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Fishing line vs. EZ Line for rigging WWI A/C


Gazzas

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I have done a lot of pondering of this issue as I have recently just finished 2 WNW aircraft.

 

My initial assumption was that EZ Line was a "miracle" shortcut product that would make rigging much easier than using the traditional fishing line approach.

 

I was wrong.  Each has many strengths and many weaknesses, but on aggregate, I prefer fishing line.

 

There are some things you can do with EZ Line you can't do with fishing line, and vice versa.

 

I would always have both on hand and probably use both on a single subject.  It all depends.

 

But for "general rigging" where you could go either way depending on your preference, I find fishing line to be far easier to work with than EZ Line.

 

As I said, I thought it would be precisely the opposite! 

Edited by ringleheim
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I have (literally) a few models more than 10 plus years old rigged with EZ Line that are the same as the day I rigged them. Also have my DH.2 rigged w/EZ Line I built back in 2010 that is also the same as when I rigged it. 

 

This makes sense to me.

 

I believe fears associated with it failing long term are sort of a myth.

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Definitely agree with that.

EZ Line is far from perfect, and as Bob points out it adds no rigidity nor lateral strength to a model, so using if for interplane struts on the likes of a Felix are probably not a good idea. 

 

 

The other aspect here is how it takes to paint.  It doesn't. However, I have found that if you get the white EZ Line it does take very well to fabric dye pens. This also applies to the Prym knitting in thread that works wonders for simulation of the Brit flat rigging. 

With the purchase of a fabric dye pen from the likes of Hobby Lobby, you can change your rigging color to almost an infinite number of colors including grays, silvers, or anything in-between. 

 

 

The other hitch in the giddy-up here is that unlike the Uschi stuff, EZ Line's profile is very evidently flat. This is exacerbated in the EZ Line "Heavy" but is less noticeable in their fine version. 

The Uschi stuff is much finer than EZ Line, and comes in three thicknesses, with their "Super-Fine" not really being suitable for larger scales, but probably better for 72nd and the like. 

However to my knowledge, Uschi does not offer white, nor am I aware if it takes to fabric dye pens like EZ Line or the Prym thread. 

 

I have painted the normal black EZ line with no trouble whatsoever.

 

I have been using Ammo by MiG aluminum that has been well diluted so it is nice and runny.

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I have some experience with EZLine. I use a white line that I paint with acrylic tube paint. It looks great to my naked eye, but when I take photos, I can definitely tell that it is a flat line that I have twisted.

 

This may be because of the paint adding dimension to the line, or the reflective pigments in the silver tube paint. I generally paint the line with a mixture of silver and black.

 

As I venture into WNW kits, I don't want pictures ruined by a twist in the EZLine that I didn't see while attaching it.

 

Gaz

 

On my LVG I ended up twisting a few runs of the EZ Line as well.  One really got screwed up and is twisted around many times.  I find that you can hardly see the raw black EZ Line, but the moment you paint it some type of silver color it is MUCH more visible.  When I painted the twisted length of EZ Line it became a lot more noticeable.  

 

That was one of many reasons which led to me use fishing line almost exclusively on my second project (the Pfalz D.III I am almost done with now.  Photos to come soon in the "inspection" section.)

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Please discuss.

 

Gaz

 

Something to consider, which people are not really commenting on, is how you intend to apply whatever material you choose to use. 

 

For example, WNW suggests drilling .5mm holes to a depth of at least 1MM (I think) and then they just want you to stick a length of EZ Line into the hole with CA glue and let it dry.  You then cut the length a bit shorter than what you need, and then stretch it and glue it into the other hole.

 

Having worked with this stuff, I think I would find that process rather dicey.  I'm sure others get it to work just fine for them however.

 

But contrast this approach to whether or not you are going to use turnbuckles or some type of tubing.

 

If you are going to use tubing/turnbuckles, the hard part comes when you feed the material (EZ Line or fishing line) through the tube, through an eyelet that is glued into the model, and then back through the tube again, turning it back upon itself.

 

If you can do that process without any fuss, you can rig a model airplane. 

 

Feeding EZ Line back through the tubing is a *****; it is like trying to thread a wet noodle through the eye of a needle.

 

The EZ line binds up, rubs against itself as it is "grabby" and that process can be very frustrating.

 

Fishing line is strong and stiff; it goes back through the tube MUCH easier.

 

This single distinction is, to me, the reason to use fishing line and not EZ Line, assuming you are going the "tube" route and not just gluing the material into holes in the model.

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Something to consider, which people are not really commenting on, is how you intend to apply whatever material you choose to use. 

 

For example, WNW suggests drilling .5mm holes to a depth of at least 1MM (I think) and then they just want you to stick a length of EZ Line into the hole with CA glue and let it dry.  You then cut the length a bit shorter than what you need, and then stretch it and glue it into the other hole.

 

Having worked with this stuff, I think I would find that process rather dicey.  I'm sure others get it to work just fine for them however.

 

But contrast this approach to whether or not you are going to use turnbuckles or some type of tubing.

 

If you are going to use tubing/turnbuckles, the hard part comes when you feed the material (EZ Line or fishing line) through the tube, through an eyelet that is glued into the model, and then back through the tube again, turning it back upon itself.

 

If you can do that process without any fuss, you can rig a model airplane. 

 

Feeding EZ Line back through the tubing is a *****; it is like trying to thread a wet noodle through the eye of a needle.

 

The EZ line binds up, rubs against itself as it is "grabby" and that process can be very frustrating.

 

Fishing line is strong and stiff; it goes back through the tube MUCH easier.

 

This single distinction is, to me, the reason to use fishing line and not EZ Line, assuming you are going the "tube" route and not just gluing the material into holes in the model.

Thanks for a very helpful post. I'll be using Bob's buckles for this kit as they look to be a superior product.

 

From my prior experience, things can go wrong with using CA and EZLine straight to the wing. This may be from my own ham fistedness.

 

Thank you, all that have shared your insights into this question. I think I've made my decision to go with monofilament of a very fine diameter. I'll have to head to BCF and see what they've got. I'll get some of that lead thread for fly-tying, too.

 

BTW, BCF is Boating Camping Fishing, a sports retailer here in Australia.

 

Gaz

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I have done a lot of pondering of this issue as I have recently just finished 2 WNW aircraft.

 

My initial assumption was that EZ Line was a "miracle" shortcut product that would make rigging much easier than using the traditional fishing line approach.

 

I was wrong.  Each has many strengths and many weaknesses, but on aggregate, I prefer fishing line.

 

There are some things you can do with EZ Line you can't do with fishing line, and vice versa.

 

I would always have both on hand and probably use both on a single subject.  It all depends.

 

But for "general rigging" where you could go either way depending on your preference, I find fishing line to be far easier to work with than EZ Line.

 

As I said, I thought it would be precisely the opposite! 

I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to WNW kits, but I use EZ Line almost exclusively. Feeding the line back through a tube takes some practice, but it hasn't been too bad for me. I use a pair of good tweezers, and magnification is a must! 

This is the bell crank to control wing warping on the Fokker Eindecker.

DSCN1852_1.jpg

 

Thanks for a very helpful post. I'll be using Bob's buckles for this kit as they look to be a superior product.

 

From my prior experience, things can go wrong with using CA and EZLine straight to the wing. This may be from my own ham fistedness.

 

Thank you, all that have shared your insights into this question. I think I've made my decision to go with monofilament of a very fine diameter. I'll have to head to BCF and see what they've got. I'll get some of that lead thread for fly-tying, too.

 

BTW, BCF is Boating Camping Fishing, a sports retailer here in Australia.

 

Gaz

 

If you'll allow me to make some recommendations... the tube comes in various lengths; the smallest ones (1 mm long) are the ones I use for the crimps on the end of the rigging material. I use 2 or 2.5 mm for turnbuckles. Per a suggestion here, I put a white towel across my lap when working with these tiny parts - of my original 20 1mm tubes, the carpet monster claimed six. Now, I do the work on a white wash cloth; the loss rate has decreased significantly. The wash cloth prevents the parts from bouncing off the bench.

Edited by Bill_S
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I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to WNW kits, but I use EZ Line almost exclusively. Feeding the line back through a tube takes some practice, but it hasn't been too bad for me. I use a pair of good tweezers, and magnification is a must! 

This is the bell crank to control wing warping on the Fokker Eindecker.

 

 

 

If you'll allow me to make some recommendations... the tube comes in various lengths; the smallest ones (1 mm long) are the ones I use for the crimps on the end of the rigging material. I use 2 or 2.5 mm for turnbuckles. Per a suggestion here, I put a white towel across my lap when working with these tiny parts - of my original 20 1mm tubes, the carpet monster claimed six. Now, I do the work on a white wash cloth; the loss rate has decreased significantly. The wash cloth prevents the parts from bouncing off the bench.

 

Ooh, the white washcloth is another good idea.  Because my bench is built to be closer to my eyes than my waist, I tend to sit back a little, leaving a bit of a gap.  This is where the carpet monster gets his feed.  Sadly from the space between my legs, parts are known to go in any direction.  The worst is those pieces held firmly between the tweezers that are ejected into the ether never to be seen again.  I might have to lay a white sheet down...

 

Gaz

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I use a beach towel across my lap and that provides some extra length to clamp to the table on either side of me, just in case.

 

Also keeps my legs warm in the winter. :-)

Another good idea.  Though being cold is never a problem here.  I think I've seen frost twice here in the last 15 years.  Still, anything that can reduce the 'bounce' and 'travel' factors would save me a lot of aggravation.

 

Gaz

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I bought some monokasten line once that was so fine I couldn't even feel it between my fingers, or see it more than 2-3 feet away.  I wanted it for rigging warships, but it really didn't work.

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Guest Clunkmeister

Anything I've said, I've said hundreds of times. Mono line always for me. The only exception being control runs. And even that is being re evaluated.

Edited by Clunkmeister
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The towel on the lap is a great idea.

 

I bought .5mm OD/.3mm ID brass tubing from Sprue Brothers and cut it to length.  Just gently rub a fresh razor blade along it and roll it back and forth with light pressure...it cuts rather quickly and won't bend the tubing.

 

This gives you the ability to create your own tubes in whatever length you require, and as many as you need.  Losing these things is common for me!  One will be right in front of you and you look away, come back, and it's like "Where did it go?"  Sometimes you find it, sometimes not.  

 

I have a theory that says a turnbuckle nymph comes and steals them.

 

I then bought a spool of the correct sized wire for eyelets, which will probably last me for 5 lifetimes.

 

This approach is quite cheap and it is nice to have to make a new batch of eyelets or turnbuckles, as it is gives you a moment to recuperate from the tedious process of threading material through tubes! 

 

One last big help (which was passed onto me and is not my own realization):  Whatever material you use, EZ Line or fishing line monofilament, use a TON of it.  

 

For one run of rigging on a wing, say, that goes from the upper wing to the bottom wing and is say 3" long, I might cut off a length of fishing line that is 20" long.  Way longer than needed.

This is wasteful, but it gives you the ability to do the threading through on the model, then get the tube right in front of you, well away from the model, where you can get it under control and focus on threading the line through the tube.  Once you get it through, you can quickly and easily take up as much slack as you need.

 

I routinely cut off "wasted" runs of 18" and more of thread.

 

This is OK; it makes the job so much easier and this stuff isn't that expensive.

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I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to WNW kits, but I use EZ Line almost exclusively. Feeding the line back through a tube takes some practice, but it hasn't been too bad for me. I use a pair of good tweezers, and magnification is a must! 

This is the bell crank to control wing warping on the Fokker Eindecker.

 

 

 

If you'll allow me to make some recommendations... the tube comes in various lengths; the smallest ones (1 mm long) are the ones I use for the crimps on the end of the rigging material. I use 2 or 2.5 mm for turnbuckles. Per a suggestion here, I put a white towel across my lap when working with these tiny parts - of my original 20 1mm tubes, the carpet monster claimed six. Now, I do the work on a white wash cloth; the loss rate has decreased significantly. The wash cloth prevents the parts from bouncing off the bench.

No doubt the EZ line will go through the tube!  I did my first kit almost all that way.

 

It's just that when I switched to fishing line, I found it to be consistently faster/easier.

 

Rigging is no doubt like a lot of things modeling related: it is best to do what you works for you!

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