model car inserts

[scrjon]

I have been building this car for awhile and just don't like the wheels


so I took the wheels that came with the kit and made inserts



I took and old axle assembly and ground down the center with it on my tire razor



then I glued the model wheel to my axle


with this I mounted back into the Tire Razor and sanded it



when it fit the inside of my HR chassis I popped it in a tub of 90% alcohol it loosened the glue



looks good

[BWA]

Nice job.

[dr vanski]

Looks great. What type of glue did you use? Do you think the wheel from the old axle helps support the model wheel while you're grinding?

[challenger]

clever !




I usually just use a sanding drum in my dremel and rotate it around the outside of the insert until it fits inside the rim, kind of a trial & error thing

[scrjon]

Originally Posted by dr vanski

Looks great. What type of glue did you use? Do you think the wheel from the old axle helps support the model wheel while you're grinding?

I used tenax-7r plastic weld cement, I glued the model wheel to the old axle so the Razor could spin it down, the model wheel has no axle hole

[munter]

I usually just use a sanding drum in my dremel and rotate it around the outside of the insert until it fits inside the rim, kind of a trial & error thing

me too. I kinda hold, sand, turn, sand, turn, sand and test fit.
When I get close I will use an emery board to get a better circular shape and avoid grinding off too much in one place.

[scrjon]

Originally Posted by munter

me too. I kinda hold, sand, turn, sand, turn, sand and test fit.
When I get close I will use an emery board to get a better circular shape and avoid grinding off too much in one place.

is it hard keeping them round? I had to remove a lot of plastic to get them to fit, if I had my lathe attachment for the razor it would be faster, but I am sold out, and I wanted to show it could be done, thanks guys for the comments, can not wait to race this car and get some battle damage

[Robert Livingston]

I have had good results holding the plastic wheel in my hands and filing it down by hand. It seems like a silly method, given that I have a lathe, but it is surprisingly easy. First I cut the rim off with a razor saw, cutting the plastic wheel into a rough octagon. Then I use a large flat file (mill bast'rd), hold it so it is parallel to the axle hole, and keep filing until the thing is perfectly round. Wheels have enough circular lines near the rim that you have pre-made guide lines. It does take a long time! But you can control the work and obtain an excellent light press-fit in the wheel.

PS:
You may wonder why I have done this rather than using a lathe. I do this because the hole in the wheel may be off center, and I don't want to turn the insert off center. And, some wheels have broken hubs, and gripping a shattered hub in the lathe's headstock chuck won't work.

[munter]

I do something similar to RL. I slice the front half of the rim off with an Xacto saw. Then it is the dremel... hold, sand, turn, sand, turn procedure until the insert is close to the size I need.
As RL says some control is rquired as the diameter gets near what you need, hence the emery board.

Getting them round is easy if you are careful, have a good eye and keep turning and sanding. I usually look for high spots and then a general sand of the outside surface edge.

Sometimes I will also lay the insert on sandpaper face up, on a flat surface and rub the back face smooth and the insert thinner to give a better seating position in the rim.