How can rigging line be made to hang naturally?
Try washing the thread in warm soapy water, rinse it out, and hang up to dry with a weight on the end so it doesn’t develop a lot of kinks. This will remove any “sizing” that makes the line stiff. The alternative is “spinning” your own rope from fine threads — this is a lot of work but results in very “limp” rope. If neither of these work, you may also be able to mix up white glue and water with a drop of detergent (as a wetting agent), soak the thread, and while still wet apply it to the model; then let it dry in place using a piece of scrap as a “form” to give it it’s shape. Even better than white glue is “Matt Medium” (acrylic polymer emulsion). Intended as a flattening agent for acrylic (artist) paints, it is very similar to white glue in it’s properties, except that it dries clear and flat (it contains colloidal silica to reduce shine)! A little goes a long way – I’ve been using a small jar of this (made by Liquitex) for more than 20 years, and still have 3/4 of the jar left! {Jo
