Photo-etched wire wheel inserts

[Guildman]

Hi all,
despite the length of time I've known Steve Ward and his Penelope Pitlane products, I had not before had the need to build any of his 15" wheels into wires using his inserts. Well today I had to do something about wheels on my own FPF Models Lotus Elite LM. Oh dear! I think you're great Steve and now, alas, out of the business, but what were you thinking? There was no way the etch supplied was going to fit the wheels they were intended for. What was going to hold the etches in? How were you intending the first etch to go in the wheel in any kind of fool proof manner?
The time when my son bought some "Vintage" Scalex replacement wheels was fraught, but just possible, but these 15"s? No, not without help.

SO,.....here's what I did. I wasted half an hour trying to fiddle the outside etch with gaps scissored between it's spokes in between the spoke "sets" of the first etch, but hated what I ended up with.
So I decided to start with a means of ensuring the first etch goes in centrally every time. I made a vaguely conical slider in brass to slide on a piece of axle rod (3/32"). This also fits the etch central hole, so it goes....wheel, first fret, slider, axle rod. Slide them together in that order. Push so that the conical slider pushes the etch into the wheel. This will act like a certain kind of spring washer, in other words it springs the fret in so it can't come out again. I mean...that's yer lot, buster. It's in and it ain't comin' out!
Then, cut the rim off the second fret at right angles to the spokes with GOOD scissors or tin snips. You want just spokes poking out into fresh air. Then slide that onto the axle rod, up against the brass conical slider thingie and twiddle it round so you put a fairly hefty cone on the etch. It will actually look almost like a perfect 32nd scale umbrella frame without the cloth.
This needs to go on top of the first etch, with its "legs" (spokes) dropping between the spoke sets of the first etch.
It is much easier to do this if you have a small lathe and can turn a dummy hub that locates in the first etch central hole, spaces out about 3mm, with a little teat that is a nice fit in the central hole of the outer etch (the umbrella sticks one). A little superglue between first etch centre and "hub" then even less superglue twixt little teat and second etch centre. Drop in umbrella, onto hub, leave to set. Whilst making the hubs on the lathe I pushed into the outer end a centre drill that has a diameter on the nose of the drill of 1/16th ". I shall finish the job by making 2 eared spinners with a 1/16th" spigot on the back to glue into the hub.

A big faff? yes if you do the wrong thing to start like I did, but not once you've sussed the answer. Yes if you don't have a lathe, but I gave that some thought too. As you can get telescopic aluminium tubes from K&S Metal Centres or Albion Alloys, you can make hubs by sliding rings of tube over each other to do the same job.Start with 3/32" for the centre, then the next up for the main bit and larger diameters to take you out to the 4mm or so wide hub base area that glues to the first etch disc.

I do hope I've made myself clear here, because I can't draw on pootah and I can't take close up pics with my camera on an English Winter day! But I can answer any questions.

BTW, PP wheels are now only available from Pendle Slot Racing, who seem to have gone from superb service to slow and don't care. Also, they don't open Saturdays, so not what I call a shop as such. So, I won't use them. This leaves me with finding alternative sources. If you don't mind the slightly "spoke-heavy" appearance of Mitoos p/e wheels they are ideal, where you need 15" wires. Their half-etch technology is very effective and I would use them, BUT.....where you need the lightness of being that is the Elite or say an MGA or an early TVR, Mitoos are a bit heavy-looking. Or, of course where you need 13" wires for your Spridget, Spitfire, MGB, etc., you're stuck good and proper.
.
My PP wheels were chucked in the lathe and the ridge reduced to about 1/16th" wide, the the rim was reduced by about 2mm from the outer edge. This allowed the use of Airfix style tyres made by Scalextric Car Restorations in a gooey urethane. All in all, I now have delicate, lightweight looking wheels that actually fit under the close arches of my Elite.
With RS Slotracing bringing out a new Elite model very shortly (I have seen the master and the lovely white metal cast bumpers) we will need a proprietary source of all I have described above. It is to be hoped that Colin Spark can be prevailed upon to step up and fill what has in reality, always been a huge gap in the market. As a maker of alloy wheels already it would seem to be right up his street. And Colin has an increasingly global clientelle, but doesn't pretend to be a shop.

Cheers,
Martin

[waaytoomuchintothis]

I've done several sets of the PP wires in the larger sized vintage Gran Prix wheels from Pendles (they look great on a Bentley Blower), and were perfect and once you learn to use a piece of tuning to set the conical shape in the wheel, its easy. Being larger diameter, I suppose the worst fiddly-ness of it is much easier.

[Guildman]

Yes, they work much better and even my rank beginner son managed. Alas those wheels are no longer in stock and most unlikely to be replaced according to Pendle. See my other post on the 1/24th scale forum.

Martin