How does one assemble rigging?

Normally, one does the "standing rigging" (that which holds up the masts, etc.) first, and then the "running rigging" (that which works the sails -- these lines are the ones with pulleys).

Because of the complexity of the rigging, it's best to start at the bottom and center and work your way up and out...if you put the outer lines on first, then you have to work through them to reach the inner lines.

When possible, it's best to apply as much rigging to a mast on the workbench before actually mounting it on the model, and then finishing it off. "helping hands" are useful for such tasks as putting strops around blocks, but not much help when working on the model itself. A couple of hemostats (I find mine at the local flea market) are useful, but I tend to use them most to attach to the end of a line as a weight to keep it straight while working on it. Tweezers are also useful, and a couple of other tools you can make yourself out of knitting needles (or heavy wire - such as coat- hangers), and dowels for handles:

Take a needle, mash one end flat, and file a V in the end -- useful to push ropes;
Take another, mash the end, and drill a small hole through it (like a long sewing needle)-- thread a line through the hole to work it through the rigging;
Take a third, flatten the end, and file a hook on one side -- useful to pull a line through the rigging.

{John O. Kopf}

Some of the best little tools I have ever used on boat rigging came from my mom's sewing basket! Needle threaders are invaluable for threading the rigging through eyelets. A good pair of tweezers is a help, but the best kind are the "reversible" tweezers, the kind that apply pressure when you are not gripping them. Great for guiding tricky threads.

Finally, a good pair of manicuring scissors for the fine cutting and clipping needed. I have a pair with points so tiny on them that it is hard to see the cutline they make.
{Aaron Taylor}

For those who are interested I have provided some pics of my 30yr accumulation of rigging tools. Except for the sewing serger (blue things) everything is home made and most were created as along you go whilst building.

The little red threaders are dirt cheap at the sewing store and are super easy to open and take out the "threader wire" and then install them into different shape and lengths of brass tubing. They can be bent to any angle for specific problems. I have done the flattened hanger bit also that was probably my first try at something. A tool I forgot to include is a 1/16 dia brass tube to which I flatten (like the hangers) and file a groove and then redrill out the end. That way with the long serger you can feed the line up the tube and out the back end and it never falls off the gooved end whilst wrapping around belay pins. this works great on larger models.
{Greg in MI}

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