Tips on making clips?

[Paul Taylor]

I’m a poet and I didn’t know it. 😉

Any tips or tricks for bending clips.

I made a a couple, but they don’t look that good.

[James Lee]

Paul
Send me a PM with your email and I will send instructions....
Jim Lee
Lee Machine Shop

[Brent Williams]

I can give a few general observations after having bent up around 700 line clips for the Fancher Handle kits and line clip sets that I sell.

- Buy the line clip bending tool set from Jim Lee.  It works great!

- Get a set of Xuron 2193F cutters.  https://www.amazon.com/Xuron-2193F-Music-Cutter-Retaining/dp/B000FOJLEC

- Before you use up your stash of the 304 stainless hard temper spring wire, get a few sticks of .047"-.051" music wire and practice.  It's all just wire after all.  You'll find your own rhythm for this process pretty quickly.

- When I first started making clips, I calculated the total length of wire necessary for each size clip and charted of all the sizes.  Don't do this, as it's a waste of your time and a needless effort.   Just measure out around 3/8"-ish past the pin and bend away.  Accept that there will be some waste.

- Don't overbend the wire on second bend, or it will put a kink in the wire. 

- To finish up the clips, I use the second serration in the jaws of my 10" pliers as a fixture to finalize the bend.  Simple way to get a consistent dimension.

I made up this animation using the pictures and info from Derek Moran's original pdf.   

[Motorman]

I don't have the Jim Lee unit or instructions, I made my own. The little screw doesn't completely keep the wire from moving on mine. After you make the first bend, tap the bend to get it firm against the post. When you make the second bend you can flex the wire a little after it contacts the other post but not much. After making the second bend, tap first bend against the pin again to get your ends even. I make the third bend until it gets to the screw then I take the screw out and bend the rest of the way.

I find that clips in .050" increments will give you enough adjustment. Less than that I don't notice any change in elevator. The smallest clip I make is 1.100" inside measurment, if they get too small they bend permanent when you put them on the lines. The clip in your pic looks acceptable, keep at it.

MM

[Dan McEntee]

   What you have in the picture looks OK. I have seen some commercially available wire clips that have the ends cut a little short to my liking. I carry the wire all the way around the curve to where it matches the straight section and cut it there. i have seen the commercially made ones let the eyelets get underneath the ends, if that makes sense, and is just a heart beat away from slipping off the clip. As much as some people don't like the Luxon clips, U think they are just as safe as these, and a person can screw up putting these on also. But you need these to use most hard point handles so you just have to watch it.. The Luxon connectors can work also if the holes are big enough.
  Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

[Steve Helmick]

If everyone does it like me, you'll go bonkers making a bunch of different lengths. Don't! What I suggest is using three factory made clips and one home made clip. This results in only having to make and carry less than a half dozen homemade clips, in lengths from (stock) +1/16" to +1/4". It's easy enough to get your lines equal within that range or less. Total number depends on how many new planes you take to the field. PTG said he took as much as 7 months of flying to find the correct neutral, and he was truthful. One plane I thought I had neutral right...but I was wrong.   

I prefer to keep the one oddball clip on the handle end, and never take it off the handle for that particular plane. This means you have a dedicated handle for each plane. The other three clips are standard Sullivan/Pylon. I'm not sure if Brodak sells this style of clip, but if they do, chances are that Sullivan/Pylon makes them and they're just re-branded.

My SOP is to take the handle off the lines when done flying, but leave that one odd clip. I also much prefer to hook the lines to the plane first and then add the handle. The only potential for screwing up is using the wrong lines on the plane, which isn't hard to avoid...but I have seen it done by others. I have tried to hook the wrong end of the lines to the plane, but puzzling over the one clip and two leadouts kicked my brain into gear. I have never ever tried to fly with the lines hooked up backwards, either.  Steve

[Paul Smith]

   What you have in the picture looks OK. I have seen some commercially available wire clips that have the ends cut a little short to my liking. I carry the wire all the way around the curve to where it matches the straight section and cut it there. i have seen the commercially made ones let the eyelets get underneath the ends, if that makes sense, and is just a heart beat away from slipping off the clip. As much as some people don't like the Luxon clips, U think they are just as safe as these, and a person can screw up putting these on also. But you need these to use most hard point handles so you just have to watch it.. The Luxon connectors can work also if the holes are big enough.
  Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

I agree that there are failure modes with the "scissors" clips that don't effect the Luxon-type slide clips.  The scissors clips often get "kinked-over" or half disconnected. 

On another point:  Making the lines perfectly equal does not reckon with later adjustment to the up & down at the elevator which will force handle adjustment.

[Ken Culbertson]

On another point:  Making the lines perfectly equal does not reckon with later adjustment to the up & down at the elevator which will force handle adjustment.

This is SO TRUE.  We go BS Crazy trying to make lines equal then hook them up to a plane that is probably not equal, or more likely staggered and a handle that is probably adjustable.  Then we tweak it to the planes natural neutral.  So what does having perfectly equal lines do for you other than making them easily swapped which you don't want to do or replaced which you don't do very often.  Close Counts!  Worry more about the connection/knot and not so much on the length.  If I get mine within 1/4" I am in high 5 territory. 


Ken

[Motorman]

I have a set of adjustment clips but I also make allot of 1.125" clips to use in the other three positions because, the Sullivin clips cost more. I have a Twister, a Banshee, a Tanager and a Kell profile that all use the same lines and hard point handle because the adjustment clip is kept on the planes down lead out (and they all have the same control system). Just got tired of making handles/lines for everything.

MM