Hello.  I am sure this has been discussed before, but I can't find where.  I am just finishing up an aircraft and am ready to do the leadout ends.  I used small brass tubing and copper wire at the bellcrank, just wondering what most folks do at the other end.  Small brass tubing and wrap, or round eyelets then wrap.  Pictures would help, but not mandatory.  Thanks.

Tom

HI Tom,

Both of your descriptions are used, mainly personal preference.  Probably, the small brass eyelet is most in use.

BIG Bear
RNMM/AMM

Thanks for the replies.  Mike, that looks like the way I was going to go, but with brass.  Any reaason you went with Aluminum?

Tom

I recently built a Brodak kit thet had brass eyelets for the leadouts.  They were too small to use with the leadout wire supplied, so I made my own teardrop shaped thimbles from 3/32" OD copper tubing.  They are also easier to hook up to than the round eyelets.

 Hi.

 I don't know what your rules say about this, but here is my favorite method. The cable and piano wire clip just overlap about 1/2" and are wrapped together with thin copper wire & soldered.
 To spread the stress in the end of piano wire clip, I impregnate the cable with solder (tin/lead) for another 1/2".
 Never any problems. L

Chris,

Actually, it's the godless communists to thank. L

Chris,

Actually, it's the godless communists to thank. L

 

Thank you for the info, Lauri

I like this a lot but, would anyone know if this would be allowed at an AMA sanctioned event? The book only suggests methods of ending a stranded or solid wire... I would definitely start using this method due to the better simpler attachment. I believe this arrangement would more that is needed for a pull test.
 I remember my first NATS(ever) in P. Carrier (1984, Westover), I showed up with my K&B 5.8, 60-20-20, re-ported & re-timed, etc., everything trimmed and ready to go and at tech inspection, was told that my PERFECT split/slide clips were not AMA approved!!! We all know the gyrations that are performed to get the engine to idle up-down... Nowhere in the book showed the single loop split clips as the only ones approved. (Maybe I missed it)

 I had practiced and practiced my slow run to the point that I felt would finish in a decent place. Now, I had to re-trim all my lines and change the clips. Needless to say, Slow runs were atrocious. Not for this to become a sob story (I know, too late ) but just for information as to how a little detail can create a large problem. Got Rookie of the Year... (33yr old rookie)

 

Seems to me, and from experience, if it will pass the pull test, it is allowed to fly.  I don't like solder, but can't think of any good reason to avoid solder.

Floyd

This is mine. I use the same termination on lines and for leadouts at the wing tip.

The wire is a bit small in this example as it was only a test and I would only use it for a .10-size model or smaller. It comes from a length of fishing leader that I bought before I knew how thick the nylon is on the coated wire.

However, the fixing process is—once through the sleeve, almost twice around the thimble, back through the sleeve then loop back through the sleeve and pull up tight. Swage as shown. I then put some coloured heatshrink tube over the ends to tidy up the assembly and identify the up and down lines and leadouts.

At the bellcrank, I use 1/16" tube bent in the 'doghouse' shape and the cable passes through the sleeve three times as shown.

Note the slight flare at both ends of the sleeve. The fishing tackle people stress that you must leave a small amount of the sleeve not swaged to prevent the sleeve chafing and possibly cutting the strands of the cable.

I would only use copper or aluminium sleeves and carefully deburr the inside after cutting to length if I cut my own. Currently, I am using sleeves supplied by a local fishing tackle company to suit the different cable diameters. The wall of the sleeves gets thicker as the diameter increases.

For leadouts, I use a swaging tool from Superflex fishing tackle and for control lines, I use the pliers supplied by Mel Schuette because the Superflex tool does not go small enough. I haven't seen Carl Shoup's pliers but I imagine they are similar to the tool that Mel supplies. The Superflex tool is very similar to the Sava tool.