My wire landing gear usually gets painted along with the rest.  Not by design, but it happens.

Floyd

Nose gear wire example

Ok, so how do you plan to hide the ugly shrink tubing? I suppose paint would stick to it ok, but I don't see any other gain. Why not just slip a piece of fuel hose over it, with a sleeve of aluminum tubing over that?    Steve

Fuel tubing much of which is thick wall and semui transparent. Resists paint or adhesives. Bare wire painted chips easily and cracks when flexed. It all depends what you want to do. It is better than paint in protecting from rust and the like, already comes in colors, takes paint, epoxy, CA, over the bare wire very well. No one says you have to use it. Just that it is a perfectly good way of covering up the bare metal. It is better than most fuel tube because silicon in most tubing resists paints and glues. Also Heat shrink does just that it will shrink and conform to the wire shape exactly wihout adding bulk. It provides a grippy non slip surface better for attaching landing gear treatments using clips or clamps.

How many people out there have epoxied on a Wheel cover of some sort only to have it pop off every landing because the wire is just not great at holding ashesives. Heat shrink is not a miracle cure but it will help out a good deal.

Hey, it works!   

I am building a Sarpoulos Corsair and wanted to add the LG covers to the struts.  I used heat shrink on the wire, then CA'ed the wood to the tubing.  WOW is that strong.

THANK YOU FOR A GREAT BUILDING HINT!!!