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Bulk metal axle material


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Most of the older model cars use 1/16" (.0625" / 1.5875mm) diameter steel. 1/16" welding rod works beautifully (for gas or TIG, copper-coated)

1/16" brass rod from the hardware or hobby shop works equally well.

1/16" plastic rod also works if you're not going to play with it...vroom vroom. :D

Many newer kits use .09" / 2.3mm metal rod, which can be harder to find.

Edited by Ace-Garageguy
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Unless you really just want metal, I've had really good luck (the one time I've had to use it) using a kebab stick and sanding/cutting it down to size. I used it because I had it in the kitchen and didn't want to go to the store hunting for a solution, and it's worked great. It's plenty strong enough, and since I made it fit with very little play in the axle housing, I'm not worried about it warping over time. 

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For a couple of bucks I picked up a bundle of marking flags, like the ones used by surveyors, utilities, etc., at one of the big box hardware chains. They are just slightly larger than the ones that come in kits now, so they fit really snug. Also, the little plastic flags get repurposed into other useful items. I cut them to length with a dremel cutoff wheel for clean ends. I've also made spindles when modifying a kit to eliminate a full axle across the front end.

Edited by talon63
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