Model ship rigging guides
From the workshop
Model ship rigging guides
How scale rope is made, what thread to use, and how to rig a model that looks right.
Your machine
- How to use RopeMaster — setup and operating instructions, with the video guide and a printable PDF.
Everything we have written on scale rope and model-ship rigging, in one place. New to the RopeMaster 4000? Start at the top.
Start here
- How to make scale rope for model ships — the core method, thicknesses, and a build order that actually gets the ship finished.
- Best thread for model ship rigging — cotton against polyester against silk, and what to keep away from.
- Model ship rigging for beginners — standing and running rigging, the line names, and a sane build order.
Going deeper
- Scale rope thickness for 1:72, 1:48 and 1:24 — match the rope to the scale before you make a metre of it.
- Rigging HMS Victory: a scale-rope plan — a rope plan that breaks a big build into manageable lengths.
- Machine-made against bought rigging cord — why making your own wins on consistency.
- Rigging glossary: shrouds, ratlines, stays — the terms, defined plainly.
- Scale rope FAQ — the questions we are asked most.
From the workshop
- Rigging the Harvey — a schooner rigged from the deadeyes up, in photographs.
- What comes off the machine — a tray of finished line, and how to keep it usable.
The tool
RopeMaster 4000
Every guide here assumes rope you have made yourself. The RopeMaster 4000 turns ordinary thread into clean, consistent scale rope — from the finest rigging line to thick anchor cable.
- Two, three or four strands
- Fine rigging line through to anchor cable
- Hand-built and tested in Tallinn
239.00 €
View the machineIn stock, ready to ship