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[Motorman]

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[Reptoid]

     Depends what you mean by "Suspect". If a line has an issue thats right at a termination I have redone 60 footers into 52 footers but only if they were fairly new anyway.
     If you buy bulk line, a set of .015" x 60' lines is under $5.00 so I don't use any lines that are in any way suspect. It's just not worth an airplane or someone's safety to save such a small amount of $.

[keith varley]

Any broken strands are certain death so examine them a lot. Broken strands usually occur right at or near the terminations. Also when they get curly or kinky they don't slide on each other as well and that's really bad for any precision inputs. The bottom line is ---buy them by the 1000 ft spools , then you can afford to replace them very frequently.Usually I replace them about 5 or 6 times a year, but your mileage may vary depending how carefully you handle them and how fussy you are about the FEEL .Keith

[Steve Helmick]

Shiny silver (stainless steel) lines show up much better on grass and all paved surfaces I've experienced, leading me to the conclusion that they'll be stomped on less in the pits. I think that's a major source of line damage, don't you?  Steve

[Balsa Butcher]

Nothing special about the brown cables except the color.  The current 7 strand cable distributor "Fly by Wire" offers them at the same price as the silver ones. That being said, as has already been stated, they are tough to see both on grass and pavement. For that reason the silver ones are preferable for C/L. The Fly by Wire company sells on E-bay. Reasonable prices, quick shipping. All sizes available in 250' and 1000' roles.

[55chevr]

I did a destructive test on a control line handle with 70' of .018" lines.  Both the handle and the lines showed a lot of use. First pull withstood 100 psi.  I pulled a second test and the top line failed at 110 lbs.  Failure point was right at termination on plane end.  This combined with an earlier line failure I witnessed at a flying field when a plane hit a tree limb and that also snapped a line right at the a/c end of the termination and at the handle end right at the termination indicates lines fail at the ends first.   

[RknRusty]

The only time I tried an extreme pull test on a set of .012s, the crimp is where they failed. I didn't pull hard enough to suit myself, so I'm using a minimum of .015s now.

[Larry Fernandez]

When your lines get old enough to be suspect did you ever just cut the old terminations off your lines and make new ones? How much time do you put on a set of lines?

MM

I'm still using lines that are over ten years old.
They get wiped down before every flight and inspected when they are hooked up. I pay close attention to where the line wraps around the eyelet and the wrapping itself.
They then carefully wound onto the reel when I'm done flying. If I do happen to find any kinks or fraying around the eyelet, they will get tossed.
Or maybe I will generously give them to Antone.

Larry, Buttafucco Stunt Team

[Larry Fernandez]

The only time I tried an extreme pull test on a set of .012s, the crimp is where they failed. I didn't pull hard enough to suit myself, so I'm using a minimum of .015s now.

I simply cannot believe that your lines failed at the crimp. This just doesent happen
For years people have posted on this and other forums that "crimped lines do not fail"
Every time that I have posted that a crimped line is a failure waiting to happen, I'm flatly told that I don't know what I'm talking about.

If I were you, and your plane flew fine with .012" lines I would stay with them BUT I would wrap the as per AMA.

What plane were you flying and how much does it weigh.

I only ask this because my Still Stuka and my sons Skyrays are powered with FP .20's. When I changed from .015 to .012" the performance increased dramatically.

Larry, Buttafucco Stunt Team

[john e. holliday]

Well when people fly combat, the crimp usually outlast the lines anyway.    Even wrapped lines I've had the cable start coming apart.  Had to redo a set of lines at VSC one year when I discovered a couple of strands were broken.

[RknRusty]

The only time I tried an extreme pull test on a set of .012s, the crimp is where they failed. I didn't pull hard enough to suit myself, so I'm using a minimum of .015s now.

I simply cannot believe that your lines failed at the crimp. This just doesent happen
For years people have posted on this and other forums that "crimped lines do not fail"
Every time that I have posted that a crimped line is a failure waiting to happen, I'm flatly told that I don't know what I'm talking about.

If I were you, and your plane flew fine with .012" lines I would stay with them BUT I would wrap the as per AMA.

What plane were you flying and how much does it weigh.

I only ask this because my Still Stuka and my sons Skyrays are powered with FP .20's. When I changed from .015 to .012" the performance increased dramatically.

Larry, Buttafucco Stunt Team

That was before I learned to wrap them, and the first set I had ever made. It was a test piece I crimped and hooked to my vice and leaned into, the day after I had recovered my 31oz plane with a yank and was worried about it. I'm using wrapped ends now.