Better landing gear solution

Thought my front LG strut was a bit 'wobly' it had cracked just at the top of were the strut goes into the frame recess (behind the tray fot the piccoboard). Now spending AGES trying to dig out the broken bit of CF leg that was CA glued in [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

I figured out it was better to hot-glue the back legs into those silly slots (not so strong as to break leg/strong enough to hold for quite a while/weak enough to pop off if required)

Anyone got some good ideas for other ways to sort landing gear.

The little landing leg spurs soon snap and the method of holding the CF leg struts to the frame is a nightmare.

try piano wire and at the bottom of the struts bend to 45 degrees similar to the mia landing gear sure someone can post a picy i have none available

I tried steel bike spoke wheels but they were a little heavy (but only £0.30 each, with 1 required to make 4 struts) but I went to my NSLHS (Not So Local Hobby Shop) and picked up some 2mm hollow Alu tube, (£0.42 each, with 2 required to make 4 struts with loads left over).

Probably not as strong as the Titanium struts you can buy from e-flight etc, but I can make a huge number of struts very cheaply if they do break. They are very light though and look the part.

Also being metal means that they can just be yanked out with pliers as the CA doesn't stick to them as well as it does CF Rod (which I had to drill out when I broke one of the struts).

HTHS

Ash

[ QUOTE ]
try piano wire and at the bottom of the struts bend to 45 degrees similar to the mia landing gear sure someone can post a picy i have none available

[/ QUOTE ]

I hear a lot about "piano wire", but I've got no idea what it is (other than springy thin wire) and where to get it. Can anyone enlighten me? Do I need to be going down the local Steinway dealer for some strings [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

The same here... Never played the piano and certainly never stolen any wire from a piano [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

My struts are exactly as shown in that diagram! I used piano wire. Can't remember what the thickness I used in the end was (I tried a couple). I hot glued the rear coil to the tail boom to stop the whole thing from rotating and used CA on the front.

I've been using this for months now and it works really well. Lots of spring in the struts means I've survived heavy landings that would have meant repair work. It's been so nice to have put an end to the constant problem of those rear struts coming out of those channels all the time.

[mdare]

Piano Wire is the wire which is hit by the hammers in a piano to make the notes. It comes in various thicknesses probably 18 or 20 swg is about right for a piccolo. Available for pence at your LHS. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

You can dissolve superglue by placing the parts in acetone overnight. Available from fibreglass suppliers (at least thats where I got mine from). Acetone will dissolve some plastics. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

Best Regards

Martin R Dare

Here in the 'states' nearly every LHS stocks various sizes of piano wire in 2.5 (?) foot lengths.

Just like in a piano, they usually carry it from extreamly thin to pretty darn thick. Those are not exact diameter measurements [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Im desparately looking for some 2mm titanium wire, so I can make a slightly longer flybar and some wide bent landing gear that will absorb shock better and look more like a Raptor (I use a Raptor canopy). I found some from a bycicle shop £3 perspoke and spokes are long, but when I phoned they said they are no longer being imported and are discontined [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] If any1 ffinds a stockist please PM me.

Piano wire, also known as music wire has a diameter refered
to by 'gauge' [Standard Wire Gauge (SWG)], normally only the
even numbers are available in model shops, numbers go from
thick to thin.

Here are some examples;
8SWG = 0.160" = 4.064mm - Meccano rod size
10SWG = 0.128" = 3.251mm - About 1/8"
12SWG = 0.104" = 2.641mm - About 1/10"
14SWG = 0.080" = 2.032mm - About 2mm
16SWG = 0.064" = 1.625mm - The 'Magic one' 1/16" & 1.6mm
18SWG = 0.048" = 1.219mm
20SWG = 0.036" = 0.914mm - About 1mm
22SWG = 0.028" = 0.711mm
24SWG = 0.022" = 0.558mm

Don't try and understand it, these are not for understanding,
they're for looking up in books that only engingeers have
so that 19th century peasants can say 'Oo that be magic
Mr. Engineer, can I come t' work in your mill'

I guess that in the states they use their own standard
wire sizes and in europe probably metric sizes, I'd love
to know.

I hope this is of some help to somebody

Pibber