Greg - I'd offer 2 suggestions. First, strip some copper wire from the electrical scrap box and bend this to shape first. You can roll it between 2 flat surfaces to get it straight to start with. Now you have your pattern. Or use a wire coat hangar for pattern material. Anything malleable will work. Use this to mock up the assembly, and get the aesthetics and prop clearance the way you want.
The secret is in using the bending jig. It has three posts, a center post around which the bend is made, a drive post on the rotary handle which applies the bending force, and a stop post which constrains the wire from rotating around the center post. The problem is that friction always tends to draw the wire in, around the center post, when the force is applied. This changes the length of the finished piece. You have already enjoyed the frustaration of getting close on the length and then having it change just enough to foul up the job and make the ship sit just off level. Fun, Eh? So use vise grips or some other high force clamp to force the wire against the stop post to prevent the bending force from drawing the wire in and changing the measured length. It also helps to wrap the wire with masking tape and then mark the tape. Makes the marks easier to see. You might be able to save the existing wire by bending the longer leg forward to get the ship to sit level. Its still a glitch, but harder to see. Tom Hampshire
Topic: Bending landing gear (Read 2175 times)