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2019 in the workshop
 

Control line clips project

4 April, 2020 - Control Line Clips &nbsp; Control line models are connected to a pair of control cables about 0.045mm (.018") thick via clips attached to the model at one end and to the handle on the other end. <div style="Font-size:5.0pt" 4 April, 2020 - Control Line Clips &nbsp; For many years I've used clips like these in pairs at each end. They are fishing clips called Hawaiian Snaps and they work very well. They have very few downsides apart from being difficult to handle with oily hands. <div style="Font-size:5.0pt" 4 April, 2020 - Control Line Clips &nbsp; This is a set of Hawaiian Snaps connected to a control line handle. With this kind of handle, the flight controls of the model are adjusted by undoing the central locking screw and sliding the heavy duty cable to lengthen one side while shortening the other. <div style="Font-size:5.0pt" 4 April, 2020 - Control Line Clips &nbsp; Another kind of handle does not have adjustments for the flight controls of the model. Hence, the line clips themselves need to be of varying lengths to achieve the same thing. <div style="Font-size:5.0pt"
4 April, 2020 - Control Line Clips &nbsp; Enter the newer style of line clip. These come in a myriad of different lengths so that the model's flight controls can be adjusted by fitting different lengths of clip. They are also slightly less difficult to use with oily hands. A set of a dozen or so can be purchased from Kaz Minato for about $25 but I always thought it would be fun to make them myself. <div style="Font-size:5.0pt" 5 April, 2020 - Control Line Clips &nbsp; I started by buying a commercial bender which out-and-out did not work. <div style="Font-size:5.0pt" 4 April, 2020 - Control Line Clips &nbsp; I decided to make the bender myself using a drawing retrieved from a stunt news site. I'm at that wierd stage where I'm a lot more comfortable using metric measurements for lengths and diameters but thousands of an inch for precision lathe work. <div style="Font-size:5.0pt" 4 April, 2020 - Control Line Clips &nbsp; I decided to make the bender according to the drawing except that I have a metric lathe. I ordered some M20 X 1.5 nuts intending to turn the M20 thread as a personal challenge. Even though I got the thread cutting itself correct, I managed to put the threading tool in crooked. You can see the thread is not a symmetrical 60° but appears to be like a hacksaw blade. One nut fitted but the other one didn't. Time to move on. <div style="Font-size:5.0pt"
4 April, 2020 - Control Line Clips &nbsp; I then decided to make the bender out of flat material and drew up a curious combination of metric and US measurements. I have a complete set of US number and letter drills that are incredibly useful. Whenever I need to turn a stud to a fine tolerance for a force fit, I convert metric to US. <div style="Font-size:5.0pt" 4 April, 2020 - Control Line Clips &nbsp; There were lots of false starts but as best I could, I made a metric equivalent of Derek Moran's design. This is the base with 4mm studs instead of 5/32". The 2-56 screw locks down the wire so that the wire is forced into a circular shape around the post. Without being locked down, the wire kinks rather than curves. <div style="Font-size:5.0pt" 4 April, 2020 - Control Line Clips &nbsp; This is the handle. This was very tricky because the distance between the pivot hole and the stud is very critical. I'm using .047" wire instead of .051" in Derek's drawing. It took three goes to get this distance correct. <div style="Font-size:5.0pt" 4 April, 2020 - Control Line Clips &nbsp; Time to put the bender into service. This is the first bend. I had to fit a small washer at the bottom of the pivot post to lift the wire because the wire slipped under the stud in the handle. The idea is to turn the handle, forming the wire around the post, until the wire meets the limiting stud. Then you keep going a little more to put the reverse bend into the wire. <div style="Font-size:5.0pt"
4 April, 2020 - Control Line Clips &nbsp; This is what it looks like after the first bend. Also note that the relationship between the post, the 2-56 screw and the limiting stud is critical. You can see that I had to machine away a little of the far side of the limiting stud so that there was a .047" wire gap between all three. This means that the .047" wire can pass between all three in a straight line. <div style="Font-size:5.0pt" 4 April, 2020 - Control Line Clips &nbsp; The first bend hooks around the third stud so that I can make repeatable length clips. At this point, I cut the wire to length. The third stud takes the place of the 2-56 screw and locks the wire in place. I intend (one day) to make the third stud adjustable so that I can make clips of varying lengths. In principle, all it needs is a slot in place of a hole. <div style="Font-size:5.0pt" 4 April, 2020 - Control Line Clips &nbsp; The third bend drops straight over the stud. <div style="Font-size:5.0pt" 4 April, 2020 - Control Line Clips &nbsp; As does the fourth bend. <div style="Font-size:5.0pt"
4 April, 2020 - Control Line Clips &nbsp; Notice the chamfered edges. It now takes a few minutes to bend everything straight with pliers. Sometimes, it also means going back to the bender to put in a little more radius. <div style="Font-size:5.0pt" 4 April, 2020 - Control Line Clips &nbsp; Fit the springs and that's it. Job done. <div style="Font-size:5.0pt" As mentioned previously, I always intended to make the bender suitable for making clips of varying lengths. I milled a slot both forwards and backwards from where the fixed stud had been. I scratched a series of lines 1mm apart to use as a reference for future clips. <div style="Font-size:5.0pt" 08 August, 2020 - Control Line Clips &nbsp; The 4mm stud now slides in the slot. It is fixed in place with a 2-56 screw and a washer.It works extremely well. End of this project &nbsp; Click to go to home page <div style="Font-size:5.0pt"
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