I'm unclear about the most fundamental part of control line...the lines themselves.
With all of the connections from bellcrank to lead, lead to line, line to handle, with various wraps, ties, crimps, thimbles and clips that have to be fabricated to make it all work: after all that, the finished pair of lines need to end up very nearly identical in length.
Is there a clear, complete handle to bellcrank walkthrough available as a reference somewhere?

   Fred Cronenwett did a video on wrapping lines for YouTube and I'll bet you will find some others there also. Do a search here on Stunthanger, as I know it has been discussed several times. There are VERY few topics that haven't been covered multiple times.

   The basics of it is to pay attention to the bell crank and lead outs all through construction and at some point where you can tell that the bell crank is at neutral, wrap the first lead out. That parts easy. The tricky part is the other lead out. You just need to mark the lire where the line will wrap around the eyelet for the lead outs to be even. it just takes practice to do correctly, and the last one is the really critical one.

   The same goes for the flying lines. I wrap the eyes on one end of a roll of lines just to get warmed up. Do both lines. Lay out your tape measure, anchor the made up end in the grass or weight it down or what ever at zero, then mark the first line. Practice getting the eye right at the mark. Put the mark at the front, side or back of the eye, then wrap as usual. Now the tricky one comes back into play, the last one. pull a little bit of tension on both lines and mark the send line. Put the eye in relation to the mark the same way you did the first one, then wrap as usual. It helps to have all the tools needed for the job within reach. I keep a kit of tools just for making lines. Good sharp small pair of side cutters, small needle nose pliers, two or three pairs of hemostats, 100 foot tape, various sharp object to stick through eyelets to anchor lines or tape measure, Several colors of Sharpies or whatever you like to mark lines with, eyelets, line clips, extra line reels, anything that you think will help you wrap lines. There are several different designs out there for fixtures to hold things that act like a second set of hands and they help. But after you make up 50 or 60 sets of lines you will have figured it all out and just need the two hand on the end of your arms!  You can get them pretty dog gone close, but that is what they make adjustable handle for, and for those that fly hard point handle, they have the little fixture for bending their own custom line clips to certain lengths and keep that tool in the line making case, or buy the "Hello Kitty" commercial clips that Randy Smith sells. Like I mentioned already, it's like anything else with this event, practice makes perfect!
  Type at you later,
  Dan McEntee

I found this video. It uses some simple clamping jigs at each end and looks foolproof enough for a first timer to get it right.

I found this video. It uses some simple clamping jigs at each end and looks foolproof enough for a first timer to get it right.

I don't like making lines outside -- it always seems to be dark, cold, rainy, or all three when I need to make lines, and all the otherwise convenient spots end up with lines being dragged over gravel.

So I made this fixture -- one wrap around those black posts is exactly* five feet.  That, plus driving finishing nails into the thing at measured points, means I can make lines up to whatever distance I need, in the comfort of my shop. 

After looking at the video, though, I think I'll be adding a clamp to the end of it like Fred has -- that looks to be the bee's knees for holding everything tight while you're working.

* That's a woodworker's "exactly", not a machinist's or engineer's "exactly".

I don't like making lines outside -- it always seems to be dark, cold, rainy, or all three when I need to make lines, and all the otherwise convenient spots end up with lines being dragged over gravel.

So I made this fixture -- one wrap around those black posts is exactly* five feet.  That, plus driving finishing nails into the thing at measured points, means I can make lines up to whatever distance I need, in the comfort of my shop. 

After looking at the video, though, I think I'll be adding a clamp to the end of it like Fred has -- that looks to be the bee's knees for holding everything tight while you're working.

* That's a woodworker's "exactly", not a machinist's or engineer's "exactly".

Now that is a good idea.  I still question why we even try and make the lines *exactly* the same length when most of us use a different handle for each plane and have to tinker with the handle adjustment anyway.  Anything up to a 1/4" or so is close enough for both leadouts and lines.   Lots of folks stagger their leadouts by 4-6" or so anyway so a set of lines for them is going to be different lengths.  I still try and get them close but exact?  I like the Woodworkers Exact!  I was a machinist in my wasted youth and we had a joke about government work that had specs of .0005 +- 1/4"

Stretching the lines out attached to a single nail, pulling them tight together then marking where you want the eyelet to center will get them close enough.

Ken

Thanks

Because if I try for equal length lines, then I won't need one 1/2" long line clip and one 3" long line clip.

I do that.  I also hang my planes from their leadouts for storage (yes, I'm aware of the perceived downsides -- haven't seen it happen yet).

I don't have a picture, but for each plane I make a little hanger that holds the leadouts just right for the bellcrank to be as close to neutral as I can get it.  This does two things: first, I can hang the plane so it's not hanging by one leadout; second when I make up my lines, I use that hanger as a fixture to get exactly the right amount of differential in the line length.  And, once again, I avoid some really absurd differential in the line clip length.

Another good idea.

Ken

I believe theses are, "Hello Kitty", line clips. But I may be wrong!

Ummm. I feel like an idiot. What are "Hello Kitty" line clips? All I see is a silly little cartoonish kitty...nothing remotely useable on airplanes in any way.

I've seen fishing line clips and Jim Lee's clip bending tool.

Thanks in advance,

I only know because I was told the story.

Someone -- I can't remember who -- sold sets of line clips in a bunch of different sizes.  They were in little ziplock bags that were bought surplus, and had the Hello Kitty logo on them.

So, an unofficial brand was born...

Maybe you guys will find humor in this...I've spent cumulative hours looking at "Hello Kitty branded-anything" anytime I passed the brand name trying to find a component that can be removed/used as line clips. I can be a bit OCD about some things, for example, just look at the inventory of kits I have for "that day" I no longer have to work. I hope to still build and fly then.

I used to fix laser printers. Once I discovered the distributor advance springs in my Triumph TR6 are just about impossible to source, I discovered a spring inside an HP laserjet 4200 that matched length and tension close enought to work. Anytime "the company" sold/replaced a 4200, I would find time to strip the onsolete printer to acquire the spring. I think I have 20 of them squirreled away someplace now. I know for a fact five are with the extra distributors I have for that car.

Knowing the backstory means I can let one more obsession go. Thanks much, Gents!