piano wire

[gjvjr50]

Who can tell me who or where (online or other)to buy piano wire for switch machines  have read somewhere to use heaver than what comes with tortoise.Also have some rix without wires   Modeling in HO   also no  lhs within 25 miles

 

[1train1]

 

 If you have a large craft store ( like a "Michael's" for example ) or a florist nearby -

                            try florist wire.

They sell it in different gauges. It's used to hold fake and/or real flowers together.

[nedthomas]

Florist wire is soft iron for easy bending. Not what you are looking for. Some of the 'big box' craft stores do handle music wire

[dehusman]

Hobby shops that deal in RC planes and cars usually carry piano wire.  The Hobbytown chain carries it.

Dave H.

[loathar]

A music store? That's where I get the guitar strings I use from. They come in all different gauges too.

[ARTHILL]

I buy it at a large hardware store, but got a lot of scraps from a piano tuner. For some applications I have used very heavy wire, but the key is not thickness but how hard it is. It has to be VERY springy.

[ndbprr]

piano wire is springy. It is prestretched so it has never caused me a problem.  I am a little curious why the wire on a tortise isn't strong enough however for what you want to do.  I have never heard of that problem before.

[gjvjr50]

I don'r remember were I read that  maybe on the tortise or rix but it might have had to do with going thrugh thick foam (2") because of lenght

[larak]

piano wire is springy. It is prestretched so it has never caused me a problem.  I am a little curious why the wire on a tortise isn't strong enough however for what you want to do.  I have never heard of that problem before.

With thick roadbed (like 2" foam) the "stock" wire is too short to reach, and a longer wire in same gauge may work but is sometimes too flexible for solid point closure.  Same issue if you have to  form the throw wire to clear obstacles.    .039" diameter works very well for me.

Karl 

[cacole]

Any Ace Hardware store should have music wire in assorted sizes.  I've never seen it at Lowe's, Home Depot, Wal-mart, Target, or other big box store, but practically every Ace Hardware I have evern been in carries it.