WnW AMC DH-2 7907 ---- 32 Sqn Sept 1916 ---- DONE!

[A.Wolf Grant]

Brian,

 

That's an extremely cogent and very useful response, thanks very much indeed. I agree wholeheartedly and that's exactly what I'll do. You can understand my reticence I'm sure .. Sounds cheesy I know but the last thing I want is my customers not trusting the site by receiving stuff they suspect might be a "cheap" replacement of an item they originally believed to be from a well know manufacturer.

 

Thank once again,

 

Grant

 

 

 

 

[Out2gtcha]

Looks stellar so far Brian. Somethin' tells me though, the real fun is just about to begin. Good luck, I'll eventually be following your lead so rest assured I'll be staying tuned in.

 

Cheers,

Wolf

 

 

 

Thanks for the kind words Wolfeee and I you have no idea just how close you really are to the truth....................

 

 

Brian,

 

That's an extremely cogent and very useful response, thanks very much indeed. I agree wholeheartedly and that's exactly what I'll do. You can understand my reticence I'm sure .. Sounds cheesy I know but the last thing I want is my customers not trusting the site by receiving stuff they suspect might be a "cheap" replacement of an item they originally believed to be from a well know manufacturer.

 

Thank once again,

 

Grant

 

 

 

 

 

Cool, NP at all Grant, Im just happy I could help and VERY happy I found that little blurb in their accessories section..................

 

 

 

 

Now then, on to business!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's now time......................................

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What time you say??

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hammer RIGGING TIME!!!!!

 

 

So, this being my first foray into this maddening world.............or joyful world depending on your mind state, I thought Id get organized a bit now that the flat RFC wire material came in, along with the turnbuckles from Greece.

 

I started off by doing another mid-build cleaning session, and got out all of the needed equipment to get started rigging this thing.

 

Here is how I started:

 

Got my little rigging area set up with room to work and all tools and AM needed laid out for quick access -

 

 

 

 

Since I had a week or more to think about how I wanted to do this while I waited for the Prym thread and turnbuckles from Gaspatch..................and since Im a newb at rigging, I started looking over all of the various rigging techniques used on LSP as well as the other modeling sites.

 

I came to the conclusion that I will not be using any one specific technique to do this, but rather a combination of them. Thanks to Ron, Eric, James and a boo-coo load of other LSPers for their unknowing input on the best way to get the rigging done.

 

From my very little earlier experimentation with rigging, I have discovered a couple of things:

 

1 - EZ Line is very noticeably flat in profile, but not very consistent there

2 - Getting it (and the Prym thread for that matter) equates to trying to push a piece of cooked spaghetti in a straight line

3 - One of the main issues with a lot of the rigging techniques I see, over and over, is trying to get the rigging material back through a bobs buckles type tube, when using the loop technique to pull the rigging back through and out the tube

4 - Im really going to try to get as much of this thing rigged with the top wing off as I can.

 

I came up with a couple little surprise ideas that I used in this technique, that worked out really well, and actually addressed a couple of the issues mentioned above.

 

So, lets get started!

 

And thats just what I did................

Edited January 16, 2013 by Out2gtcha

[Guest Peterpools]

Brian

Good luck with the rigging and it's judgement time today

Can't wait to see the first in progress photos

[A.Wolf Grant]

Fantastic. I'm going to love watching this. I'd do the same .. clear the decks and only have to hand what you need for the job. See ! I'm learning after all !!

 

Grant

[Out2gtcha]

For the technique I used/will be using, I started off with getting as much of the upper wing rigged with BoBs buckles tubes and Prym thread as I can.

 

I have already installed Bobs eyelets previously last week in all the necessary places in the upper wing -

 

 

Since I will be starting the rigging process with the main wing box area first, this area calls for the RFC flat rigging, and will be represented by the Prym 770 thread.

I cut 6 - 8 US inch lengths at a time, enough for each set of strut areas, two at a time working from outer wing to inner -

 

 

Next I fixed (or at least helped greatly) the "spaghetti pushing syndrome" by taking my sharp mini-scissors and cutting each thread at a sharp angle and then threading the tubes through them.

Worked like a charm, easy peasy -

 

 

Here is where my technique will differ from some. I also think this eliminates an issue I and others have had with threading the rigging material around the eyelet and back through the tube.

 

Doing things this way means you only have to thread the rigging material through the tube once.

BUT, you still get the same permanent holding power as running the rigging back up and out the tube, to be cut off.

 

That brings me to another thing I saw in certain techniques that I wasn't a fan of; and that is having to cut off the excess out the top of the tube where it is most visible, and sometimes ending up with an ever so slightly visible "nub" there from the other part of the rigging thread pulled back up through the tube.

 

The way that I used means the excess part of the rigging thread that gets cut off, is on the base of the wire, where is is less visible, not sticking out of the top. The top way did work well for me and ive seen it used to GREAT effect, I just wanted to try something different.

 

Probably easier to show, rather than try to explain........................

 

As in the pic above, I cut the thread at a sharp angle, ran a BoBs tube down its length, and fed the piece of thread through the eyelet once.

 

Then I took my long nose jewelers tweezers and put a standard double loop knot in, so I could slide the knot down to where I needed it to be -

 

 

This is where I again verge from the main.......................

 

Now, before the knot is tightened, I slip in a piece of small plastic rod into the base of the knot, to make a small space (approx 1/2 the length of the tubes) between the knot and the eyelet, and then use a couple tweezers to pull the knot tight around the smooth rod -

 

 

This pulling action here with no glue, means the knot is pulled quite tight, and gets significantly smaller. Also key in my technique.

 

I then could pull the plastic rod free, leaving a very small space (enough to make the rigging free and movable yet strong and tight) between the tied knot, and the eyelet itself.

This does two things:

1 - makes the rigging line a bit more free to move to the angle it needs later

2 - the space lets the tube "pop" over the top of the knot and seat down nicely

 

Now, with the help of my "3rd hand" handy holder thingy, I stretched the line just a bit taught, and slid the tube down to the knot. Since the knot was pulled quite tight and small earlier, and the both the EZ Line and the Prym thread are very stretchy, the tube kind of "pops" over the knot and hides it completely.

 

Now, with the tube over the knot, and the excess thread piece sticking out of teh bottom of the wire base (not really visible in this pic) I used a cut needle head to apply super thin CA, and capillary action wicks it into the tube and then into the knot -

 

 

With the rigging wire now glued, you can stretch the excess bit out, and cut it off as close to the base of the knot as you can, without actually cutting the knot, and it retracts a bit up into the base, revealing a clean, strong joint, where any excess at the base is harder to notice.

 

 

 

It makes for a nice clean, strong joint without the hassle of having to re-thread the rigging back through the tube -

 

 

 

After just a and hour - hr 1/2 I had 1/2 of the upper wing done -

 

 

Im sure not impressive to some rigging expert-en out there, but once I had my technique for this end of the rigging down, things started to progress faster..................then work. Blah.....more of that tonight, but Im going to resume rigging in the next day or two depending on when the strafer lands at my door.

 

Ill be experimenting with the other end of the rigging lines containing the Gaspatch turnbuckles once this phase is done. This seems to be progressing WAY faster than I had initially thought.........and it turns out I was right............

 

Me and my manual dexterity actually LIKE rigging!!

 

 

Tired...........havnt slept yet. More later gents.

 

Cheers,

 

Edited January 16, 2013 by Out2gtcha

[Qvarre]

Hi Brian

I like your workspace,tidy.When it come to rigging of a WW1 plae the fun begin:-) You seam to. Have a good idea about howto work it out.Good luck and I looking forward for the next update.

LarsaQ

[DougN]

Interesting approach to the rigging Brian, I like it! Have you tried painting the Prym stuff yet? Too bad they don't make a steel or black colored thread. Lookng forward to more!

 

Doug

[Shawn M]

great approach! Im gonna use that on mine.

[Out2gtcha]

Hi Brian I like your workspace,tidy.When it come to rigging of a WW1 plae the fun begin:-) You seam to. Have a good idea about howto work it out.Good luck and I looking forward for the next update. LarsaQ

 

Thanks Larsa, Im hoping to have another rigging update in the next day or so.

 

 

Interesting approach to the rigging Brian, I like it! Have you tried painting the Prym stuff yet? Too bad they don't make a steel or black colored thread. Lookng forward to more!

 

Doug

 

Thanks Doug, not too bad on my first outing. Ive heard people coloring it with marker actually, but since in this case, there is SO much of it, and then a mix of round/EZ Line, (might still yet use some equivalent round stuff ) on top of that, Im likely just going to leave them.

 

But, was thinking about experimenting on weathering them a bit?

 

 

 

great approach! Im gonna use that on mine.

 

 

Thanks Shawn! I hope it continues to work well.

[Guest Peterpools]

Brian

My nerves are shot just watching you start the rigging. So far, your approach is working out quite nicely real and looks great.

I'm still a bit away from having to deal with the rigging on the Fokker but that day is coming.. Oh what joy!

Keep 'em coning

[DrDave]

Very nice. I'll copy that. Can I suggest you get some curved spring loaded scissors for thread cutting?

[mdeanstrauss]

did you learn this technique doing heart bypass surgeries?

[Out2gtcha]

Brian

My nerves are shot just watching you start the rigging. So far, your approach is working out quite nicely real and looks great.

I'm still a bit away from having to deal with the rigging on the Fokker but that day is coming.. Oh what joy!

Keep 'em coning

 

Thanks Peter, Im sure you wont have any issues with teh D VII. Ive got all three versions and cant wait to start one, yours looks stellar so far, and im sure with the minimal amount of rigging on it, you wont have any probs.

 

 

 

Very nice. I'll copy that. Can I suggest you get some curved spring loaded scissors for thread cutting?

 

 

Yeah, ive got the two smaller scissors for cutting, and found that the one that has a curved blade (I use it with the scissors blade curved away from the knot im cutting - less chance of cutting the knot itself) is really handy but your right, Id love it if it had a spring handle on it instead. Ive looked for the spring handled ones before as of yet, have not found one that has a curved blade.

 

Im sure they are out there, I just need to get off my duff and look

 

did you learn this technique doing heart bypass surgeries?

 

 

lol, I wish, cause I could afford to do this kind of stuff 24/7! No, really just be perusing LSP builds as well as the net, just looking for ideas.............then took the best of those that I liked and just added a couple ideas of my own to fix some things I wasnt happy with in the other techniques and viola!

 

 

Well, I just got back from my local Hobby Lobby (for those of you who dont have them or are not in the US its a sewing/hobby/fabric kind of hobby store as aposed to the LHS kind of hobby store) and brought back some synthetic elastic thread (round in profile) and after just wandering the store for a while stumbled upon these:

 

 

They are basically pigment fabric dye pens. Supposedly permanent after drying for 24 hrs.

 

I picked up two, "Grey" (darker grey) and "Mist Grey" (much lighter grey).

Im going to start experiments with these tonight on all 3 materials, the EZ Line, the Prym rigging and the newly purchased round profile synthetic elastic thread.

 

Ill see how they go on each, and what they look like tomorrow after drying.

 

Im heading down tonight to finish putting the decals on the wing struts, then detailing the strut connections on the rear fuselage and getting them weathered.

 

Hopefully by tomorrow night Ill be able to maybe even get the upper wing glued on. Im also intending on getting as much of the rear fuselage frame rigged as I can off of the airframe.

 

Till later gents.........

Edited January 18, 2013 by Out2gtcha

[Guest Peterpools]

Brian

I'm hoping!

[Out2gtcha]

Can I suggest you get some curved spring loaded scissors for thread cutting?

 

 

Started thinking about some of the issues with the other scissors I was having (slightly dull but right shape and no spring action as you pointed out) but all of teh spring loaded medical/surgical style micro scissors seemed more flimsy and cheap. Some of the other ones seemed a bit bulky.

 

I actually went back to the fabric department and found these:

 

 

These thread snips although not a curved blade like I was using before, are exceptionally sharp and are made by Fiskars, a higher end scissors maker here in the US (My mom always had Fiskars scissors when I was a kid.........always had the same pair or two my entire childhood).

 

These are actually quite tiny in my hand, but the finger ring does seem to offer quite a bit more control.

They were a tad more expensive than the smaller surgical style micro scissors, but they do come with a lifetime guarantee, so no need to worry about them ever breaking or getting dull.

 

im off to try em out for real!

 

Cheers.