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Hey guys how can I stiffen cotton thread so it will be paintable? Was thinking pva but not sure any recomendations

Colourless nail polish works.

Not sure how's it's written - the stuff with which girls polish their nails.

Lacquer.

Superglue would work too.

Thin PVA glue (or other water soluble glue) with water in a small dish until it makes a brushable slurry and then paint it on whatever you need or dip it the dish. Give it a couple hours to dry and you'll be golden. It is how scale modelers stiffen camo netting (usually cheesecloth or gauze) for tanks.

I wouldn't even make any attempts with a brush. Airbrush or spray cans for that.

Making the Dust Clouds for Flames of War should have a few tips.

Thanks guys went with the superglue route. Worked a treat even if I did get a bit high lol

pics of results? im thinking of using this to make a spider web for a diorama.

I used it for the ropes on a bridge it's worked well they are solid now.
I can hold one side of the bridge and the other side is just held up with the cotton between.

Super Glue works - but can be a bit of a mess.

PVA works - but tend to remain limp...and because of the ability of cotton to absorb moisture, it can be problematic.

Nail polish is fine...though they tend to have chemicals involved (and you don't always keep nail polish handy...and the wife gives you odd looks when hers keeps turning up missing).

The easiest way to stiffen cotton thread to paint - at least as I have done in the past - is...to just use paint.

Thin out a bit of paint...whatever you base color will be...then pull a length of thread through it. Let it soak in quite well, then attach a weight to one end and hang it to dry (split shot is great for this). After that has dried - you end up with a pretty stiff, fully colored length of string. You can now use it like waxed string for doing ship rigging, wrapping around pylons on docks or rope bridges as you have done (easier than regular string when you want things to look taught).

Once it is tied up well and good - take a brush with some thinned down acrylic varnish and brush it over the string. This will get into all the nooks and crannies between the strings and help stick it down...now you drybrush or use whatever other techniques you prefer to add depth to the string or make it look more like old rope.