Here's the latest chapter:
"
How To Make Wheels For the Lumber Buggy the Hard Way"
I wanted spoked wheels that looked something like this:
I had some left-over 1/24th-scale Mack tires and decided to make the wheels with
this method. No doubt there was an easier way, but I sort of made this up as I went along....
First, I scribed the inner diameter of the tire onto .030" sheet styrene.....
....then cut it out close to the line with curved scissors:
.
I cleaned up the circle and achieved the exact ID of the tire by using a Dremel and a file...
An inner line was cut out with a sharp blade, creating a thin ring. The inner edge was
cleaned up with sandpaper taped to a big dowel.....
To make the actual rim, I placed the ring and tire flat on the workbench and glued a piece of
.020" strip stock around the edge, against the inner edge of the tire, like this.....
There probably should've been another photo or two before this one, but I got involved
with the building process and didn't stop to take pictures. I added another strip-stock ring
for the spokes to sit on and made a circle template on which the outer rim and hub (from the
same '48 Chevy the motor came from) are attached with 2-sided tape, then measured, cut &
glued on the styrene spokes.
Here's the finished wheel, sprayed first with automotive primer and then Rustoleum
"American Accents" Terra Cotta for a fine texture that will give the paint and weathering
something to hold onto......
Disclaimer:
This wheel isn't perfect, has no known prototype and was made up as I went along,
which is the best part of freelancing.
More to come.................
