jlkonn

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I've done a search on RCU and can't find anything about "z" bends.
I would like to make them in small music wire for the servo arm connection.
I am trying to use .032 music wire.
Can someone suggest a way?
Thanks!
JLK

Andrew

Use a pair of short needle nose pliers -- the tips are sometimes stiffer than the longer needle nose. Grab about 1/8" of the wire at the end and put in a 90 degree bend. Grasp the wire with the needle nose agains the first bend and add a second 90 degree bend parallel to the first in the same plane. The width of the needle nose will determine the width of the Z that passes thru the control horn.

jlkonn

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Hey, I never would have guessed it!
The smaller needle nose did the trick.
Thanks!
JLK

Silvaire

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You can always buy special pliers designed to do this, but there is a very simple way to do it with ordinary pliers.

I wish I had a picture, but I don't. I found the following method on the Clancy Lazy Bee plans.

Make the OUTER bend by just gripping the short end of the wire and bending the long part of the wire down to form an "L".

Grip the "L" you formed FLAT in the jaws of the pliers, with the end of where you want the center of the "Z" to be at the edge of the pliers. Bend the long end of the wire down 90 degrees.

You will then have a wire that turns, and then turns again, BUT in a direction 90 degrees to the long direction of the wire. Grip the "L" again in the same position, and ROTATE (twist) the long end of the wire so that it is then pointed in the same direction as the short end.

VIOLIA! A "Z" bend has been formed - and with much more ease than it was to describe!

The advantage of this method over simply using needle nose pliers is that you can make the "Z" section as short as you want. Also, because you are using fairly massive pliers, you can also tap on the bends with a hammer and make the wire bend radius as tight as you want - all within the limits of wire's mechanical properties, of course.

jlkonn

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Silvaire,
Right!
I was out of the hobby until two years ago but back in the early '80s an old modeler showed me what you just described.
It's kinda 3 bends to make two...bend, bend and then bend again to turn to make the "z".
I just couldn't get the turns tight enough until I tried the suggested smaller needle nose.
I guess a "bigger hammer" doesn't always work!

Thanks both of you!
JLK

digital_trucker

I still say an L-bend with a wheel collar retainer is better, less stresses on the wire for one thing...less chance for cracking.

Silvaire

My Feedback: (50)

D.T.,

Which do you think is more likely - that the wire will crack and fail, or that the wheel collar will come loose?

With either one you still have that first bend, which is subject to the push/pull stress...

Arlen

vicman

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I have never had a Z-bend fail. Wheel collars...diffrent story.

Yuu

I say, "Vicman's right!"

digital_trucker

Actually, I'd go with ball links to begin with (zero slop).

tangerine-jack

I picked up a special tool about 15 years ago that looks like a piece of pipe with a hinge in the middle. You stick the wire in the special slot in the tool, bend at the hinge, and presto! instant Z bend.

I concur with my esteemed colleague Vic, I have been flying RC since 1981 and never, ever not once had a Z bend fail. Yes, ball links have zero slop- I use them regularly- wheel collars I gave up on because they kept falling off and they cost too much- Z bends are not the best for fine adjustments which is why I normaly (but not always) use a quick link on the control surface end. It all depends on the application as to which method, or combination of methods I use.

I would think that if I designed a perfect connector I could make millions. So far I have proved to be not so smart. When somebody does come up with the idea, you will hear a collective "SMACK" from thousands of hands hitting foreheads wondering why it took so long to come up with something so simple

Silvaire

My Feedback: (50)

For 1/2A size planes,

for cost, simplicity, and weight,

at the control surface end anyway, it is pretty hard to beat a "Z" bend and a simple control horn made of 1/32" birch ply.

BMatthews

The correct size wire in a control horn won't have any slop. However pushing the bend around the corner is supposed to bruise the plastic over the long haul. But on my 1/2A to 25 sized stuff I've never had an issue.

For 1/32 the short needle nose works great. For 1/16 I used a trick from a magazine years back. Get a pair of the cheaper bargain bin heavy linesman pliers and in one jaw drill a 5/64 hole through the jaw about 3/32 back from the nose. It's not as bad as you'd think. I've done two now with great success and onlly one other one proved to be too hard for the drill bit. And slightly radius the forward edge just a little so it doesn't feel sharp

To use this new wonder tool make the first bend normally using the sides of the jaws. Then stick the leg down the hole with the wire sticking out the front and just bend the second bend into it around the slight nose radiussing you did. The best part is that the pliers are still fine for other stuff even with the hole and slight radiusing.

build light

I have not heard of the linesman plier trick. Great tip to share Bruce! Thanks.

As for myself I usually use a pair of needle nose pliers or for smaller lighter stuff I use a pair of hemostats.

Robert

vicman

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I got the set of pliers from Micro Mark a few years ago. One of them is for right angles on wire. I use them for Z-bends and for putting the 90 degree adjustment bend in on the full rod. They work great and only cost like $20 for the whole set.

BMatthews

I belive that it was in a REALLY old American Modeller issue back when they were in newsprint or something like that. It was one of the first things I did with my new drill press when I got it back in the early 80's.


Sorry for holding out on you guys all these years.....