Model Forum / General / Models / May 2005

The easy way to measure scale rope is to closely  wind ten turns (for thick
rope) and 20 or 30 turns (for thin rope) around a dowel.  You then measure
the total width and divide by the number of turns.  This is much more
accurate than trying to measure with a caliper or micrometer which tend to
flatten the line.

Scale rope is not thread.   There's a difference.  Thread consists of a
single strand.  Scale rope, like full sized rope, is made of three strands.
It looks different.  The most convenient source is Model Expo.  They carry a
full line of scale rope from several different manufacturers.  A cheaper
source, if you can find it, is to go to a  very good sewing supply center
and look at the button thread.  Often, such thread is (1) made out of silk
or polyester which is much better than the usual cotton, (2) is pre-waxed
which helps a lot in rigging, (3) is three-stranded and may be available in
both left-hand and right-hand wind, (4) far cheaper.

Boris