Using E-Z Line Elastic Polymer for 1:350 Scale Rigging

[Builder 2010]

I just finished rigging my Missouri with E-Z Line. It's a very stretchy polymer thread that comes in a 0.003" diameter (also larger). I originally saw it at a booth at the National Train Collectors show in York, PA. Berkshire Junction makes and sells it. Originally, they were selling it to string model railroad telephone poles, but the small size is good rigging material.

Here's why: Instead of breaking when you bump it (liked stretched sprue) it stretches a lot. It has a huge affinity for CA and cures instantly when touching it. You can adhere a line, touch the contact with thin CA, and in a couple of seconds stretch it to the next point. Put a little tension on it and then touch some more CA. Done. Even better is how you can adhere one line to another as in joining the horizontal to vertical radio antennas. It glues solid with not bumps or lumps.

It doesn't like water-based glues. They repel. So you can't use it to make simulated insulators like with sprue. So I used some filled epoxy. Even that took a bit of coaxing to stay where I put it.

All in all, I think it some much easier to use than Sprue. I read Jim's work on Sprue a couple of times and then tried it on this ship. I was very dissatisfied with the results and finally ripped it all out, scraped all the glue off and started over with the E-Z Line. Give it a try...

In these pics I hadn't yet painted the insulators/blocks nor done touch up painting on the yards, but you can see that the rigging is intricate and complete.

[SimonOcean]

Thanks for this post: very interesting and the results on your Missouri look very good. Do you know what gauge thread you used? In the UK there is an online store called Little Cars which is selling 3 thou or 6 thou gauge... I am wondering if the results you achieved were with the 3 thou?

Simon.

[Guest]

cannot get the stuff to stick!! used thick and thin CA, and nothing seems to work HELP

[hawkeye3d]

I've used this stuff on a 1/350 Arizona and 2 Rudderow class DE's and with just a tiny, make that TINY spot of CA it sticks instantly.

But if you stretch it to much and it pulls away from the CA then the end gets twisted up and will not stick again or will look like sh**. It's a one touch and you are done, there's little or no second chance

Bob

[Timhan]

Used E-Z line on my 1/200 Arizona with very good results. Works a treat with CA, but if you make a mistake, just snip off and go again.
By stretching, or not, you can alter the scale as you wish. Another plus is if you put tension on delicate parts, it will not deform and bend
the part you are working on. Also accepted CA to create realistic insulators. By all means use other materials, but add E-Z line to your
alternatives.
Tim.

[ESzczesniak]

EZ Line is nice, but there is a word of warning. The advertised diameters of 0.006" and 0.003" are after almost full stretching. In it's relaxed state, the 0.006" thread I got was around 0.040-0.045" (a bit hard to measure with certainty since it's soft and deforms). At 0.006" and 0.003" it seemed ideal, but it wasn't quite to be. Still, for larger scales and the 1/32 and 1/48 aircraft that I build it will be quite nice.

[a380]

my problem with ez line is that it's not round like thread but flat like tape. it's definitely thin but has 2 noticiable dimensions. to me that doesn't look right for rigging.

[wefalck]

... and anything elastic is likely to get brittle with time.

wefalck