Asking a question and taking this thread off on a tangent:

Been thinking about using some Spectra for rudder cables. Other than the
obvious poor heat tolerance, which shouldn't be a factor in my case for rudder
cables, what other problems, ecpected or unexpected, might I encounter if I
were to experiment in this manner? Abrasion, stretch, creep, and attachment
methods have already been considered.

Anyone already using Spectra for control cables?

Now I'm really curious. Saw some stainless steel cable at the tractor
supply the other day for about $1 foot. 1/8" and looked to be about 9
cords, each with 7 wires. Is there a difference between the steel cable

found at the tractor supply and what AS&S ships?

Biggest difference is probably the per-foot marking on the price tag.

that is a dangerous complacency.
aircraft wire has more wires in each "chord" to reduce the effects on
cable strength of wear through the pulleys and guides.
7 chords by 19 strands is the usual aircraft stuff.

Actually, aviation cables come in a variety of layouts, depending upon the
usage of the cable. First number is the number of strands, second number
is the number of wires in each strand. You can multiply the numbers to
determine the number of individual wires in a given cable... so 1/8" 7x19
cable has 133 tiny wires, and 1/8" 1x19 has nineteen rather thick wires.

Obviously, tiny wires are going to bend easier than thick wires. So the
7x19 cable is going to be more flexible than the 1x19. But it's going to
be more sensitive to friction; those little wires are going to wear through
faster than the thicker ones. But that stiff 1x19 is going to present more
problems when trying to form it around a thimble.

Fly Babies use both types... 7x19 cables for the rudder, and 1x19 cables
for the bracing wires.

Ron Wanttaja