Let's face it......
....Control horns can be cheap, but even for some applications, a few dollars is still just too much. If your anything like me who likes to build with Dollar Tree foam board, why spend 5 to 6 dollars on plastic parts with a big name brand stamped on it for a model that is so cheap to start with? The same store that sells you that foam board also sells popsicle sticks by the hundreds! For $1.07, you can aquire 100 of these knifty little wooden sticks. And each one of those can produce two control horns. That breaks down to about .5 cents per horn. Now that's a good deal! However one problem still remains. You have to make these critical aircraft parts yourself. So here is how.
Lets start with what you will need. These items include a power drill, hot glue gun, control wire of your own size and choosing, a sharp hobby knife, one popsicle stick, and your made out control surface you will be linking to your servo.
Lets start with what you will need. These items include a power drill, hot glue gun, control wire of your own size and choosing, a sharp hobby knife, one popsicle stick, and your made out control surface you will be linking to your servo.
The proccess of making these is quite simple. You need to start by drilling a hole in the end of the popsicle stick to match the size of control rod or wire you have chosen to meet your RC flying demands. It's ok if your drill bit is just a touch too small. It's actually a good thing. By forcing the rod through, the hole you have made, it will create a tight fit with zero play in your push rod. In my mind that's a win. In my case, I'm using a .032" drill bit. Be careful not to split the wood when you drill your hole. If need be, you can soak the end with thin CA prior to drilling. This will help to make the wood stronger. I recommend doing this if you are using control wire larger than what I have used in this example.
The next thing you will need to do is to cut the end off at about a 45 degree angle. Be sure to leave the control horn about 1" long at a minimum. It does not have to be exact, but if you are creating these for aileron or elevon surfaces, you may want to make duplicates as close to the same as possible. To do this, use your hobby knife to score the wood at the angle you want it cut to. Make several passes until you've cut through at least half way. Then you can simply snap the wood at the score mark and make a clean break. Or, if you have a miniature saw, you can saw it at that angle as well.
Make a slot in the control surface you are linking up. But be sure not to cut through the other side. You want to make it look clean on the side opposite to the control horn. Don't try to cut a slot the thickness of your popsicle stick. After you have made a score cut, you can use the other end your popsicle stick to widen the slot. Once you've done this, trial fit the control horn into the slot you have made. Be sure it sits good and firm in the foam and that the hole you have drilled is centered over the hinge point of your control surface.
Now that you have everything sized up and ready to go, you can glue your new control horn into the control surface. Place a small bead of hot glue into the slot you've cut and fitted to your control horn. Then place the control into that slot at the same angle and location you test fitted. Let the glue set and you should be good to go. All that's left to do now is make a z-bend in the end of your control rod and insert it into your new control horn.
That's it! Your'e all done. As always, thanks for visiting SMSCustomRC!