Widening kit wheels

[Ace-Garageguy]

This was posted elsewhere, but to make searching for it easier, I'm posting my thoughts on the various ways to achieve it here.

Obviously, getting round spacer sections of appropriate tubing diameter is a preferred method.

Carefully cut the wheel in half, paying attention to where the glue seams will be after reassembly, square up the cut surfaces, measure exactly the width of spacer ring you'll need, and cut sections of tubing to do the mod.

Styrene tube from Evergreen and Plastruct is only available up to about 13mm i.d.

Butyrate tube from about 3mm to 28mm is available here:  http://modelshop.co.uk/Shop/Item/Butyrate-round-tube-white/ITM1179

Looks like hard white butyrate tube in lotsa sizes (up to 1 1/8") is available from Plastruct on this side of the Atlantic, too.

Butyrate can be glued with epoxy, CAA, or Plastruct's own solvent glue.

https://plastruct.com/product-category/tubing-fittings/butyrate-round-tubing/

K&N brass tube is available up to 11/32".   http://www.ksmetals.com/26.html

Hard clear acrylic tube can be had from 8mm to 25mm here:   https://www.theplasticshop.co.uk/acrylic-tube-extruded-clear-8mm-od-to-25mm-od.html

You can cut brass, styrene, butyrate, and acrylic tube and keep the ends square in a miter box, using a razor saw.

Or, you can do it just like full-scale steel wheels are widened, with round bands made from sheet stock.

Get some styrene sheet stock of about .020" or .030" thickness.

Cut strips of the width you want to widen.

Wrap them around a mandrel (like an X-acto handle or socket) of the correct, or close, diameter.

Tape the band firmly to the mandrel, after cutting off most of the excess from the overlap.

Dip it in boiling water for a few seconds.

When it cools, the styrene strip will now be "tempered" in the round shape of a band.

Mark the overlapped end carefully and cut.

Glue the ends together.

Allow to dry overnight.

You now have a custom round band, in any size you need.

 

Edited August 3, 2018 by Ace-Garageguy

[Earl Marischal]

Thanks, Bill!

 

steve

[BigTallDad]

Very well done!

Another source (albeit very limited size-wise), would be pvc pipe used in plumbing. The pipe used for irrigation has fairly thin walls.

[Mark]

Yet another source would be wide inner wheel rings from the parts box.  If any are included in the same kit that has the wheels you want to make wider, that's often a bonus as the outer rim detail on the inners will more often than not match up with the outers.  Trim away the old/narrow outer ring, then add the wide inner ring in its place.  If you are careful, you can do this without damaging plated wheels.

I'll usually save any leftover wheels from a kit.  If the outer rim looks good, but I don't like the style of the center I'll chop that out and replace it with a center from another wheel (or a casting of one).  Sometimes you can take two different wheels that you aren't crazy about, and turn them into one that you like.

[Can-Con]

19 minutes ago, Mark said:

Yet another source would be wide inner wheel rings from the parts box.  If any are included in the same kit that has the wheels you want to make wider, that's often a bonus as the outer rim detail on the inners will more often than not match up with the outers.  Trim away the old/narrow outer ring, then add the wide inner ring in its place.  If you are careful, you can do this without damaging plated wheels.

I'll usually save any leftover wheels from a kit.  If the outer rim looks good, but I don't like the style of the center I'll chop that out and replace it with a center from another wheel (or a casting of one).  Sometimes you can take two different wheels that you aren't crazy about, and turn them into one that you like.

That's exactly how I did these.