How to straighten wire for making control rods

by MrDabrudda | March 18, 2014 | (30) Posted in How To

Straighten and harden 16 gauge wire from Home Depot to make cheap control rods for your planes.

200 foot of wire for $6.29.  Lifetime supply of control rods.

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COMMENTS

TimberWolffe on April 2, 2014
That heat treatment is known as blueing the steel, because it turns blue if you do it right. Never do it to galvanized steel in a poorly ventilated area or there's a chance of gas poisoning. The method also works better if you submerge the steel fully in a bath of motor oil immediately after heating, rather than water, and leaving it there for about an hour, as this gives the steel time to soak up the carbon from the oil, hardening it further.
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Red20RC on April 2, 2014
That is just awesome!
I had bought some rolls of hardened 1mm "piano" wire from eBay a while back but lost heart because I couldn't get it to straighten out. Just tried your block and drill method and the results are just perfect.
I also have a roll of the cheap soft wire so I might give the hardening method a go too.

Nice work :)
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Santoso on April 2, 2014
Use stainless steel wire... It's harder and more stiff than galvaized or aluminium wire...
I always use 18 gauge for my foam plane and 16 gauge for bigger and scale aircraft...
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Sirglider on April 3, 2014
Brillant tip!
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Yogenh on April 3, 2014
It is great every one coming up ways to do things without using a lot of money.
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apnewton on April 4, 2014
Very useful thanks
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petedotnl on April 4, 2014
nice tip. i have a different approach. i straighten the wire between the drill and a vice or some pliers. just by twisting the wire it gets very stif.
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SteevyT on April 8, 2014
You're stress hardening the wire by doing this. It works fairly well.
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Otto9 on April 5, 2014
Mr Dabrudda, went to the Orange Box store this AM and while walking the aisle looking for new products and possible other uses for current items, I happened upon Stake Flags. These are the items used for marking utilities, etc. The wires seem to be of the perfect size and stiffness and I purchased a bundle of 100 for about $7. Each wire is 18" (not counting the 2.5" flag). This could almost be a lifetime supply of foamie push rods. The flags could also be used at the field for other purposes (marking bomb drops, etc.).
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jpleaner on April 6, 2014
Genius! Love that!
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dgr8one85 on April 6, 2014
I've easily spent a good amount on pushrods. It ends up being the worry of my whole build. This is brilliant. Thank you. Now, if someone can find a cheap easy way to do EZ Stop Clevices. Anyone?
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dharkless on January 27, 2016
In place of EZ stops I use adjustable wire push rods made from flag wire. I did an article on it a while back. Just do a search in articles using the keyword "adjustable" and you will find it.
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bimo on April 8, 2014
Is 16 gauge hard enough or should I apply the same method for 14 gauge?
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bimo on April 8, 2014
I know this post is about push rods, but can some kind soul make an article about clevis?
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Gargoil on April 15, 2014
Thank you thank you

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RaptorTech on April 17, 2014
I tried this out using music wire (spring wire) and it worked fairly well. For longer control rods, be careful that the loose end of the wire spinning around doesn't hit you!
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Splat01 on April 17, 2014
That's fantastic! How'd you come up with that?
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MrDabrudda on April 18, 2014
The block idea popped into my head one day when I was faced with this problem. The existing straighteners are complex,have multiple wheels, and probably expensive to build. I guess the video of a person twisting the wire with one end clamped in the vise gave me the idea to try the block method.
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AxelOR on April 18, 2014
Great idea! Has anyone tried using bike spokes? I have a pile sitting around. I might give them a try. If that doesn't work, I'll try this method. Thanks!
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geekazoid on April 21, 2014
WARNING: Be careful handling and especially heating galvanized steel. Google "metal fume fever."
I suppose that this would be safe enough to do outdoors or with active ventilation.
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tinkerbill on April 29, 2014
Exellent ideas by both author and other responders! I love these kinds of input that help the sport and especially those of us on meager fixed income!
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jimmbbo on June 21, 2014
A great trick!
Galvanized wire has a zinc coating, and somewhere in the dim past I recall that breathing zinc fumes may be a bad thing... Positive ventilation and/or a respirator would be worth considering...
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MrDabrudda

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How to straighten wire for making control rods