Z-bend Pliers

Model Airplane News, Sep 2002 by Boyd, Matt

Radical RC

Z-bend Pliers

Control rods made "easy"

Chances are, the instructions for several of the planes in your hangar asked you to make Z-bends in the pushrods; and chances are, you made them the old-fashioned way-by hand. If you're lucky you used a Z-bend tool; such a tool saves time, but most produce angles that aren't very precise. Well, if you had had a pair of Radical RC's Z-bend pliers, you could have made enough bends for a 6-channel model during the time it took you to read this far, and each bend would be perfectly square. No kidding! These things couldn't be easier to use, and the angles come out just right every time.

The design uses a scissors motion rather than the clamping motion used by other similar products. The result is a more efficient use of leverage; full 90-degree bends can be made with a light squeeze of the handles. The scissors motion automatically stops its travel when the bends reach 90 degrees, so the angles are always square.

First, mark the place on the rod where you want the bend (remember to zero your servo before you start). Next, align the pliers' jaws so the slots line up, and insert the rod into the slots with the bend mark between the jaws.

Then close the jaws, and-just like that-- you have a perfect Z-bend. If there's one part of the process that's even slightly difficult, it is removing the bent rod from the jaws' slots. Depending on the control rod's diameter, you may have to tug on it a little to remove it from the pliers. Next, install the rod in your airplane, and make your final adjustments to the other end. Through one arm of the pliers, there's a hole that serves as a rod cutter. Simply thread your wire through the hole; the part that extends out of the hole on the inside of the pliers' arm will be cleanly clipped off when you close the pliers.

I used 1/32-inch Z-bend pliers on relatively thin rods for a park flyer, and they worked flawlessly. Radical RC also sells versions to fit 2-56 and 4-40 wire and a combo pliers that fits both larger sizes. Regardless of the size of your plane, they are great time-savers. The Z-bend pliers are very affordable at $15 ($16 for the combo size), and it's hard to argue with the convenience they provide.

-Matt Boyd

Radical RC (937) 237-7889; radicalrc.com.