Landing gear and push fod material
 

Where can I find this type of metal to use to make landing gear and push rods other than a Hobby S. or on Line? What are you using?

RE: Landing gear and push fod material
 

Look for whats called music wire or piano wire you can find many suppliers.
It's basicly spring steel wire.

RE: Landing gear and push fod material
 

If you use piano wire, be pepared to solder the connectors, as it does not bend easily.

RE: Landing gear and push fod material
 

No problem to solder it. Just looking for a place that supplies it. Thanks Batdogp

RE: Landing gear and push fod material
 

Bicyle or motorcycle spokes make good pushrod ends and come prethreaded.

RE: Landing gear and push fod material
 

Bicyle or motorcycle spokes make good pushrod ends and come prethreaded.

RE: Landing gear and push fod material
 

Many of the hardware stores stock piano wire.

RE: Landing gear and push fod material
 

Music wire can be found in Home supply stores, welding, and hardware stores. That is what landing gear struts are mainly made of. I suggest you use as large of
wire as you can to fit landing gears of your models. Most of the wire now found in any store is, for some years now, a "tad less" than what was "Made in USA" some
years ago. [:-]

As far as push rods, almost any wire type will do well if PROPERLY SUPPORTED. For smaller models .40 size and below, I have used wire from old coat-hangers and the model never knows the difference. Straighten it and SUPPORT it at least every 8-10 inches and near the joint ends, and it works fine.

Now all the "experts NO sayers" will zoom in on this and have so many reasons why such is not true. My 70+ years of CL stunt and RC may well be trashed. :D
I never had a properly supported installed soft wire pushrod fail.

RE: Landing gear and push fod material
 

Thanks for all the replies. I am addicted to this hobby/sport and part of the enjoyment has been to get away from the mainstream and buying what Tower Hobbies etc. supply but to find/incorporate different products and make them work for different aspects of the build/repair of the plane. I would like to see a thread on this very subject. Thanks Batdogp

RE: Landing gear and push fod material
 

How to bend wire has been covered hundreds of times on RCU over the years. You can use a vise or buy one of the wire or tube benders. It should be bent cold. The vise should have round grooves filed into the jaws so the bends aren't so abrupt as to remove the temper. I just buy packs of 2-56 or 4-40 to make my control rods. Pre-threaded on one end and I solder on the clevis on the other. The clevis I solder is labeled as solder clevises. Piano wire can be bought at most hardware stores to make the landing gear but I find a better size selection at my local hobby shops. I buy it in several sizes and keep it on hand in my shop for bending gear. For control rods on small electrics I have a good stock of stainless dental wire used to make retainers and other dental appliances. Just buying packs of Dubro 4-40 and 2-56 is the easy way to do it for most of my control rods. The price of piano wire isn't any different no mater where I buy it so there is no big savings.

RE: Landing gear and push fod material
 

OK, just had to point out something that just struck me as funny. The title of this thread is "Landing gear and push FOD material". In the Navy we had the term FOD (Foreign Object Damage). Anything that was not a part of the aircraft, or came loose from the aircraft (i.e. stones, nuts, bolts, tools, etc.) and could cause damage. I know coat hangers would be FOD on a full size aircraft, but if it works......

RE: Landing gear and push fod material
 

I noticed the mistake after posting.

RE: Landing gear and push fod material
 

Yeah, I noticed the typos too.
Please correct it to: Dancing Bear and Posh Food Material

RE: Landing gear and push fod material
 

Oh I'm not criticizing the typo, just commenting on the particular typo you made, found it funny. Early in my Navy career I was in a theatre at a training base watching Iron Eagle III. When the pilot of the Jap Zero released the banner into the intake of the jet that was following him the whole audience yelled out "FOD!"

RE: Landing gear and push fod material
 

Just go to a store that sells and repairs bicycles and ask the clerk for spoke material.