Can anyone give me some tips on adding brack lines and wires to aircraft struts? I have some good pics and was considering using a strand of copper wire. It appears to be about the right size. Thanks.
Dana
Hey Dana;
Haven’t you finished that A-10 yet?, what I did for my Hasegawa F-16A is use .032 & .040 Safety Wire(Lock Wire or Bailing Wire) and super glue I bent the wire to mimic the routing on the strut and drilled a #75 hole in the back side of the wheel & tire assembly to hold the lower portion in place and the nice thing about the Safety wire its metal and you don’t have to paint it it looks like a real metal Hyd Line
Another good wire to use, and easier to work with than lock wire, is nickel plated conductors from good quality electrical cable. Most cables have plain copper conductors, but aviation stuff (ie by Raychem) has nickel plated ones. These are perfect as they are naturally silver coloured so do not need to be painted. they are available in a range of dia’s, and one short length of cableshould last for ages.
Dana,
You might want to try and find a fishing tackle store that specialises in fly-tying supplies. They sell a lead thread or wire that comes in many different diameters. The stuff is way easier to bend and shape than copper or nickel plated wires and takes paint very well. I’ve been using it for years with great results. It’s great for those nasty cable looms that run through cockpits and wheel wells, where you have multiple wires, cables, or hoses running side by side.
Cheers
LeeTree
Bones-coa,
Small-diameter solder works very well, also. You can find it at any Radio Shack or electrical supply store. There are many diameters available, and one roll will literally last forever in the modeling world. Plus, it’s already silver, and, if it’s a little dirty (i.e., not shiny enough), just take a paper towel, wet a small portion of it with alcohol, put the wetted portion between your thumb and fingers, and pull the solder through the wet portion, applying slight pressure with your fingers. The solder will come out looking like you just polished it. Plus, solder is easily bent, and stays where you bend it. Hope this helps.