On 07/26/2010 05:42 PM, Ecnerwal wrote:
In ,
Tim wrote:
If I had a way of straightening it as needed I'd be happy with a coil.
Somehow I think I could buy a _lot_ of straightened music wire for the
amount of time I'd spend trying to make a straightener.
12" would leave me with lots of little unused bits ranging from 1/2" to
5" (I know, bitch bitch bitch).
The amount of bend in a coil of 1/8 (based on the way the coil of 0.080
was packed, and how it unrolls from how it's packed) would be tiny over
an inferred maximum length of 11-1/2" (1/2" scrap from 12"), and if you
can work by feel and eyeball, two nails in a board will straighten those
sections further (or just use the bending fork you probably already use
for sharp bends to hold the end while you put some back-bend in and
compare to a straightedge) - how straight do you really need?
Contraiwise, while you pay a premium of $8 for 25 straight chunks .vs.
24 feet in a coil, and there's more waste, if dead straight matters to
you, it's cheap - it's also a heck of a lot easier to store and dispense
(you don't want to get careless with a coil of big music wire - it likes
to uncoil with force, and it will hurt you if given a chance.)
But, perhaps your best option is 6 feet from small parts, which you
mentioned at the outset, IIRC - even less waste, already straight, cut
in half when it arrives if you are committed to 3 feet for storage. Just
make sure they understand that you'll be sending it back and expecting a
refund if it's noodles. I've never bought from them, but I recall other
people speaking well of their products (if not always of their prices).
I've ordered from Small Parts a few times, and what I got was always top
drawer.
Perhaps I should call McMaster or Small Parts and see if they know what
the relaxed diameter of their 1/8" music wire is. The shop's big enough
I could just hang a (relaxed) coil on the wall, if it's less than eight
feet around.
--
Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com
Do you need to implement control loops in software?
"Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" was written for you.
See details at
http://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html