How to Bend 1/8" Music Wire

How to Bend 1/8" Music Wire
In this video I will give a detailed description of how to use the Micro Mark #60346 Mini Wire Bender to successfully bend 1/8 inch music wire (also known as piano wire) . The bender is used in a vise and with practice can make very accurate bends in 1/8" music wire and I demonstrate this with a wire bending exercise.
I will also demonstrate the use of pliers to bend thinner music wire, to include an easy technique to make "Z" bends in the wire for control horn set up.
Music wire bending is a basic task with scratch building RC model airplanes, as the landing gear can be formed this way.
The key to bending 1/8" music wire is to practice. Thinner music wire can be used for this practice as well as wire coat hanger wire, which is very easy to handle and is typically readily available.
This wire bender is a great item for model building tools for beginners, and a great addition to model building tips and tricks.
Here is a link to my KZbin Channel:
/ timmckay56
Many thanks in advance for a post of this video on Facebook, it truly helps the channel a lot!
Regards,
Tim
www.MicroMark.com
Foam board Lazy Bee:
• Let's Build a Foam Laz...
Chapters
00:00 - Intro
00:24 - Bending overview
01:05 - Bending thin wire
02:12 - Bending 1/8" music wire
02:44 - Wire bender options
03:22 - Use of wire bender
04:55 - Demonstration of wire bending
08:30 - Landing gear example

[@Yankee2003]

Awesome wire bending video. Thank you Tim.

[@TimMcKay56]

Michael: Glad you enjoyed it! Tim

[@Yankee2003]

Any chance you could or have done a video on making firewalls? Specifically around 3/32 balsa using a dremel tool. I have a dremel tool as well and would love an education on making firewalls for Foamboard airplanes. Cutting them out…drilling/rostering out cooling holes…things like that. 3 inch x 3 in would be a nice size that cooling openings might be easier to demonstrate. I know … I am maybe overstepping my boundaries as a viewer. Just an idea for a future video. Thanks for doing one on bending landing gear wire. Mike

[@TimMcKay56]

@@Yankee2003 Mike: Great idea on the firewall, will add this to the list! Tim

[@gscott5778]

Excellent "How To" not too fast or slow and great tip about using coat hanger wire to practice. Going to make my own wire bending jig.

[@TimMcKay56]

Glad it was helpful! Tim

[@waetos]

Thanks for the lesson Mr McKay! Glad I found your channel. Last week I bit the bullet and bought a Spektrum NX10. I'm. Keeping my 7 year old Futaba T9CAP FAAST because it works just fine. But, I'm building a T45 turbine. That's what the Spektrum is for. They say the difference between a man and a boy is the price of his toys. How true. At 68, I never want to exit this hobby. It's just too enjoyable.

[@TimMcKay56]

Bill: No worries, and thanks again for checking in! I really like my Spektrum equipment a lot, to include AR620 6 channel receiver with internal antenna. 67 years old this end! 😊 Tim

[@GrotrianSeiler]

This is such a great channel. Thank you, Tim.

[@TimMcKay56]

Grotrian: Glad you enjoy it, thanks for checking in! Tim

[@gregbrowning5437]

Hi Tim, I bought it after watching this video and have just used it for the first time. What an excellent tool! Regards.

[@TimMcKay56]

Greg: Great news, thanks! Tim

[@gamingSlasher]

Awesome educational video. One in a million on youtube nowadays.

[@TimMcKay56]

Thanks! Tim

[@user-bb3ig6pm3s]

Thanks Tim for sharing! I've learnt a lot from your videos :)

[@TimMcKay56]

Thanks for checking in! Tim

[@jimr3633]

I like the idea of practicing with a coat hanger.

[@TimMcKay56]

👍🏻 Tim

[@plainnpretty]

Thanks for sharing this

[@TimMcKay56]

No worries! Tim

[@terrybrockway5376]

Thank you Sir.

[@TimMcKay56]

Terry: You are most welcome! Tim

[@1mikeb]

I like it. I usually use a vise and vise grips, but never get the bracket quite flat or symmetrical. I think this tool will really help with that.

[@TimMcKay56]

Mike: Yes, having the right tools makes the building much more fun. Good luck! Tim

[@TimothyLSmith810]

Thanks Tim

[@TimMcKay56]

Timothy: Thanks for checking in! Tim

[@potatosalad1485]

Great video 👍 -Anuj

[@TimMcKay56]

PS: Thanks a ton! Tim

[@grassroots9304]

I'd recommend trying a pair of Knipex 71 12 200 cutters for that wire. I use them on all kinds of metal fence wire as well as aircraft cable. The largest cable I work with is 1/8 and it's no problem. So, too, for barbed wire and such.

[@TimMcKay56]

Great tip, thanks! Tim

[@kf4293]

Tim, if you wanted to put a full loop in the wire, like to add a spring to your landing gear, will it let you do that, or does the retaining pin get in the way too much?

[@TimMcKay56]

KF: This bender will not allow for a landing gear spring, not long enough. In KZbin, search for "winding a torsion spring" and you can see how it is done. Tim

[@mr.dwyersonlinelearning2937]

High there Tim. I've been watching you and learning from you for a while now and have a question. I got a micro "brick" and the tiny lipo batteries and micro motor. But the motor has a really tiny 2 pin lead and I can't seem to find the connectors small enough to integrate it into the brick. Got it a on Amazon...but where can I get the connector? Help. Please! Any suggestions? You struggling pal, George.

[@TimMcKay56]

George: The motor has a little 2 pin connector. Just search around the brick, there should be a female receptacle for the motor pins, will be along the brick edge. Tim

[@ComfortablyNumbMusic]

Where do you get your music wire from? Great video!

[@TimMcKay56]

www.BalsaUSA.com

[@ComfortablyNumbMusic]

Thank you.

[@jackcannan9045]

sweet apron

[@TimMcKay56]

Picked it out myself. 😁

[@85darkmoon]

Where do I buy that wire I can’t find anything that small anywhere?

[@TimMcKay56]

Just do a Google search, or go to www.TowerHobbies.com Tim

[@kennyomega8937]

Can you suggest me size of bar for mini project of house (rebars)

[@TimMcKay56]

Ken: Not sure on this. Tim

[@kennyomega8937]

@@TimMcKay56 thank 🙂

[@simianwarthog]

The ⅛ music wire I just bought online is very easily bent backwards on landing. Are you supposed to anneal it or somehow treat it to make it more springy and less bendy? Or did I just buy a bad batch?

[@TimMcKay56]

My guess is a bad batch. Music wire is very tough stuff to bend, hence this video. Plan B could be slightly larger MW. But 1/8” has worked for many of my models. Tim