Dennis
I don’t use any other magnification than reading glasses! There is nothing in the models smaller than a full stop, and I can see them OK when reading! I am now aged 69, but feel that building miniatures for so long has kept my vision up to a reasonable level for that age!
I don’t use thread at all. The rigging is all fine copper wire. No knots to mess about with, most of it I just glue on. No special work table, just an old desk that is normally in a state of chaos. No special tools, but have a Unimat lathe, a drill press and a hobby bandsaw.
Following pictures will illustrate. The German five-masted full rigged ship Preussen during construction. The Preussen complete and another of the model photographed from a low angle with a photograph of the sea superimposed over the lower part.
Bob