Z Bends, "MY" Way

After noticing that a friend just purchased a set of Z Bend Pliers to aid him in making Z Bends for his control linkages, I thought it would be of benefit to show how I make Z Bends. I have a set of these pliers that I bought ages ago, but never use them as they do not yield very good Z Bends.
See how you, too, can pull off a nice, professional Z-Bend with only a pair of standard pliers!
Don't forget to check out my podcast for all kinds of information about the Radio Controlled Flying Hobby!
www.TheCrashCast.com

[@davidswarbrick9645]

Great job 👍 save me buying that tool thanks 👍 for your help big thumbs up Dave

[@chucklamb3496]

I was just about to drop $20 on z bend pliers. Glad I found your video. Thanks!

[@chrisvos81]

brilliant tip!! i was having a problem making a nice short z bend on thick wire and this is the answer!!thanks!!

[@AeroSmithyRC]

This is brilliant, I have exactly the same pliers and they give me exactly the same problem you had i.e. the z-bend is too narrow and pulls on the servo arm. Thanks for making this video, I'll be using this technique from now on!

[@upeekupi]

You really save my hands..... that swollen to make a good Z Bend. but after watching your clip now i am able to do that cleanly.... Thank you Sir.

[@corsair16]

Thank you for sharing this technique. It isn't terribly complex, but that's just the value in it, aside from the quality of the Z-bends that you get from it.

[@sterby1]

I was seriously stuck with my first kit built plane (BOT) because the Z-bends I made were too wide, but thanks to your technique I can finally finish it up without weighing the tail down with steel clevises and brass connectors.

[@JimN5QL]

Great tip! It must have been around for a very long time. I was taught this trick by an old timer in the late '50s! Keep up the great work and vids! Jim

[@MegaWoodss]

Thanks very much for this video, I've had good results with it and just referred someone to this video so they can also benefit.

[@mikemorgan5015]

A piece of 1/8 x 3/4 flat bar stock with a hack saw kerf in the side about 3/16 deep and 1/8 in from the end will bend all the Zs you need. I also like a drilled holes close to the end for tuning. Drill them at a slight angle and you can get your 1st 90 in one step. Takes about a minute to make and costs about .20 cents.

[@wordreet]

For folks that don't have such strong fingers, I'd like to recommend a small pair of vice grips to hold the short end. Some have sharp serrations which could damage the wire, so you could file or grind the two gripping faces smooth. Just make sure they look paralell when closed.

[@smonsterj]

Partially agree with the video... the z-bend pliers are far too limiting and don't work the best for thicker gauge wires. I do the same thing, except for the the twisting part at the end.... that is not good for the metal and will weaken it unnecessarily. Probably won't be a problem most of the time, but there's no reason to twist the metal. When bending metal of any size, you just need an appropriate edge to guide and limit the bend, so you can use any strong pliers for that. What I do is use ONLY needlenose, which taper and get thinner towards the tip. You should make your first bend closest to the edge of the wire however you want, but the second bend can be made with a "width" of the needlenose pliers to make sure it's the same size every time for uniformity and to mitigate the "twist" part. E.g. if you use the tip of the pliers, then you can make a very small width for the second bend, or much wider if you use the wider part of the pliers. Hopefully that makes sense. With metal, use as little "rebending" or "twisting" as possible, because it will break on you if you're not careful. : )

[@jitterbuba]

I'm doing the same technique since ever. Usually starting with two wires at the same time to get bends and lenghts as symetric as possible

[@Skydive4ever]

Thanks Crash, that's the way I do mine too, just as fast and easy than z-bend pliers.

[@DaveDrowns]

Thanks Crash, I'm always looking for another tip. This one is sure to be useful.

[@infotechsailor]

You saved me the $20 I was about to waste on those z bend pliers. Your method is great!

[@Aeromodelismo_Facil]

Thanks very much for this video, it helped me👍

[@xoltri]

Thanks so much for sharing this, I appreciate the effort!

[@brianemery8945]

You can also eliminate that last twisting and use them as Spring loaded rod ends...work great when u don't have room to remove or install the z bend

[@mschaffer2826]

Thank you for this video. Its so simple, but functional. Wish I had thought of it. Glad I saw it just before I bought zbend pliers.

[@Flyingwigs]

i figured this out on my own after seeing the "fancy pliers" :P

[@1Skeptik1]

Great tip - thanks for sharing!

[@Journeyman-Fixit]

Works great for my 1940-50s Briggs engines. Thanks!

[@jabbasjz6753]

Thank you, it helped me

[@CrashHancock]

@inciteman I made that video quite some time ago, but I think I was using 4-40 music wire in this video. I typically use 4-40 on larger aircraft, 2-56 wire on smaller stuff, and 0.047" wire on my foamies and smaller parkfliers.

[@hbk2flyer]

Thanks Crash, great tip!

[@CrashHancock]

I hear you! I like EZ connectors, too. However, I don't recommend them on anything above 1/2A (of course, most electrics are fine). I once turned a 40-sized fun fly plane into lethal ordinance when an EZ connector failed on an elevator! LOL

[@jfruser]

Thank you Sir!

[@TwilightCompunction]

Very helpful, thanks!

[@NOXFPV]

Liked and suscribed. Thanks

[@GeorgeMartinRcScratchbuilds]

Cool Crash H old school. like it

[@wordreet]

Ah! I never thought about that twist technique! Great advice man! Feel free to buy yourself a pint of what you fancy and pretend I paid for it! ;¬)

[@wocketman1629]

Great video and tips!! thanks you so much!

[@skinnyguy3184]

Very helpfull!! Thankyou

[@CrashHancock]

BTW, the Z Bend pliers shown in this video were made by Hobbico. This morning I've seen pics of what other pliers can accomplish and the results are far better. Also, it appears that these tools now sell for less than the $18.99 that I paid for mine back in the 80's. Nonetheless, no need to pay for a tool to make your Z Bends if you already have some pliers. It's quick, simple, and cheap!

[@LTF85199]

thanks this is what i do too, but does not make very pleasing linkages..

[@norman16176]

thanks you just save me $20.00 plus shipping i was just looking at a z bend plier that was on amazon.com and was just about to order when i decide to check out you tube

[@GeorgeMartinRcScratchbuilds]

I make mine like that also.

[@sherazkhan2939]

I think you should try a newer model... it works fine.

[@CrashHancock]

ULine is the supplier I use

[@humanmissile]

i've been looking for that kind of tape in ur video, where did u get it??

[@carlocruz4814]

What brand are those red pliers?

[@inciteman]

What type of wire did you use to make these?

[@vrstwv]

Yes. i agree i recently bought similar Z bend pliers and they are absolute crap the bend is too tight and not at 90 degrees,also these pliers were recommended by a top RC magazine .

[@dbronst3790]

Note - After you measure the required control rod length, be sure to add 1/4" for your first bend. This extra length is needed to compensate for the Z-bend.

[@FeWolf]

I have to disagree, love my Z bend pliers, no issues

[@MarkPrimavera]

VERY, VERY SLICK!!!!

[@qwetry-j2u]

The wire can be broken when you twist it.

[@jitterbuba]

I think the ordinary steel wire that is sold in modell stores can take few twists before it cracs

[@ferocious20022002]

Old post but still useful. Pick up the music wire. Hold it vertically in front of your face. The wire has a twist built in from the manufacturing process that goes from lower left to upper right. The first bend should be made towards yourself. The when you make the second bend it will follow the natural twist in the wire. It makes a break less likely when bending the short end parallel to the rest of the wire. Trying to adjust the shape, particularly where the short end points, can easily break the wire if you try to bend against the built in twist more than once. Heavier wire, over 1/16in. is more likely to suffer a fatigue failure from bending the wire back and forth.

[@solentlifeuk]

I've been using Z bend pliers for years and I cannot agree with this video ... and the letter is Z'ed' .... not Z'ee' .... Second ... depending on your rod you can actually ruin the rod by bending twice - especially if its hardened black rod ...