Author Topic: Where to get piano wire?? (Read 4082 times)

John Stiles · « **on:** January 25, 2009, 10:13:24 PM »

I live way out in the sticks of LA...no hobby stores within 60-70 miles....some are there only when they think about it, and the others cater to radio control and helicopters....sooo.....I been to several hardware stores and they look at me like the hippies did when I came home from Nam....any ideas?

steve pagano · « **Reply #1 on:** January 25, 2009, 10:16:07 PM »

Hope this helps

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/WTI0095P?FVSEARCH=music+wire

Steve P.

John Stiles · « **Reply #2 on:** January 25, 2009, 10:38:23 PM »

Quote from: steve pagano on January 25, 2009, 10:16:07 PM

Hope this helps

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/WTI0095P?FVSEARCH=music+wire

Steve P.

Heck yeah it does, thanks a great big bunch

Paul Smith · « **Reply #3 on:** January 26, 2009, 07:36:59 AM »

http://www.mcmaster.com/#steel/=bsgom

Hey, you metallurgy guys, take a look at this spec!

Is it the stuff we need?

From McMaster Carr, it looks like a pack of (5) 1/8" x 36" wires for $14.95. Personally, I like the LHS, but if you don't have one,,,,,

peabody · « **Reply #4 on:** January 26, 2009, 08:36:20 AM »

There are horror stories about K & S wire....be very careful.

Don Curry AMA 267060 · « **Reply #5 on:** January 26, 2009, 09:34:38 AM »

I have bought ten sticks of 1/8" so called music wire for landing gears. It is so soft it won't even take soft landings without bending. I had to go to 5/32 to get any spring at all.
Don

p.s. I purchase mine out of the K&S racks at several hobbie in the Portland area.

Tom Luciano · « **Reply #6 on:** January 26, 2009, 10:19:04 AM »

I see Brodak has it listed on their site. I'm in need of some also, has there been any problems with brodak wire?
Tom

johnbyrne · « **Reply #7 on:** January 26, 2009, 11:51:27 AM »

I called National Balsa and asked if they sold piano wire. They do not nor spruce for spars. Maybe if we start calling and asking them to stock both they will. hint hint

Joe Bowman · « **Reply #8 on:** January 26, 2009, 12:16:21 PM »

John, try Sams Stuff and Hobbies. www.sshobbies.com
Great prices and great service.

johnbyrne · « **Reply #9 on:** January 26, 2009, 12:20:02 PM »

Do they sell balsa? I've never called and asked. This is one of those things that made Lone Star so nice, one stop shopping.

Larry Cunningham · « **Reply #10 on:** January 26, 2009, 12:34:02 PM »

I'm curious. What "horror stories" about the K & B music wire?
(I have a supply myself..)

Thanks,

L.

"Where there is an unknowable there is a promise." -Thornton Wilder

Randy Powell · « **Reply #11 on:** January 26, 2009, 02:42:43 PM »

Larry,

K&S wire tends to be a bit brittle (my experience, you're mileage may vary). It pays to have radiused bends and to go easy on the stuff. It also tends to be a little soft, though I've not had any serious problems with that.

The last time I bought wire (a month or so ago), I got it from MSC and seems to be better stuff.

tom hampshire · « **Reply #12 on:** January 26, 2009, 04:44:07 PM »

Hi Randy - Had some difficulties with K&S myself, breakage at what seemed to be occlusions (hard spots) in the wire. Broke the bellcrank to flap horn pushrod right in the middle of a straight run, no bends anywhere near the failure. So I got to testing each piece before use, by clamping one end in a vise and bending it back and forth to 90 deg each way until it breaks, and labeling each piece. Most is 4-6 bends, and is ok to use. Have had pieces as bad as 2 bends (reserved for plant hangers) and up to 8-10 bends (reserved for internal pushrods). Pays to stick to graphite tubes for controls. Brodak used to sell K&S, but now has a different supplier, and the wire is black in color, covered in a light coat of mill grease. This is both more malleable and springier than K&S. Having been bitten, I still waste the money to test each piece. Too much time in even the simplest sport airplane. Hope winter goes well for you. I'm stuck with a case of acute cabin fever. Tom H.

peabody · « **Reply #13 on:** January 26, 2009, 04:49:35 PM »

I lost a pretty good airplane with .025 leadouts when an up leadout broke about 10" from the bellcrank...I war unhappy.
Windy lost a 19 point airplane when the 1/16" leadout broke 10" from the bellcrank....he was a LOT more than unhappy!

Have fun

Larry Cunningham · « **Reply #14 on:** January 26, 2009, 05:03:36 PM »

Quote from: Randy Powell on January 26, 2009, 02:42:43 PM

Larry,

K&S wire tends to be a bit brittle (my experience, you're mileage may vary). It pays to have radiused bends and to go easy on the stuff. It also tends to be a little soft, though I've not had any serious problems with that.

The last time I bought wire (a month or so ago), I got it from MSC and seems to be better stuff.

Thanks, Randy. I've had this supply for years, bought from a LHS just before it went
out of business. And I have and use a wire bender. haven't noticed problems in my limited
experience.

I appreciate the info.

L.

"The more we do, the more we can do; the more busy we are the more leisure we
have." -William Hazlitt

Steve Helmick · « **Reply #15 on:** January 26, 2009, 06:22:13 PM »

It would be a worthwhile project to try other sources. SIG has piano wire, and I seem to recall Sullivan being a standard. K&S sucketh. It's always been soft, in my experience, but I've never broken it. It's been ages since I've done a Rockwell test, but I could sure get it done. A couple of 2" samples (straight) would do...let's say 1/8" dia., with no burrs on either end.

When I flew F1A, soft wing joiner wires were a major problem. Design it for no dihederal in the main panels, and all of a sudden, you got some you don't want, so your fin/rudder area is out of whack (too little). "Dutch Roll" might be the result. Not efficient, but very safe! One of the better solutions I've seen was using a stack of clock spring stock, inside a square tube. It was oriented to flex fore/aft, but not vertically. Perfect! But I couldn't find any such stuff. This was before PC's, of course. Yellow Pages didn't help much.

Steve

PS: You can, of course, order online from either SIG or Sullivan. In the case of Sullivan, it won't come direct, but you should be able to specify Sullivan wire only and get what you want. The order is actually (s'posedtabe) filled by a Sullivan dealer.

John Stiles · « **Reply #16 on:** January 26, 2009, 06:28:02 PM »

Quote from: Steve Helmick on January 26, 2009, 06:22:13 PM

Design it for no dihederal in the main panels, and all of a sudden, you got some you don't want, so your fin/rudder area is out of whack (too little). "Dutch Roll" might be the result.

One of my best ever planes...a flapped P-51[K$B .40 size]with dihedral, made only 1/2 a 65' radius circle and came inside, with disaterous results!

Mike Haverly · « **Reply #17 on:** January 27, 2009, 10:46:09 PM »

I just checked McMaster-Carr. I've not ordered piano wire from them, but it is available. Rockwell C42-C50, should be about right for our purposes. Service from them has always been very good for me. That is where I buy my flying line.

Mike

John Stiles · « **Reply #18 on:** February 01, 2009, 02:10:02 AM »

I ordered several pieces from Sam's Stuff....just my luck they lost power due to the ice storm...he emailed me that he'd get my order out when the power came back on.

I'm still waitin...maybe tomorrow...maybe monday!

Bill Heher · « **Reply #19 on:** February 01, 2009, 11:37:10 AM »

I was wondering if there is a place where piano repair techs get wire? After all it is " Piano Wire" or Music Wire. I just looked on Craigs list in Orlando and there were a couple free pianos and several more for less than $100.

You could probably get quite a supply from 1 piano - I would get the micrometer out and start measuring diameters in our piano in the living room- but it might set the wife off!

John Stiles · « **Reply #20 on:** February 04, 2009, 12:59:11 PM »

Quote from: John Stiles on January 26, 2009, 06:28:02 PM

I ordered several pieces from Sam's Stuff....just my luck they lost power due to the ice storm...he emailed me that he'd get my order out when the power came back on. I'm still waitin...maybe tomorrow...maybe monday!
Posted on: January 27, 2009, 10:46:09 PM

Maybe a week from next tuesday

Richard Grogan · « **Reply #21 on:** February 04, 2009, 08:06:48 PM »

I used a piece of hobby shop piano wire to quick fix one of my 3 pianos, and it didn't last 4 hours! It's different stuff. On an airplane it pushes (unless its a leadout); on a piano its pulled and stretched.

Phil Coopy · « **Reply #22 on:** February 04, 2009, 08:35:10 PM »

Google McMaster-Carr they have everything you could use in hardware and raw materials.

Phil

John Stiles · « **Reply #23 on:** February 09, 2009, 07:20:57 PM »

Got my wire from Sam's today....good stuff...Sam's a pretty cool dude too, sent me a small bonus pack.....they just got power back last Friday. I will be doing business with him again