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Elastic Bands; Wing retention.


Basil
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Hi, this really must seem a stupid question, nieve at the very least. I need to buy some bands to hold on some wings and I see that they come in different sizes. How do you determine what size is required?.Is it the length between when slack or the length when taught. What sought of tension is required?

I have some that I bought some months ago but they keep breaking(app 50% do)maybe sub standard.

Bas

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I only have a few models that use wing bands and I always use 6, each lightly tensioned but it allows for at least 2 to fail in flight without serious consequences ?   As for length, I tend to use what I have available but Early Bird's suggestion of 8" for 12" chord is about right. 

 

They do tend to perish more when left in tension even when the model is stored in the dark as most of mine are (in the loft above my workshop).  I have no idea why.  I keep the wing bands for my Das Liddle Stik in the battery compartment and they seem to be lasting quite well but 'O' rings stretched over small model propsavers always fail when stored.

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37 minutes ago, Geoff S said:

I only have a few models that use wing bands and I always use 6, each lightly tensioned but it allows for at least 2 to fail in flight without serious consequences ?   As for length, I tend to use what I have available but Early Bird's suggestion of 8" for 12" chord is about right. 

 

 

6 bands! won nice strong fuz there, 2 straight and 2 diagonal for me!  ?

 

some talc in the bag with the bands seems to make them last longer. 

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Slec ones are good, various sizes and not expensive.

 

I also use 6, 4 diagonals for self keeping.

 

Dark stored in talced empty clean grease plastic pot with screw lid type pot.

 

I replace any that show signs of deterioration and test them prior to fitting. Spares in flight trolley, an old shoppers trolley with wood box etc..

 

Wheels are great ain't they !

 

Seen toooo many wings come off in flight. These days it's batteries....

 

Yes I have used old innertube bands as well.

 

Glow or diesel fuel and exhaust will eventually degrade the band's but they are not expensive.

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1 hour ago, Geoff S said:

I only have a few models that use wing bands and I always use 6, each lightly tensioned but it allows for at least 2 to fail in flight without serious consequences ?   As for length, I tend to use what I have available but Early Bird's suggestion of 8" for 12" chord is about right. 

 

They do tend to perish more when left in tension even when the model is stored in the dark as most of mine are (in the loft above my workshop).  I have no idea why.  I keep the wing bands for my Das Liddle Stik in the battery compartment and they seem to be lasting quite well but 'O' rings stretched over small model propsavers always fail when stored.

At least six bands for me too Geoff. I really don't like wingbands, but for the minority of models that use them -mostly gliders - I'd always use at least six. They do perish relatively quickly when exposed to the light, which is a pain when models are stored by hanging them up with the wings on- so most of those models are stored wings off.

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Band length I find is 'shorter than you think'. As @John Lee says, you don't want the leading edge lifting in flight, so they need to be tight. 1 degree incidence change is not much band stretch, but quite a difference in aerodynamics. I keep bands in a metal tin out of the light, used ones still need frequent replacement.

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Using six bands isn't just for security, it also provides 50% more 'anti-lifting' tension than just using four bands.

 

But don't over-do it either.  You do want to wing to release in the event of an accidental arrival, else the impact energy will find the next weakest point which will be the wing itself and/or the fuselage.

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On 20/01/2022 at 13:42, Capt Kremen said:

Whilst very noble supporting the hobby shop/hobby suppliers, you will find a wider and cheaper choice via a search on the net.

I have used 'First Steps' and 'Rubberbands uk' with satisfaction in quality, range, and value.

Captain, this might sound a bit nieve, but so many listed. What types are best suited for us modellers.

Bas

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Because the attitude is about ignoring the rapidly diminishing supply of model shops in favour of online suppliers for something as cheap as rubber bands. If people think wing bands are too expensive from a LMS then that is just proof that people have been spoiled with cheap goods for far too long. 

 

Once the model shops are gone, they're not coming back.

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On 20/01/2022 at 09:25, Basil said:

Hi, this really must seem a stupid question, nieve at the very least. I need to buy some bands to hold on some wings and I see that they come in different sizes. How do you determine what size is required?.Is it the length between when slack or the length when taught. What sought of tension is required?

I have some that I bought some months ago but they keep breaking(app 50% do)maybe sub standard.

Bas

What's the model ?

Rubber bands are sometimes a worse accident damage risk than plastic screws.  IMO rubber bands are over-rated in mitigating accident damage in most models, they also look ugly & increase drag.  They are one of several examples of free flight/single channel legacies that have been carried over to modern RC models often without the benefits or otherwise being fully considered.

 

 

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                    The trouble with plastic screws is they often don't give any until they break or tear out or in the case of  an Easy Pigeon complete collapse of a section of wing, all the port centre section uncovered in the pic. Repaired and about to be recovered. Sawing some way though bolts can help but I  never see it done.SAM_1779.thumb.JPG.a2cc063deb494803662ce2ea71caf718.JPG

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38 minutes ago, J D 8 said:

                    The trouble with plastic screws is they often don't give any until they break or tear out or in the case of  an Easy Pigeon complete collapse of a section of wing, all the port centre section uncovered in the pic. Repaired and about to be recovered. Sawing some way though bolts can help but I  never see it done.SAM_1779.thumb.JPG.a2cc063deb494803662ce2ea71caf718.JPG

 

If the wings had been held by rubber bands, tight enough not to allow the LE to lift in some manoeuvres, would it really have made any difference ?

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