Wrapping .014 brass coated lines

[Dwayne Donnelly]

When wrapping .014 copper (Ukraine)  lines do you wrap around the eyelet twice  or just once like the .016's?
Thanks

[Lauri Malila]

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[Motorman]

Wrapping twice is better and that's what's in the AMA rule book, or at least it use to be.

[Dick Byron]

Try this. 1/16 brass tube.

[Dwayne Donnelly]

I wrap like this. I use thin Kevlar thread but anything thin & strong that can be glued works. Try to wrap tight, also near the eyelet so the lines sith tight against the eyelet.
I also wrap the eyelet full of thread and when ready, impregnate with thin CA. L

Can I use thin .012 copper wire?

[Dwayne Donnelly]

Try this. 1/16 brass tube.

Thanks, and you are using copper wire to wrap them?

[Lauri Malila]

.

[Dwayne Donnelly]

Haven't tried, but I'd say the thinner the better. Before Kevlar I used ordinary button thread with .015" stainless lines, never any issues. Anything thicker & heavier causes a risk of hard point fatigue in the end of binding.
I also had a few sets of lines with a brass tube "U", like in Dicks message. I stopped using them when I saw a broken strand near the tubing end.
I understand if you have your rules that may require copper wire, in that case you must of course follow them. When done correctly it will most certainly do the job. But it's been a long time since copper wire was the best way to reinforce things and the harder carbon steel lines are more sensitive to damage at hard points, probably more so during ground handling and transport than actual flying. L

Thank you for the detailed pics and instructions I will do as you showed. 👍

[Steve Helmick]

My preference is for using heat shrink tubing instead of glue, but I'm not sure how the required heat would affect Spectra line if using that for binding like Lauri does. I'd guess that he would know exactly about that, and also could 'splain why copper wire and stainless steel cables are such a good combination. There's a natural affinity there that keeps the stainless from slipping through the copper wire binding. 

I will admit to being contrary on some line techniques...for example, I'm dead set against color coding. I've seen guys hookup the lines per the color code and crash because they grabbed the wrong set of lines. Don't be that guy!  Steve

[Dwayne Donnelly]

My preference is for using heat shrink tubing instead of glue, but I'm not sure how the required heat would affect Spectra line if using that for binding like Lauri does. I'd guess that he would know exactly about that, and also could 'splain why copper wire and stainless steel cables are such a good combination. There's a natural affinity there that keeps the stainless from slipping through the copper wire binding. 

I will admit to being contrary on some line techniques...for example, I'm dead set against color coding. I've seen guys hookup the lines per the color code and crash because they grabbed the wrong set of lines. Don't be that guy! Steve

Nope, I just leave one clip on the up leadout and one on the down line, can't screw it up.

[Lauri Malila]

.

[Paul Smith]

Green side UP, just like laying sod.
And test the flipper, too.
As Ronald Reagan said: "Trust and verify".

[Steve Helmick]

Well, Lauri, two of my club members...Expert Skill Class fliers...have fallen victim to believing in color coding their lines. One lost his model, while the other realized what was wrong on takeoff and gave "down", got some altitude and reversed the handle, as I heard the story.

I never have taken off with the lines backwards. I take the handle off the lines and leave both clips (including the one longer oddball) on the handle, and either one on the leadouts. I wind the lines toward the model instead of dragging the handle across the pavement or through the weeds. The spooled lines and handle go into a gallon ziplock bag, and the spool says what model they go to. That goes in the top of my cheezy plastic toolbox.

ONE time I was hooking up the handle, pulled on one line and deemed that to be the "up" line...but I was looking at the flaps. When I got hooked up, I wiggled the handle and saw that the elevators were doing the wrong thing, so reversed them. That was as close as I've gotten in 60 years of flying both CL & FF.    Steve

[Steve Helmick]

Can I use thin .012 copper wire?

I did a DDG search for the AWG wire chart. Your .012" copper wire is 28 gauge (.0126", actually) and is the size generally recommended for binding stainless cable flying lines. I've found it much more difficult to procure, as most hardware stores usually only carry down to 24 gauge, which is .0201". Arts & Craft stores are more likely to stock 28 gauge, but it's often painted or something, which I'm not into at all.   

Your first post was implying that the .014" Ukrainian lines are copper plated, but they're brass plated. I wouldn't think copper plating would be a good thing for flying lines, and I have no idea about copper wire firmly binding to the brass plating as well as it does to stainless.    Steve 

[Bill Hummel]

Jim Lee (Lee Machine Shop) sells both 26 and 28 gauge wire.  Good quality, too!

[Dwayne Donnelly]

I did a DDG search for the AWG wire chart. Your .012" copper wire is 28 gauge (.0126", actually) and is the size generally recommended for binding stainless cable flying lines. I've found it much more difficult to procure, as most hardware stores usually only carry down to 24 gauge, which is .0201". Arts & Craft stores are more likely to stock 28 gauge, but it's often painted or something, which I'm not into at all.   

Your first post was implying that the .014" Ukrainian lines are copper plated, but they're brass plated. I wouldn't think copper plating would be a good thing for flying lines, and I have no idea about copper wire firmly binding to the brass plating as well as it does to stainless.    Steve

Yes thanks Steve, I'll be using 10lb SpiderWire.