Flying Lines

[Phil Spillman]

In recent months my customers and I have been plagued with problems of unwinding flying lines. A valued source has told me that the lines I am having trouble with haven't been properly "tempered by their manufacturer". Do any of you loyal hanger members have a source of flying lines, in bulk spools, whose lines don't try to unravel when being worked with? And if so where do you buy them?  Would really appreciate a response with my thanks in advance!


Phil Spillman

[john e. holliday]

In all my years of flying/playing with control line I've yet to find a reel/spool of lines that didn't try to come off the while working on them.   I use tape or cut a slice in the reel to help hold the lines a little.

[944_Jim]

Mr. Spillman,

I'm no help to you, but am trying to understand. By "unravel," you mean the braid is "unbraiding" into separate wires, or the rolled spools are "unwinding" from the spools?

[Robert Zambelli]

Phil - here's a supplier.

https://www.loosco.com/products/miniature-cable/

[Howard Rush]

http://mbsmodelsupply.com/ , not to be confused with the Arab MBS.

[pat king]

Marvin at MBS is a racer, he is GOOD PEOPLE! his lines are first class!

Pat

[frank mccune]

     Hi Phil:

      That problem has driven me to switch to “fishen line.” 

                                                                   Be well,

                                                                   Frank McCune

[rich gorrill]

I've been using line from MBS and never had any problem with them.

Rich

[Balsa Butcher]

The ones in question may be those that are marketed under the name "Fly-By-Wire" Control line. They are 7 strand, stainless steel, work OK  but seem stiffer than the one Melvin sells. They also unravel every time the are cut. It's annoying and makes it harder to wrap. They are sold on E-Bay. I have used them and still have a few lines made from them prefer the lines made from the cable I get from MBS, as recommended above. Never a problem with those. 

[Phil Spillman]

any Thanks to all who replied! I think that I now have a reliable source for the wires I need! To answer the question as to what sort of unravelling I am referring to, its the wires themselves which tend to un-cable themselves into separate strands; in other words they disunite themselves into separate tiny strands.

Phil Spillman

[Robert Zambelli]

This is the best cable cutting tool I've ever used.
It does not fray the cable.

   https://www.savacable.com/cable-cutter-light-duty

Bob Z.

[FLOYD CARTER]

I've been using lines from Brodak for a hundred years. I sometimes cut them shorter and re-wrap the ends.  Never had a probvlem with strands unraveling.

[Dan McEntee]

   I prefer MBS line also and all my bulk line comes from them. The SIG sets I have used through the years never unraveled either.
  Type at you later,
    Dan McEntee

[Dan Berry]

This is the best cable cutting tool I've ever used.
It does not fray the cable.

   https://www.savacable.com/cable-cutter-light-duty

Bob Z.

The brand name is Felco. They are the cat's nuts for cutting wire.

[Tim Wescott]

This is the best cable cutting tool I've ever used.
It does not fray the cable.

   https://www.savacable.com/cable-cutter-light-duty

Bob Z.

I use a Dremel Dangerous Disk (with all due care to not nick the lines I care about).

The brand name is Felco. They are the cat's nuts for cutting wire.

Bees knees I've heard -- that one is new to me.

[Ken Culbertson]

I always put a drop of slow cure CA such as JB and rub it in where I plan to cut.  Don't use the thin stuff unless you want it to run up the wire into the next room and glue the cat to the floor.  That also keeps the wire from unraveling while you are wrapping the ends.  The "Ukrane" lines which I love are really bad about this.  I have had then unwrap as much as a foot from a cut without preparation.

Ken

[dave siegler]

So I have some wire that does that.  When I gut it, there is some residual twists in it.  If not careful It will snarl up in a big ball.  So I hold it in between my thumb and forefinger and carefully let out the twists and it is fine.  The other way is to walk it out at least 3 times before cutting it off the roll.