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How does anyone form a coil in a 1/8″ wire skid? All my attempts endanger many parts of me and look/function terribly.
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/WTI0095P?FVSEARCH=nose+gear&FVPROFIL=++
???
Music wire can be easily bent by heating. Bringing it back to a spring, a little more fun, but doable. A good fixture is a big help.
You will need a good strong vice with an old long bolt about 1/2in or so diameter standing upright in it. Wind the vice up very tight so the bolt cannot move.
Take a decent length of the 1/8th wire in each hand and pull it very hard around the bolt. The longer your wire, the easier it is to get it all the way round the bolt. Bend it slowly and cold.
You can choose the diameter of the bolt so you can choose what diameter you would like the coil diameter to be.
Too easy, eh? Let’s know how you make out.
That’s pretty much the aforementioned procedure, as in endangering things. My first priority is “Don’t hurt Dan”.
Cabinet maker worried about hurting himself???
I used ot do it sort like was stated above. I did it without effecting the heat treating. The trick is to use a much longer piece and grab it with a pair of vice grips. There are some fixtures that can be bought (don’t ask me where tho) that have a center post and a handle that rotates around the post. I made one and it sorta works. But, I have pretty much gone to skids that have no loops, but they are tapered from about 5/32 to 1/16 at the end. Works on FAI models….
But again, probably only works with a model that has autosurfaces and bunt…..
I have that there are 5/32 landing gears with one coil for sale. That would be easier than spearing myself with a big chunk of wire.
Tapering—chuck it in something that spins it and apply a sansing block.
I’m going to get my ball bat and practice bunting. Election season is coming, so I guess there’ll be a LOT of bunting in the next few months.
I found out how to do it!
The owner of the local hobby shop has a coils bender that screws to the bench. Bending a BEAUTIFUL coil in 1/8″ takes about 3 seconds. I made 3 skids, and have wire left over. Also have 2 eyes and all the blood that I went there with.Yup, Dan told ya the secret!! To cut the taper, I just grab on to it with a hole shooter (hand drill) and hold it against a bench grinder. Turn it in the opposite direction of the wheel and hold it lightly against the wheel. Makes cool sparks….
BTW, did you know that you can tell the carbon content of a steel by looking at the sparks it makes on a grinder? The more intense the sparks and the more secondary sparks there are, the higher the carbon content…Old machinist trick…
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