thanks for the encouragement.
18 pounds works out to near 300 ounces, and my servo is a Hitec 645MG which i think has a rating of 100 ish... so i am sure the trace will be perfect.
however, i will re-do them since i didnt pass the cable back through the brass tube a second time... i guess that would reduce all possibilities of the cable sliding out!

however, i have a geometry problem; the cables hook up directly to the servo (using a coupling) and the elevator horns do not place the clevis right over the hinge gap (pivot point). So when neutral, the tension is fine, but when i deflect, i have some slack on one side...

The elevator horns consist of a threaded rod that runs through the elevator and a nylon connector threads onto the end of it. I hope that description makes sense. I need a nylon connector that has a longer arm so that the clevis pin sits over the hinge gap. Any ideas where i can buy longer ones?

mike