Antenna wires - any advice?

[Guest]

Failing that, do you have a cat.

For some reason am now wiping coffee off the screen after reading that. Wondered what on earth you were going to say! :lol:

[Guest]

I have 7 cats....had a word with them and none of them were willing to give up just one whisker!

[Guest]

Have you tried fuse wire, it comes in different thickness`s and retains a sharp curve.

Tom

[stona]

Whatever you use make it fine! You'll still almost certainly be over scale. The real thing was stainless steel so a silver grey colour is about right.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

I have used EZ LINE as mentioned earlier. This can be obtained in white black (and many more for other modeling types) & about 3 thicknesses. Can also be shaded with a pen.

The great thing is that it stretches about ten times its normal length. So fixing it it can be tensioned ( no sagging not yet any way) & when your grandson picks up your latest model it stands a chance of not being screwed up.

Also used Gold Zack knitting in elastic (knicker elastic) which has similar properties to EZ line. Comes in white & can be tinted to colour required. Worked out when I first used them that both this & fine EZ line are about right for 1-72 scale. Gold Zack can be obtained on Amazon.

Laurie

[Guest]

As has been mentioned this is all about scale and what may be OK for the rigging of a 1/350 th scale ship may well not be the right size for an antenna on a 1/32 nd fighter. Think about what the scale size should be and use a material that is appropriate. I have used human hair for rigging small scale in the past, it works very well, but I've also used stretched sprue.

I am rigging a coaster at the moment in 1/32 nd and I've used various thicknesses of thread, copper cores from servo leads for funnel shrouds and picture hanging wire for the main mast shrouds.

[AlanG]

The EZ Line can be bought in the UK from little-cars.co.uk by the spool full. You cannot buy it (by credit card) from the berkshirejunction.com website so it's very hard to obtain here in the UK.

Shame there aren't more UK suppliers of this product (hint hint John lol)

[Gern]

I have 7 cats....had a word with them and none of them were willing to give up just one whisker!

You should really know better than to ask a cat for anything! :lol

They do lose them naturally so it's just a matter of keeping your eyes open. With that number, you won't have long to wait.

Gern

[Guest]

Crikey, a wife with steel-coloured hair. I jest, of course, but (in the U.K., at least) wartime aerials were made of stainless steel, and I've always found that stretched clear sprue looks mre realistic.

Edgar

[stona]

but (in the U.K., at least) wartime aerials were made of stainless steel, and I've always found that stretched clear sprue looks mre realistic.Edgar

German aerial wires were also steel.

Stretched clear sprue does look good but I have a nasty habit of burning my fingers!

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Also wire Tow cables...

Hi All,

My other past time is electronics, or playing with bits of wire. Stripping the PVC off, of multi-standed wire can make good tow cables and ropes. On this Cromwell their perhaps a TAD thin! Just put one end in a vice and as you slowly pull the covering off, twist it, warm hands or lots of friction help it slide off.

A coat of primer and paint as you wish, I use a mix of thinned Gunmetal and matt black!

Regards

Mel.

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[Guest]

I saw a site where they used superglue and some indeterminate wire-like substance(!). For the latter I've used fine guage fishing line successfully on four models so far.

[Guest]

I use really fine 27 denier thread for the aerial lines on `1/48 scale aircraft i get it from fly tying supply it is the perfect size after a light coating of paint

[Guest]

try going into a fishing tackle shop and buy a reel of leader material it comes in different strengths and diameters and you should find somthing in the 1-2lb strength that should do. Not onlt that but it comes in 100m reels for a few quid.

scott

[Adrian "Marvel" Reynolds]

I've starting using Knitting-in Elastic, I'll post pics of the models I have used it on soon, its nice and thin for the 1:48th I do and as it stretches you can keep it taught as you fasten it so no need to run a hot match under it later on. think I paid £2.75 for 200 metres should keep me going a while