Wires for landing gear and push rods?

[llamberll]

What kind of wire do you use to build landing gears?
I've bought some galvanized steel wire on my local Hardware store. It was quite thick, but it was also a bit too soft. The first landing gear I've made bent as I landed, then I've tried a Storch styled one and it held ok, but still feels a bit fragile.
What kind of wire is stiffer? I'm having the same problem for push rods.

 

[FDS]

K&S Music Wire.
3mm for landing gear and 1.2mm for push rods.

 

[Hai-Lee]

For my own builds and prototypes I use a number of rather strange sources for my landing gear and pushrod wires.
My favourite pushrod wire is simply straightened large paper clips. If I require greater length I either bind and glue the paper clips to a BBQ skewer or similar OR where a bit of strength and rigidity is required I recycle old bicycle wheel spokes.

Landing gear is either bicycle wheel spokes for lighter models, the circular spring steel wire from the after market hub caps, (they litter the roads here), for medium weight models and a combination of Aluminium bar and the wire from the hub caps for heavier models.

They do take a bit of effort to straighten and then shape as required but often they out last the model itself.

What works for me, (with minimal input cost),

Have fun!

 

[Jackson T]

I use Music wire like @FDS. @Hai-Lee has some great ideas there too, I think I'll have to try the bike spokes sometime!

 

[Merv]

I use wire from political yard signs for landing gear and wire form utility marking flags for push rods.

 

[messyhead]

Landing gear is either bicycle wheel spokes for lighter models

Thanks for that! I'm building a Scout and was thinking about which wire to get for the landing gear. But I've got an old bike in the garden that is about to lose some spokes!

I've also ordered some 1.5mm Piano wire for the push rods.

 

[FDS]

Just be sure you can get good big wheels with centres that fit the spokes.
Cornwall Model Boats stock all the K&S Music Wire and the most common wheel hole size to fit a scout is 3mm. Get good wide wheels at least 55mm diameter. Any smaller and you need a billiard table to land on.