wire wheels???

[noname]

Hey guys. I was wondering who is making a good set of aftermarket 1/25 wire wheels for the front of a dragster?

Thanks in advance.

[Ace-Garageguy]

That makes 2 of us.

Micro Nitro used to, but he seems to be gone.

At one time I'd found some PE wires made for 1/32 planes that looked good, but haven't seen them in a while either.

The Herb Deeks wires currently available are for 15" rims, which is way too small for dragster / motorcycle wires.

Deeks used to make these, but apparently no more.     

And these scale out to about 24" in 1/25, way too big...   

EDIT: These (below) are approx. 17" in 1/25 scale, were from Australia, for $100+ per pair.  This is all the contact info I have...For Spoke Wheel Shop........... 

strobson@adam.com.au

Edited November 23, 2017 by Ace-Garageguy

[Ace-Garageguy]

Here's a link, but all the sizes we could use are sold out...

http://umm-usa.com/onlinestore/index.php?manufacturers_id=105

[peteski]

How about Replicas & Miniatures Company of Maryland?  Norm sells couple of different types of motorcycle wheels with etched spokes, resin rims and tires.

[Ace-Garageguy]

How about Replicas & Miniatures Company of Maryland?  Norm sells couple of different types of motorcycle wheels with etched spokes, resin rims and tires.

Hmmmmmm....I saw Norm at a show here just a little over a year ago, and at that time, the wire wheel rim molds or spoke masks were being modified or otherwise in-progress, if I remember correctly. I haven't checked since then, and he wasn't at our show this year.

Anybody else know anything?

[Alix Bernard]

I'm not a fan of the p.e. wheels. I started making my own using the fishing line method. It's pretty easy and looks MUCH better. For the how to on the jig do a search.

[10thumbs]

..

Edited November 24, 2017 by 10thumbs

[10thumbs]

Well Alix, I agree, the method you show is a lot better than some kit.

But Alix,  the way you tell us to do a search on a 'how to' kind of sucks.

You're kind enough to show you're stuff, just not so nice when it comes to your secrets.

Is it so difficult to communicate?

[10thumbs]

.

Edited November 24, 2017 by 10thumbs

[noname]

Thanks guys.  It sounds like somebody may could sell a few handfuls of these if they made them.

I have thought about replacing the kit spokes with fine guitar wire.  Maybe I should try that.

[mr68gts]

http://scratch-builder.blogspot.com/2012/07/jd-wheel-spoke-lacing-19th-scale.html

[gasser59]

Norm at Replicas and Miniatures of Maryland won't be making the wire wheels he used to have available. No reason given, just not going to be offering them anymore. From pictures I had seen, his were the best and its a shame others available aren't this nice.

[curt raitz]

On 11/26/2017 at 6:11 AM, gasser59 said:

Norm at Replicas and Miniatures of Maryland won't be making the wire wheels he used to have available. No reason given, just not going to be offering them anymore. From pictures I had seen, his were the best and its a shame others available aren't this nice.

Brad...the guy who did is photo-etch stuff passed away...so Norm will only have leftover photo-etch stock for sale. 

[Roncla]

I've got a pair of Machined Aluminium Specialists front wire wheels I bought years ago

 I believe this business changed hands a while back and  Teds Modeling Market Place is now carrying some of the line but to date the front wheels aren't shown as available

Their is a definite void in the market for these rims as the kit plastic parts always look so crude.

http://www.tedsmodelingmarketplace.com/machined-aluminum-specialties/

 

[Alix Bernard]

I searched on here but photo bucket has killed most of the photos. 

                         YouTube  How to make a metal tension spoke wheel- Great Guide Plastic Models

                          A Guide to Respoking Wire Wheels- The Motor Museum in Miniature 

On 11/24/2017 at 5:25 PM, 10thumbs said:

Well Alix, I agree, the method you show is a lot better than some kit.

But Alix,  the way you tell us to do a search on a 'how to' kind of sucks.

You're kind enough to show you're stuff, just not so nice when it comes to your secrets.

Is it so difficult to communicate?

Thanks Michael.........sort of.

[Ace-Garageguy]

ONE OF THE BEST WIRE-WHEEL TUTORIALS EVER...RIGHT HERE:

 

 

[peteski]

12 hours ago, curt raitz said:

Brad...the guy who did is photo-etch stuff passed away...so Norm will only have leftover photo-etch stock for sale. 

So Norm was just buying the etched parts from an outside source, then casting the rims, tires and the assembly fixture?

Was the guy that passed away etching those himself or having them etched by some metal etching company?     If it was a company then they still have the artwork to etch more sets of those etched frets (if we had some info about the company and the guy selling these to Norm).  These are rhetorical questions.

That is one of the bad things about cottage industry like this - the production falls apart when one of the outside suppliers disappears. No "plan B".

Norm's wheels are/were very nice. I should call him up and see if I can get more info about this. Getting parts etched is is not that difficult nowadays. Maybe we can get Norm supplied with more etchings?

Edited November 28, 2017 by peteski

[mr68gts]

These were actually done using the old Straightline Modeler method that is no longer available online sadly. Quite labor intensive as you clean up the rings. build hub halves from scratch and lay individual spokes made up of .010 round stock from Plastistruct following a pattern laid down. Works pretty good but they are extremely fragile!

 

[iBorg]

Here's an active link for the SLM wire wheels.

http://straightlinemodeler.org/wirewheels.htm

 

Thanks to the interenet time machine

[mr68gts]

2 hours ago, iBorg said:

Here's an active link for the SLM wire wheels.

http://straightlinemodeler.org/wirewheels.htm

 

Thanks to the interenet time machine

Not coming up on mobile

[Kit Karson]

On ‎11‎/‎22‎/‎2017 at 6:26 PM, noname said:

Hey guys. I was wondering who is making a good set of aftermarket 1/25 wire wheels for the front of a dragster?

Thanks in advance.

There's been a good discussion on fb at link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/198430483814/permalink/10155791077663815/?comment_id=10155791118908815

[Ace-Garageguy]

39 minutes ago, Kit Karson said:

There's been a good discussion on fb at link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/198430483814/permalink/10155791077663815/?comment_id=10155791118908815

Unless I missed something vital, the discussion over there appears to be the identical info posted here, with some of the info probably sourced here...like the 1/32 scale aircraft wheels in sizes we could use being out of stock.

EDIT: ...and we're in effect saying that out of 7.6 BILLION people on the planet, ONLY ONE had the capability and interest to make the PE parts for R&M?

EDIT 2: Model Car Garage makes beautiful PE stuff. Anybody know the guy over there? I'll PAY to have the artwork done to make PE dragster wire-wheel centers to use with the old Revell dragster wire rims.

EDIT 3: And I'll buy the first 20 sets. Paid in advance.

Edited December 2, 2017 by Ace-Garageguy

[mr68gts]

45 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

 

EDIT 3: And I'll buy the first 20 sets. Paid in advance.

I'd probably be good for a couple sets depending on price.

[Mark]

On ‎11‎/‎28‎/‎2017 at 4:40 AM, peteski said:

So Norm was just buying the etched parts from an outside source, then casting the rims, tires and the assembly fixture?

Was the guy that passed away etching those himself or having them etched by some metal etching company?     If it was a company then they still have the artwork to etch more sets of those etched frets (if we had some info about the company and the guy selling these to Norm).  These are rhetorical questions.

That is one of the bad things about cottage industry like this - the production falls apart when one of the outside suppliers disappears. No "plan B".

Norm's wheels are/were very nice. I should call him up and see if I can get more info about this. Getting parts etched is is not that difficult nowadays. Maybe we can get Norm supplied with more etchings?

If it's the guy I'm thinking of, I had PE stuff done by him also back when I was doing conversion parts.  When I contacted him originally, I believe he mentioned R&M as being among his clients.  (This was about 30 years ago; of course R&M may have switched sources between then and now.)  I don't know Norm (R&M) personally, but on the surface it appears he does the castings but others do the PE and creating some of the masters for the parts.  The guy doing the PE (if it's that guy) pretty much did stuff only for model kit aftermarket parts guys (military, cars, whatever).  Of course, many other companies do photoetch, but it's not easy to find one willing to do the hobby items.  They'd rather do production stuff that they can run off in far bigger numbers than the things that interest us. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

4 minutes ago, mr68gts said:

I'd probably be good for a couple sets depending on price.

Based on looking at MCG's catalog prices, I'd guess a fret of 4 dragster wire centers (enough for one car) could be done for about $16. 

As they also make machined aluminum pulleys (an engine set also goes for about $16), they probably have the capability to do machined rims as well.

I'd guess a set of very VERY nice wires could be brought in at $40, or you could just buy the centers for $16 and convert plastic rims.