I just read in a SPAD forums that you can use old bicycle spokes for pushrods. I just pulled a spoke off an old wheel that is too bent for bike use. Not only does the spoke appear to be made out of spring steel, but it is already threaded at one end for a clevis.

Anyone else have tips on using household items for planes?

Bicycle spokes are usually 14 guage stainless steel

Dunno what the threading is on the end, but it looks 'fine pitched' and I would expect it to be metric...

Spokes, generally, have a "rolled" thread rather than a cut thread. Meaning that the material is push up to make the thread rather than cut into the spoke material. You can tell if the threads have a larger diameter than the spoke itself. Rolled threads are extremely strong but I think you would have a hard time finding a clevis that would accept that kind of thread.
FWIW
Steve

I found a whole bag of em in my flight box. The spokes I have appear to be cut rather than rolled and all the clevises I have thread right on.
But you guys are missing the point of this thread (no pun intended). I'm not looking for criticism or advice on the bike spoke idea, rather I'm looking for other ideas like it. I've seen thousands of bikes but never thought that there were RC plane pieces on them. I wonder what else I'm over-looking.

Bicycle spokes use a 2/56 thread. Perfect for pushrods. Most SPADS can be made with household items, except for maybe the coroplast. You have to raid election signs or convenience stores for those.

You can buy toilet brushes at the dollar store that have these nice storage bowls that are a good size for small radial cowls. tough & flexible, they come in white & several colors.

SST, thats the kinda thing I'm looking for! Nice tip.

For smaller models like electric etc., I use the plastic caps from Edge shaving cream for cowls. I've even used them as motor mounts.

Dave...

You can also use plastic soda bottles for cowlings. Since they are "blow molded" (heated with air forced into them to expand them to a given shape), They can be re-heated to shrink them down onto a plug. Taking the shape of the plug. Simply cut the ends that will shrink smaller than the plug and presto, a new very lightweight cowl.

I have used a balsa block to carve the shape since it can be done very quickly. Sand it smooth, cut off the bottom of the soda bottle (of appropriate size to fit the plug easily). Apply hot air from your heat gun (covering gun works fine). The bottles will only shrink down to about twice the diameter of the mouth. Once the bottle is removed from the plug, you can cut off the mouth which provides a nice pass through point for the prop shaft.

You could also use the self threading nylon clevis and no more worries... just use and abuse.

WG

Be careful with those nylon clevises. I've seen MANY shear on other guys' planes...and I've only been flying 2 years. Especially prone to shearing in the colder temps. I only use nylon on throttles.

After you've used up the toilet paper, use the cardboard tube to stuff your soldering iron cord ,etc. into it.

Flypaper2

35mm film containers with one end cut off work even better on electrical cords. They also are about the same size as most glow plug starter batteries and can be screwed onto a flight box to store the Ni-starter.

Nylon cutting boards can be used in place of some items, like front trike gear guides/holders and can be drilled to fit custom applications, unlike the commercial ones. Figure out in advance how your'e going to explain to your significient other why the cutting board keeps getting shorter.

Margirine tub lids cut to 1/4 inch squares work well as one use washers (?) to stick pins in to hold down sheeting and the like.

Every modeler should have some clothes pins to use as heat sinks when soldering or as clamps when building.

Ha! Just thinking, hang on to those film containers! In a few years, they'll be as rare as a Post slide rule!

Those margarine tub lids that you used the lids for spacers & washers, the tubs come in handy for wheel chocks. Just turn upside down, and cut a big slot for the wheel. Handy for spacing up something your're working on, or keeping it from rolling off the bench.

Best wishes,
Dave Olson

When setting up a model for a maiden flight, I use the Chip Clip thingees that you put on opened potato chips bags to keep em' fresh. They're cheap, come in a bunch of sizes and hold the control surface in perfect alignment with the flight surface to center your pushrod/clevises. They also come in handy for putting clamping pressure on longer pieces, like when sheeting built-up ailerons.

Two cautions:

1) Always remember to remove the clip(s) BEFORE checking for control surface throw. Otherwise the servos make funny noises but the surfaces don't move... [&:]

2) Only use the clips with the plastic or rubber tubing inside, never the serrated edge kind, for obvious reasons... [:@]

Ed

Eh ?

Clothes pins as heat sinks ?

Surely you don't mean wooden clothes pins, what with wood being an _insulator_ . . .

You must have some aluminum clothes pins, right ?

Fred

Your'e right. Right thought, wrong description. They are wood, not plastic though.

This is not a household item but its a great tip. Any time you have something that you rounded out (allen screws) or round over (nuts). Put a little Permatex valve grinding compound on it and 9 out of 10 times you can get it off. I'm a 30 year mechanic, best trick in the business. You can buy it at all most all parts stores. Only Permatex works. They put diamond chips in it.

PS I don't work for Permatex.

Picked up a rather old bicycle wheel at the dump and took out the spokes. They were the exact size recommended for threading 2-56(tip from modeling book) but threads were 2-64. Cut off the threaded end and recut threads to 2-56 and you have a lifetime (almost) supply of 2-56 pushrods, beats the store bought variety with rolled threads that cannot be die threaded. Makes life a lot easier to have the flexibility to make your own. Also cut off the brake and gear change cables and they work for flexible throttlle cables, use inside part only. Could not find any place to use the wheel rims on an airplane yet.

Flipstart

We have to use catch bottles at our field to prevent fuel spillage when refueling. You can make a good one out of a medium sized pill bottle, remove child proof part of lid, drill two holes in lid for 1/8 brass tubing, use hot melt to secure (epoxy will not stick on that type of plastic.) Ask me how I know. You can add a short length of tubing on inside if you want to recoup your "spilled" fuel.

Flipstart

We have to use catch bottles at our field to prevent fuel spillage when refueling. You can make a good one out of a medium sized pill bottle, remove child proof part of lid, drill two holes in lid for 1/8 brass tubing, use hot melt to secure (epoxy will not stick on that type of plastic.) Ask me how I know. You can add a short length of tubing on inside if you want to recoup your "spilled" fuel.

Even easier is using an old fuel tank from another plane. Just run the excess into the tank and pump it out in to the gas can later.

I have found several uses for the vinyl slats from window blinds. They can be used to draw lines on your model, for covering purposes, since they flex nicely when pulled over contours. They work even better as glue spreaders. When applying Pro Bond to wing skins, we cut 3"-4" lengths of blind material, CA'd a short piece of dowl to the back side, as a handle, and were able to keep our fingers glue free. The round, plow like shape helped to keep the glue rolling back in front of the spreader edge. We were able to work very quickly. I've used them for other things, but these two are my favorites. A $5.00 set of blinds will last for years, of course, I just use the extra slats when trimming my blinds to the proper window length.

Andy

Before there were clevises we used bicycle spokes for push rods. Get an old DeBolt plan for one of the first RC kits and he shows how to make a clevis for it using the screw on connector that comes with the spoke. After Du Bro came out with clevises, it was forgotten