Antenna wires

For thin airplane antennae, use 1 pound-strength test fishing line. That, or clear latex thread.
For the antennae on armored vehicles(tanks and stuff), I use gauge 30 aluminum wire(gauge 30 is usually the thinnest wire available, you can get that at Wal-Mart)!! It's VERY strong, and won't bend or warp without a great amount of being messed with! To attach, just use a dab of super glue, and hold it there(yes, use your hands), for a few minutes! Then, leave the model, and start praying! Praying NEVER hurts, and all religions allow it!

fishing line..thats clever thanks

Here's a great thing about fishing line... if you pass some sort of heat under it (ie. a hot soldering iron, or a cigarette, or a recently blown out match, etc.) it will tighten up just like stretched sprue does. (Surprise! Too much heat will cause it to melt/break...) I used some for rigging on a small bi-plane and it turned out very nice and 'tight'.

Murray

For a/c wires , human hair works great. I know that sounds weird, but its almost perfect. For tank antennas I found some wire at the Hobby Lobby in the jewelry section. This stuff is really thin and is actually 2 wires twisted togetherwith a perfect "eye" or "loop at one end. Just clip the eye off and you ahve a perfect antenna. Some tanks actually have a "twisted type" so this wire is perfect .

I have some stuff called bright wire that my wife picked up at wal-mart. It's 28 gauge size and seems to work pretty good and fits perfect in the slots in the molded springs in the kit.

Hit the hardware stores. They have brass, copper and steel wire as fine as 34 guage. If its not pliable enough for you, heat it with a torch. This will anneal it and make it easier to bend. (I use all sorts of wire to make suspension springs, brake lines, radio wires, etc.) Just let it cool down on its own. If you try and hurry the process by dipping it in water you will quench it and temper it again making it hard if not brittle
.
Craft stores have beading wire of different guages. Again, some of this stuff is fine and mics out to the equivalent of 30-36 guage.

Telephone wire. Strip the plastic shielding and you will have a bundle of very fine wire. Finer than 32 guage wire.

Something on line with human hair is the fusing wire or toner cartridge wire used in copiers and laser printers. Hit up the copier repair guy for some of that. Works great for a/c antenae.

For tank antenae I stretch wire with a couple of pair of pliers. This makes it nice and straight then I just clip to size.

One of the guys in the local model club turned me on to using nylon paint brush bristles for antenae. They easily paint and if bumped or bent by accident, they pop back to their original shape.

Tenchi...glad to see you back, hope Italy was fun. May I suggest some accelerator for your superglue. Will instantly set the glue and save you having to hold it for seconds.

Mike

"May I suggest some accelerator for your superglue."
No, as that costs money(something which is in very short supply, currently!).
However, you could lend a hand by holding this wire for me until the glue sets...

Music wire is great for AFV antennae. Comes in small diameters and is very flexible.

Question: Where do you fellows get the 1 pound monofilament? I really want to try the stuff for ship rigging. Thanks.
Gip Winecoff

Gip,
Your local sporting goods store should have several strengths (hence, diameter) of fishing line. You may also want to try Wal-Mart, but they've got a more limited selection.

demono69

Gip, try fly fishing shop for really small test line.. Hey, anybody using straight brass wire? I got some from Pacific Front (mail order), one foot lengths and down to .006 inch dia. Comes like eight or ten wires to a pack. I've used my wife's nylon sewing thread, is one pound fly line that much thinner?
G.L.

Gip, hit an upholstery shop. The nylon thread they use comes in several colors. The most common being natural, white and black. But I have seen it in several other colors.
Its strong (not that you'll need to test that theory but that just makes it durable I suppose.)
It is twisted so it looks like scale rope. And it doesn't fray so no little hairy ropes, or a case of the fuzzies.
Comes on big or small spools, so you should have plenty.
And because it is a nylon or sythetic thread it will fuse easily so the ends won't become frayed if you apply a hot knife blade to it or use some superglue on the end after cutting.

G.L. , Ive used the brass wiring on a roll and cut a length and then pull on it between two pairs of pliers which straightens it nicely. From there I just trim to length. I guess its the same as the lengths of wire only with more steps invovled?

I have also found the paper covered wire sold in gardening shops as plant ties works pretty good. Just strip the paper off and you have a piece of fine steel wire. Garbage bag twist ties work pretty good to. I thnk everyone must have a kitchen drawer full of those.

I've made several jigs for twisting the wire into springs or for making rings. By using brass, plastic and even wooden rods and dowels as a mandrel and cutting a slit in one end where you can insert the end of the length of wire and either turning it by hand or VERY SLOWLY in a variable speed drill you can make endless lengths of springs and by cutting the coils you have copious quantities of rings for grab handles, buckels, tow rings etc. I have one that I use just to make antenae load coils or tension springs.

Mike