Reeling in the lines after a day in the air ?

[Cliff Henke]

I kinda feel like it's a little late in the game for me to be asking this question but since that 1st PT 19 COX .049 Rubber Band Addiction Flier in "69", we wrapped our handle
 
around the strings like the instructions said. ( we didn't have reels )

Dad then bought another COX .049 plane, ( don't recall the name, maybe a War plane ? ) we didn't like that plane, so we started building our own ever since.

Now since about 1971 I guess, we started rolling metal cans in our hands collecting the wire cables as they came to us until we started using reels.

Still in 2012, I'm hand rolling/twisting the plastic reels collecting flying lines as they come to me still. This is tough sometimes when old wounds show up from time to time.

Has this part of the hobby changed in the last 40 + years or am I still on track ?  Is there a better way ?

I do like to watch my lines as they get rolled up while looking for damage or undesirables also. What are y'all doing when the day is done ?  

Thanks in advance,
Cliff

[Tim Wescott]

I just stick a finger in the middle of the reel and use the hole as a crank.

A flying buddy of mine made a pair of handles for his plastic reel out of a pair of dowels -- it makes a nice system, if a bit bulky.

[John Craig]

I do not know who but someone has a handle that allows you to easily roll up your lines.  It is just a heavy aluminum strip with 3 large dowels attached at just the right spot. A why did I not think of that.  i use mine all the time . I made it myself but it would be easier to buy one.  Tom Morris??  Bill Lee??

[John Desrosiers]

What about a deep sea fishing reel. Makes sence to me. What do ya think?

[Steve Helmick]

What about a deep sea fishing reel. Makes sence to me. What do ya think?

Negative on the deep sea fishing reel! 

The 4" spools from Brodak, SIG, and Tom Morris suit me. Others prefer the 5" spools from Brodak (and others). Generally, it appears that those who like to leave the handle attached to the lines prefer the 5" spools. I take my handle off the lines. My "drill" is to leave one clip attached to the leadouts, and one attached to the airplane end of the line set. To get ready to fly, I attach the lines to the plane and de-spool them. When I have the lines off the spool, I pull on either line to see which is the "up" line, and attach that to the clip at the top of the handle (both clips stay on the handle at all times). The other line attaches to the clip at the  lower end of the handle.

Test for "UP": Pull "up" at the handle and hold. Look at plane. Is the elevator in the "up" position? Do not be fooled by the flaps...they lie! DO NOT just wiggle the handle and see that the flippers move. Also, check for neutral. ALWAYS have a set of lines/handle matched to each of your planes. To do otherwise is courting disaster, and also wastes a lot of valuable flying time when you find out your neutral is wrong. If it is wrong, fly level. To do otherwise is very risky business.  Steve

[Brett Buck]

Still in 2012, I'm hand rolling/twisting the plastic reels collecting flying lines as they come to me still. This is tough sometimes when old wounds show up from time to time.

Has this part of the hobby changed in the last 40 + years or am I still on track ?  Is there a better way ?

I do like to watch my lines as they get rolled up while looking for damage or undesirables also.

Rolling them out is the deal, collecting them hurts sometimes

  I don't think I understand the pain and injury part. I just use the regular line reels like the Sullivan, put my left thumb in the center hole and right indexfinger in the "crank" positions, and then tension the line as I roll it up with my other fingers on my left hand. The only problem I have with it is that my reels are so old and UV-exposed from decades out in fields and sitting in the back of my van getting to 180 degrees that they are starting to disintegrate.

     I like the small (4" x 1/2") Sullivan reels. The SIG reels are the same size and mostly work the same except they seem more prone to snagging the line in the slot. I file ramps on the sides the slots to keep from bending the line too sharply at the slot, and I out a screw through the crossbar to hold the eyelets like everybody else does The 4" x1" reels make no sense to me, there's plenty of space to hold the lines even on the 1/2" types and fewer of them will stack up in the bottom of the toolbox. The 5" x1 yellow type is OK, but same problem with stacking. I only use the 5" types for solids since it's easier to get the lines around it and less prone to springing into a rat's nest if you let go accidentally. I have taken a few of the 5x1 types and "sectioned" them until they were only 1/2" wide which makes them easier to store.

    I have seen the crank handles for these reels but I want to use my fingers to tension the cable as it rolls on to the reel, and the handle makes that more difficult since you have to hold the center pivot with your hand, meaning it can't be used to tension the line.

    I don't like the type with separate channels for each line, I can never get those to reel up right without the line jumping the separator, bending it, and ruining the line.

    Brett

   

[Brian Hampton]

I store my lines on this fishing hand line reel where the channel the lines wrap around is about 6" across. The "up" line has red heat shrink over the wrap for identification. When reeling in I disconnect from the handle and put both lines through the same slot on the outer edge but leave the lines connected to the model and start reeling in while walking to keep a little tension on the lines.

[Mike Lauerman]

Sullivan 4" reels USED to come in a box, with a 6" plastic dowel enclosed. We would shove the dowel thru the center, hook up to the Ringmaster (shameless nostalgic plug!) and walk to the center.
The dowel was left in the reel, set on the ground, and handle connected to the lines. Handle was placed around the dowel, so the pilot could run for the visible dowel when the McCoy .35 got lit.
After flying, the dowel was retained in the center hole, the forefinger of the RIGHT hand used to wind the lines back up. (some guys did it with the South hand, but they flew 'different'...)
I was 'devastated' in 1957 when the dowel was no longer included in the Sullivan lines deal... Made it SO much easier to rotate that infernal spool!

[FLOYD CARTER]

I prefer home-made line reels.  A little bit of plywood and some dowels, and you can make any size.  The large one is 12".  I can reel my lines in as fast as I can walk!

These look a bit beat-up, but that is because the varnish I had was contaminated with some  wood stain.
Floyd

[Jim Thomerson]

I, when I am feeling really perky. wipe the lines with a dry paper towel when I first run them out, then after every flight, and then before I roll them up to go home.  A flying buddy never wiped his lines.  I pointed out to him that his lines near the plane had grown to about 1/16 in diameter.  I think I convinced him to wipe them down. 

[Keith Renecle]

Hi Guys,

I guess that I was born lazy so I don't like battling with lines, especially when you also have to unclip the ines from the handle. I also do not enjoy it when someone walks on my lines, so I always wind them up after each flight. For many years now, I have made a few types of simple winder from different types of cheap wood, like hardware store ply, hardboard etc. The core is made from a piece of styrofoam that has some cardboard glued around it with white glue or similar. I normally glue some thin felt over the cardboard as well. A long bolt through the center into a wood or plastic rod for a handle finishes it all off. You can see from the photos how my various winders do not knk the lines. If the pics are a bit vague then let me know and I'll explain it a little better.

To use my winders, I simply clip the handle into the holder on the winder, place the lines in the correct position and wind it all up. I usually use a rubber band to keep the lines from unwinder when it is done. Hope this gives someone a few ideas to make this job easier.

Keith R

[Douglas Ames]

Keith,
That's the best idea I've seen yet.
You need to market it! ...or offer some "reel plans".

[Keith Renecle]

Hi Douglas,

Thanks for the kind words. I cleaned up my rough drawings a bit for you and anyone that wants to make winders something like mine. I saved the drawing full size in a pdf file on two pages. To make it, take some thin hardwood of around 1/8" or 3 mm in thickness and cut out two disks as per the drawing. The size is just a guideline. The smaller the better in my opinion. I know that solids like a bigger diameter so use whatever size suits you. The idea is to make sure that the lines do not go around any sharp corners that will kink or damage them. The distance to where the two lines go on to the inner disk must also be close to being the same for both lines, or else you will have different tensions on each line. You can juggle around the position of where you put the wood block to hold the handle. If you look at some of my winders, I even make a slot in some of these blocks and use a bolt and wing-nut so that I can fit various handles and configurations.

You will see that the disk that is on the handle side needs a cutout at the point where the lines go through. I cut the wood parts and even the foam disk on my band saw. I have a narrow blade band saw and pin each part with a center hole and rotate in like a compass. Just by the way, the band saw cuts the styro foam very nicely. I then glue some cardboard onto the foam disk and glue the outer wood disks onto the foam, making sure that they are all lined up on a center pin. I actually start off by drilling holes to the size of the metal or plastic center shaft so it all gets glued together at the same time. The other wood blocks are made to suit the shape of the control handle and of course, the one that keeps the lines nice before they go onto the main disk, is a semi-circle. I use the same thin hard wood for the covers for both blocks and they just need to overlap enough to do their jobs. The main handle can be wood or plastic, depending on what you have lying around in the workshop. If any of this is not clear then just let me know and I'll try to clear it up.

Keith R

[Robert-Jan]

I use the same real (with handle).
I don't like when people step on my lines.
Also I don't need a helper. Most of the time I fly alone. During a contest I roll them in and leave the circle carrying my own plane.
As pin I use a large nail that is normally holded by magnets.
I also put Lead on it as counter balance.

Greetings Robert-Jan

[john e. holliday]

Thanks Keith for the drawing.   I will be putting it to use.   Had to go back and read your previous post about winding up the lines. 

[Brian Hampton]

As pin I use a large nail that is normally holded by magnets.

I recall reading about one guy having a problem with his lines sticking. No matter how much he cleaned them they still stuck together. He finally found out they were magnetised so be careful with magnets.

[Norm Faith Jr.]

Way back when...I made a flight box that resembled a carpenter's box. I made a line spool out of three wood disks glued together with the center disk being smaller than the other two. The spool was attached to the side of the box with a bolt through the middle, installed a piece of broom handle for a crank, some notches to capture the line ends and it worked like a charm. I used this rig for many years. The only down side was moving the flight box and all of its weight to where the lines were to be rolled up. I still have that box, however it is now in reality a carpenter's box. 
Norm

[Keith Renecle]

I also do a lot of flying on my own, so I've always had winders like this in some form or other. The days of the jam tin are fortunately gone! I forgot to mention that I use mostly rubber bands to keep the lines on once they are wound up. You can also just make a band out of two bits of Velcro. This works better in fact.

Keith R

[john e. holliday]

I use a peice of wire to tie the ends of my lines down to the reel  once they are wound up.  That line clip that SIG and others used caused me a set of lines only once.

[Norm Faith Jr.]

I use a peice of wire to tie the ends of my lines down to the reel  once they are wound up.  That line clip that SIG and others used caused me a set of lines only once.

A length of the large blue fuel line; square knot the ends together at the proper length; just like a big rubber band around the spool. Works great, especially for long term storage; doesn't rot out and turn to goo.
Norm

[Mike Lauerman]

Tooling up right now to make my K-R winders! (Wonders)

Thanks, Keith, a simplistic engineering marvel! Besides, I need some practice with my new band saw... my Boxcar Chief bulkheads came out as parallelograms!

[Keith Renecle]

You're most welcome! I have an old Emco Star woodworking machine that incorporates a table saw, band saw, disk sander, wood lathe and all, and I always try to get the narrow hobby blades for it, particularly when it comes to cutting curves. The wide blades tend to jam a lot. I hope that this simple idea works for anyone trying it.

Keith R

[john e. holliday]

That sounds like my Shop-Smith that I bought many years ago.   Have practically worn it out.

[Al Burczycki]

The winding device John Craig described is indeed from Tom Morris via Control Line Central. Its called the "LineWinder" and sells for 4.95 each. I had an opportunity to use one last fall and it was the bomb. Unfortunately, I have been trying to get one from CLC since then and have had no success. I recently tried to call but the phone has been disconnected. Anyone out there aware of an alternate source for Tom Morris products ?

Al Burczycki