Wire Rope?

[Carrakon]

If you know someone playing guitar or violin, you could ask them for their old strings. Those already have the right color, are easy to bend and should have the right structure. Also depending on how much they play, you should get new supplies regularly.

[CardboardCat]

My local hardware store (Ace) has sash cord in various sizes. I think you could paint it after applying and it would look just like wire rope. I'm a beginner so I don't know if this would work but to me is sounds like it might.

[John Wagenseil]

Real wire rope to scale: control cabling from RC hobby shops.

[Sakrison]

Originally Posted by CharlieC

Tried wire for wire ropes in various forms and wasn't happy with the results.

Simplest technique I've found is to use cotton thread of an appropriate colour - dark grey or black. Thread is pretty hairy so first step run the thread through matte acrylic varnish - wipe off the excess - this gets rid of the hairiness. Then wind (twist) a number of the treated threads together to give the right diameter - use more varnish to stick the threads together.

Seems to work quite well and has the benefit it's easy to glue the "thread cable" to a cardmodel unlike wire which can be problematic.

Regards,

Charlie.

Carpet thread might do the trick. An easier (and cheaper) way to get rid of the fuzziness of sewing thread is to run it through a piece of wax. Ship modelers use beeswax to stiffen and "de-fuzz" rigging thread. You can find it at most hardware stores.

[Diderick A. den Bakker]

I visited a model show recently where a lot of builders of sailing vessels showed their produscts. One had found a perfect solution for the problem of cables: he had built a working model of a traditional ropeyard and made his own scale cables to any thickness required. Sorry I didn't take any pictures - it was extremely interesting!

[Diderick A. den Bakker]

I have just spent a lost half hour or so searching google. This Modelbrouwers.nl modelbouw • Toon onderwerp - touwslagerij: eenvoudig ontwerp will take you to a site with some pictures of a home made ropeyard (or twining device), the picture shows the working part (employing a bicycle gear axle and a small electric motor. One man mentioned that he uses embroidery (silk) yawn. Hope this gives you some ideas.

[John Wagenseil]

Rigging: Making rope without ropewalk

If using wire rather than threads the first twisting would be multi-strands of wire to make wire strings as first step, then the wire strings could be twisted into cables.

[WVA]

I second John Wagenseil's suggestion about Michaels. There are several sizes of bead stringing wire...looks just like wire cable.
Jim

[RPriddy]

Try bonded nylon thread used by upholstery companies.
It comes in many shades of black and grey, and has a semigloss finish.
It also is supplied in multiple diameters.

[jleslie48]

my rope of choice is guitar strings. they come in a variety of thickness' the brass wound ones look exactly like hemp, and they tend to not sag on horizontal runs.