe. After tighten the shroud you fix it with a half hitch on top of the rigging screw. For a modern yacht you leave it natural, looking like stainless-steel, for older ones use paint as the original demands.

dagmar aaen2.jpg reca1.jpg