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Google was not helpful...

So....wound guitar string is what I want to use for power couplings etc, correct????

How hard is it to cut the string? What kind of tools would I need? What kind of injuries can I expect to inflict on myself????

Also any advice on what size to get? I want to make hotshot lasgun/hellgun power couplings for kitbashed stormtroopers.

Thanks for any info.

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Leader of the Sept







It’s really hard to cut the string. Little clippers for electrical wire and taking bits off of plastic sprues is t really up to it. See proper pliers. Also need good pliers to shape it properly.

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Been Around the Block




Metal guitar strings can be very sharp when cut, so be careful. Also very hard to shape in a small-scale setting, because they're so springy.
I'd suggest maybe buying a set of nylon strings (used for classical guitar). The 3 bass strings are wound with metal, but they're a lot lighter and much easier to handle. Presuming you're painting them anyway (?), the fact that they're wound will provide the texture you're after.
   
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Longtime Dakkanaut





Guitar strings are easy enough to cut with wire cutters but they are multiple thing wires twisted together so once cut you might want o put a bit of solder on the end to keep it from unwinding.

The hardest thing is to keep it straight, in the package the are wound round into a big circle and will coil back up without something to keep them tense.

You probably need anywhere from 42 - 52 gauge for modelling purpose depending on what you want. Remember that in many electric guitar string sets only 3 of the 6 strings will be wound and the other 3 will be a single piece of wire so you will only be able to go so thin if you want something that looks like a cable
   
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Regular Dakkanaut





Oh Canada!

Guitar strings are extremely springy - make sure you wear eye protection when working with them! Little pieces love to fly off into any darn direction they please.
   
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Newcastle, OZ

Use proper plier/wirecutters to cut it.
Use 2 pair of needle nose pliers to shape it.

It is quite sharp when cut, and stabby injuries are not uncommon.

It comes in more than one kind. Often steel-wound or bronze wound (around a steel wire core). The higher pitched strings sometimes AREN'T wound and bass guitar strings are good for some of the thicker cabling.

You also need to take into account the spring tension and to drill mounting holes for each end.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/12/12 07:24:11


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A very different way to achieve a similar result is with a roll maker, which textures a greenstuff "snake" into a ribbed hose or cable. It's not a strong as a guitar string, but it goes where you want it to go in a much more predictable way. https://www.greenstuffworld.com/en/roll-maker/69-roll-maker-tube-wire-machine.html

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 Pariah Press wrote:
A very different way to achieve a similar result is with a roll maker, which textures a greenstuff "snake" into a ribbed hose or cable. It's not a strong as a guitar string, but it goes where you want it to go in a much more predictable way. https://www.greenstuffworld.com/en/roll-maker/69-roll-maker-tube-wire-machine.html


If you use something other than green stuff, like milliput, it’s should be more than strong enough.

The GSW rollers are really good, this is a great idea. I think if you use guitar strings you are going to need to clamp it somehow.

Guitar strings are designed to be held under quite a lot of tension, there is anywhere from 60- 90 lbs of tension between the guitar bridge and the nut
   
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Rampaging Khorne Dreadnought






What kind of scale are we talking?
You can buy springs made for miniature modelling that can go very fine. Ak has some and I have had good results from the wires at https://www.zinge.co.uk/
They have basically zero spring and maintain their shape well...but if you do too harsh bends the loops can separate.
For shorter cables you can also simply do it yourself by wrapping wire around something. It's not that bad and you can get different shapes with that, like rectangular coils for plasma or some more exotic shapes.
But I also second the GSW rollers, they get the job done. .
   
 
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