Stainless Steel Cable

NOTE: 5/20/09

The supplier for our cable went out of business. Only cable left in inventory is the 1/64" and .020" cable.

Stainless steel cable is commonly used for pull-pull systems in the larger aerobatic and scale model aircraft. The advantages of using stainless steel cable is the high strength, no flexibility, and immune to temperature differences.

Cable is available in seven strand and nineteen strand types. The strand number indicates the number of individual wires twisted together to form the wire. Seven strand is recommended for a pull-pull system that don't require pulleys. If a pulley is required in the linkage then one uses the nineteen strand type.

To determine the correct size pully to use is found by the size of the cable. The minimum size pulley will have a minimum diameter of 25 times the size of the cable. This diameter will allow the cable to wrap 19 strand cable around the pulley and not have any flexibility in the system. For example 1/32" (.032") dia wire will require a minimum pulley diameter of .8" (.032 x 25 = .8) in diameter (3/4" would be ok).

We offer 1/32" diameter in two styles. Seven strand (L127) 1/32" cable is brass plated. This is our most popular cable and suitable for any size R/C model up to 50% in size. The brass plating allows convenient soldering with the use of standard solder. Standard type stainless steel cable must be soldered with special solder such as Stay Brite Silver Solder. The nineteen strand 1/32" cable (L128) is used if a pulley is used or if scale realism is an issue. Brass plated cable is not used in full scale aircraft.

The cable is obviously metalic. The receiver(s) antenna should not be placed close and parallel to the pull-pull cables. This could have some effect to the operation of the radio. Carbon fiber, wire, and aluminum pushrods also requrire the correct positioning of the receiver antenna.

Stainless Steel Cable Not coated with plastic
ITEM NO.	DESCRIPTON	STRENGTH	QTY. PKG.	PRICE
L123	1/64" dia. 19 strand	30 lb.	24 ft.	$4.95
L127	1/32" dia. 7 strand brass plated	150 lb.	24 ft.	$4.95
L128	1/32" dia. 19 strand	150 lb.	24 ft.	$4.95
L129	.020" dia. 19 strand	67 lb.	24 ft.	$4.95

 

Cable Attach Fitting

Our NELSON cable attach fitting is a means to attach stainless steel cable to a ball link or clevis. The NELSON L125 and L125HD cable attach fitting we have sold for several years has been very popular for use in the large aerobatic models. An improved version is now offered, the CAF100. CAF is an abbreviation for Cable Attach Fitting.

The basic attachment design features a set screw pushing against a 1/16" dia. steel roll pin (spring pin) which intern squeezes around the 1/32" dia. cable. There is no concern of the force of the set screw cutting or effecting the strength of the locking action. The roll pin is locked into the steel fitting because it cannot be pulled through the 1/32" dia hole for the cable that is in end of the steel fitting.

The cable used must not have any plastic coating. If plastic coated cable is used, there is not sufficient clamping action to securely hold the cable into the fitting.

Cutaway drawing shows how the locking action is effected with the squeezing of the roll pin with the cap screw.

Cable Attach Fitting
ITEM NO.	DESCRIPTION	QTY. PKG.	PRICE
CAF100	Attach fitting for 1/32" dia. cable	4	$5.75

Revised 3/28/04

NELSON stainless steel cable and Cable Attach Fittings are available from

NELSON Hobby Direct or at your dealer.